Partitioning the components of soil respiration: a research challenge

Little is known about the respiratory components of CO₂ emitted from soils and attaining a reliable quantification of the contribution of root respiration remains one of the major challenges facing ecosystem research. Resolving this would provide major advances in our ability to predict ecosystem responses to climate change. The merits and technical and theoretical difficulties associated with different approaches adopted for partitioning respiration components are discussed here. The way forward is suggested to be the development of non-invasive regression analysis validated by stable isotope approaches to increase the sensitivity of model functions to include components of rhizosphere microbial activity, changing root biomass and the dynamics of a wide range of soil C pools. Section Editor: A. Hodge     

Multiple antibiotic resistance of heterotrophic bacteria in the littoral zone of Lake Shira as an indicator of human impact on the ecosystem

Resistance to Ampicillin and Kanamycin displayed by heterotrophic bacteria isolated in Summer and in Spring from the littoral and the central parts of Lake Shira (a therapeutic lake in the Khakasia Republic, Russia) has been investigated. It has been found that in Summer, human and animal microflora featuring multiple antibiotic resistance (to Ampicillin and Kanamycin) predominates in all the studied stations of the littoral zone of the lake. In Spring, concentrations of bacteria featuring multiple antibiotic resistance decrease significantly and bacteria sensitive to antibiotics predominate in the lake. Emergence of multiple antibiotic resistance in bacteria of Lake Shira is caused by the input of allochthonous bacteria into the lake; this feature of heterotrophic bacteria of Lake Shira can be used to monitor the impact on the ecosystem made by health resorts.     

“Bioshrouding”—a novel approach for securing reactive mineral tailings

A novel technique (“bioshrouding”) for safeguarding highly reactive sulfidic mineral tailings deposits is proposed. In this, freshly milled wastes are colonised with ferric iron-reducing heterotrophic acidophilic bacteria that form biofilms on reactive mineral surfaces, thereby preventing or minimising colonisation by iron sulfide-oxidising chemolithotrophs such as Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum spp. Data from initial experiments showed that dissolution of pyrite could be reduced by between 57 and 75% by “bioshrouding” the mineral with three different species of heterotrophic acidophiles (Acidiphilium, Acidocella and Acidobacterium spp.), under conditions that were conducive to microbial oxidative dissolution of the iron sulfide.     

Experimental forest soil warming: response of autotrophic and heterotrophic soil respiration to a short-term 10°C temperature rise

We warmed the top soil of a mature coniferous forest stand by means of heating cables on control and trenched plots within 24 h by 10°C at 1 cm soil depth (9°C at 5 cm depth) and measured the effect on the autotrophic (R_A) and heterotrophic (R_H) component of total soil CO₂ efflux (R_S). The short time frame of warming enabled us to exclude confounding fluctuations in soil moisture and carbon (C) flow from the canopy. The results of the field study were backed up by a lab soil incubation experiment. During the first 12 h of warming, R_A strongly responded to soil warming; The Q ₁₀ values were 5.61 and 6.29 for 1 and 5 cm soil depth temperature. The Q ₁₀ values for R_A were almost twice as high as the Q ₁₀ values of R_H (3.04 and 3.53). Q ₁₀ values above 5 are above reasonable plant physiological values for root respiration. We see interactions of roots, mycorrhizae and heterotrophic microbes, combined with fast substrate supply to the rhizosphere as an explanation for the high short-term temperature response of R_A. When calculated over the whole duration (24 h) of the field soil-warming experiment, temperature sensitivities of R_A and R_H were similar (no significant difference at P < 0.05); Q ₁₀ values were 3.16 and 3.96 for R_A and 2.94 and 3.35 for R_H calculated with soil temperatures at 1 and 5 cm soil depth, respectively. Laboratory incubation showed that different soil moisture contents of trenched and control plots affected rates of R_H, but did not affect the temperature sensitivity of R_H. We conclude that a single parameter is sufficient to describe the temperature sensitivity of R_S in soil C models which operate on larger temporal and spatial scales. The strong short-term response of R_A may be of relevance in soils suspected to experience increasingly strong diurnal temperature variations.     

异养硝化机理的研究进展

硝化作用是自然界氮素循环的一个重要环节。除了传统上的自养硝化细菌以外,至今为止已发现许多异养微生物可以进行硝化作用。异养硝化已成为环境领域的热点问题。简要的介绍了自然界中的异养硝化微生物的分布以及针对其生物多样性而建立的探测和分离方法。着重从异养硝化的关键酶,相关基因,电子传递及代谢途径这几个方面综述了异养硝化机理的研究进展。最后总结了目前在研究异养硝化机理过程中存在的问题,并对其今后进一步的研究方向做出了展望。     

东湖异养细菌群落的分类结构和聚类分析

对东湖异养细菌群落结构采用系统分类和微机聚类分析方法作了比较研究。169株由东湖Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ站水体中分离的异养细菌分别隶属于30个细菌属。其中以芽孢杆菌属居于明显优势,其次是微球菌属。在不同水域或水层,细菌的分布表现有一定的差别,但各站间多样性指数值没有明显的差异。基于113项生物学特性检测结果,采用lBM PC/XT微机聚类分析后计算各站细菌的多样性指数发现:Ⅰ站明显高于Ⅱ、Ⅲ两站,43项检测系统所得结果与此表现了一致的趋势。这与东湖各站水环境的理化分析参数是比较吻合的。作者对以上结果作了讨论。     

乙酸驱动条件下粪产碱杆菌Y5的碳氮共脱除特性

【目的】研究微生物的碳氮共脱除特性及其关键影响因素。【方法】以乙酸为唯一碳源分离获得的碳氮共脱除菌株Y5为模式菌株,分析菌株Y5的16S r RNA基因序列、碳源和氮源去除动力学,以及碳源种类、碳氮比(C/N)、溶解氧浓度(DO)、温度和p H等影响效果。【结果】菌株Y5归属于粪产碱杆菌。与葡萄糖及多种有机酸相比,菌株Y5在以乙酸为唯一碳源的条件下具有较高的TOC和NH4+-N去除速率。在好氧条件下,当起始TOC浓度为1 000 mg/L,氨氮浓度为110 mg/L时,菌株Y5的NH4+-N、TOC和总氮(TN)去除率分别达99.54%、92.95%和86.55%,最大NH4+-N、TOC和TN去除速率分别为903.58、505.81和406.03 mg/(L·d)。【结论】粪产碱杆菌Y5在以乙酸为唯一碳源的条件下具有较强的碳氮共脱除能力,其最佳反应条件为:C/N=10,p H 7.0-8.0,溶氧6.20 mg/L,反应温度为30°C。     

中国东海微型鞭毛虫群落的分布特征及其环境影响因子

海洋微型鞭毛虫是海洋原生生物中一类高度异质化的类群,物种多样性高,具有多种营养方式,在全球海洋生态系统中占据广阔的生态位,在生物地球化学循环中发挥着关键作用。然而关于其生物多样性和群落结构的认识十分有限,特别是有关环境因子与其生物地理分布关系的研究更为罕见。为了探究微型鞭毛虫群落多样性、群落结构以及影响其生物地理分布格局的环境因素,将高通量测序技术与传统的显微镜观测方法相结合,全面调查了中国东海春季和秋季微型鞭毛虫的群落特征,并深入探讨了与环境因子之间的关系。结果表明：东海微型鞭毛虫的丰度平均为2.27×10~3个/mL,表现为近岸处较高、随离岸距离的增加而下降的趋势;Shannon多样性指数呈现表层低于底层、近岸区低于陆架区的特征,反映了生物群落的稳定程度以及对环境条件的适应程度;不同类群的鞭毛虫具有各自独特的营养模式和相对固定的粒级,表现出对温度、盐度、溶解氧等环境因素的不同响应,从而使群落的物种组成和分布模式呈现明显的季节变化和生境差异。研究结果可为深入认识东海海洋微型鞭毛虫的群落结构、分布格局以及环境影响因素提供理论依据。     

一株异养硝化细菌的分离及系统发育分析

从大棚土壤中分离到一株异养型硝化细菌,命名为菌株HN,分离菌株为革兰氏染色阳性,球状或杆状。菌落颜色为橙红色。该菌株能以乙酰胺为唯一碳源和氮源进行氨化作用和硝化作用并产生亚硝酸。以硝酸钠为氮源时能进行反硝化作用。部分长度的16S rDNA 序列分析表明,分离菌株HN与Rhodococcus ruber 具有99％相似性。并用PHYLIPS程序将该菌株与报道的相关硝化细菌进行系统发育进化分析。本文首次报道Rhodococcus sp.HN为异养型亚硝化细菌。