scholarly journals High peatland methane emissions following permafrost thaw: enhanced acetoclastic methanogenesis during early successional stages

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Heffernan ◽  
Maria A. Cavaco ◽  
Maya P. Bhatia ◽  
Cristian Estop-Aragonés ◽  
Klaus-Holger Knorr ◽  
...  

Abstract. Permafrost thaw in northern peatlands often leads to increased methane (CH4) emissions, but gaps remain in our understanding of the underlying controls responsible for increased emissions and the duration for which they persist. We assessed how shifting ecological conditions affect microbial communities, and the magnitude and stable isotopic signature (δ13C) of CH4 emissions along a thermokarst bog transect in boreal western Canada. Thermokarst bogs develop following permafrost thaw when dry, elevated peat plateaus collapse and become saturated and dominated by Sphagnum mosses. We differentiated between a young and a mature thermokarst bog stage (~30 and years ~200 since thaw, respectively). The young bog located along the thermokarst edge, was wetter, warmer and dominated by hydrophilic vegetation compared to the mature bog. Using 16S rRNA gene high throughput sequencing, we show that microbial communities were distinct near the surface and converged with depth, but lesser differences remained down to the lowest depth (160 cm). Microbial community analysis and δ13C data from CH4 surface emissions and dissolved gas depth profiles show that hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis was the dominant pathway at both sites. However, the young bog was found to have isotopically heavier δ13C-CH4 in both dissolved gases profiles and surface CH4 emissions, suggesting that acetoclastic methanogenesis was relatively more enhanced throughout the young bog peat profile. Furthermore, young bog CH4 emissions were three times greater than the mature bog. Our study suggests that interactions between ecological conditions and methanogenic communities enhance CH4 emissions in young thermokarst bogs, but these favorable conditions only persist for the initial decades after permafrost thaw.

2013 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lavane Kim ◽  
Eulyn Pagaling ◽  
Yi Y. Zuo ◽  
Tao Yan

ABSTRACTThe impact of substratum surface property change on biofilm community structure was investigated using laboratory biological aerated filter (BAF) reactors and molecular microbial community analysis. Two substratum surfaces that differed in surface properties were created via surface coating and used to develop biofilms in test (modified surface) and control (original surface) BAF reactors. Microbial community analysis by 16S rRNA gene-based PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that the surface property change consistently resulted in distinct profiles of microbial populations during replicate reactor start-ups. Pyrosequencing of the bar-coded 16S rRNA gene amplicons surveyed more than 90% of the microbial diversity in the microbial communities and identified 72 unique bacterial species within 19 bacterial orders. Among the 19 orders of bacteria detected,BurkholderialesandRhodocyclalesof theBetaproteobacteriaclass were numerically dominant and accounted for 90.5 to 97.4% of the sequence reads, and their relative abundances in the test and control BAF reactors were different in consistent patterns during the two reactor start-ups. Three of the five dominant bacterial species also showed consistent relative abundance changes between the test and control BAF reactors. The different biofilm microbial communities led to different treatment efficiencies, with consistently higher total organic carbon (TOC) removal in the test reactor than in the control reactor. Further understanding of how surface properties affect biofilm microbial communities and functional performance would enable the rational design of new generations of substrata for the improvement of biofilm-based biological treatment processes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle M McKnight ◽  
Josh D Neufeld

Nitrification by aquarium biofilters transforms toxic ammonia waste (NH3/NH4+) to less toxic nitrate (NO3-) via nitrite (NO2-). Ammonia oxidation is mediated by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), and the recently discovered complete ammonia oxidizing (comammox) Nitrospira. Prior to the discovery of comammox Nitrospira, previous research revealed that AOA dominate among ammonia oxidizers in freshwater biofilters. Here, we characterized the composition of aquarium filter microbial communities and quantified the abundance of all three known groups of ammonia oxidizers. Aquarium biofilter and water samples were collected from representative freshwater and saltwater systems in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Using extracted DNA, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR) to assess community composition and quantify the abundance of amoA genes, respectively. Our results show that aquarium biofilter microbial communities were consistently represented by putative heterotrophs of the Proteobacteria and Bacteroides phyla, with distinct profiles associated with fresh versus saltwater biofilters. Among nitrifiers, comammox Nitrospira amoA genes were detected in all 38 freshwater aquarium biofilter samples and were the most abundant ammonia oxidizer in 30 of these samples, with the remaining biofilters dominated by AOA, based on amoA gene abundances. In saltwater biofilters, AOA or AOB were differentially abundant, with no comammox Nitrospira detected. These results demonstrate that comammox Nitrospira play an important role in biofilter nitrification that has been previously overlooked and such microcosms are useful for exploring the ecology of nitrification for future research.


mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jizhong Zhou ◽  
Zhili He ◽  
Yunfeng Yang ◽  
Ye Deng ◽  
Susannah G. Tringe ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT  Understanding the structure, functions, activities and dynamics of microbial communities in natural environments is one of the grand challenges of 21st century science. To address this challenge, over the past decade, numerous technologies have been developed for interrogating microbial communities, of which some are amenable to exploratory work (e.g., high-throughput sequencing and phenotypic screening) and others depend on reference genes or genomes (e.g., phylogenetic and functional gene arrays). Here, we provide a critical review and synthesis of the most commonly applied “open-format” and “closed-format” detection technologies. We discuss their characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages within the context of environmental applications and focus on analysis of complex microbial systems, such as those in soils, in which diversity is high and reference genomes are few. In addition, we discuss crucial issues and considerations associated with applying complementary high-throughput molecular technologies to address important ecological questions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 262 ◽  
pp. 135-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos L. Aspiazu ◽  
Paulina Aguirre ◽  
Sabrina Hedrich ◽  
Axel Schippers

In a mine owned by the company Orenas S.A. (Equador), a biooxidation process for gold recovery has been developed. Refractory gold ore was crushed, milled and 500 ton of flotation concentrate was agglomerated by coating a support rock. This was piled up on a liner and the biooxidation process in the heap of 35x25x6 m3 was run for approximately 150 days. The oxidized material was subsequently removed for further processing. An outcrop allowed for depth dependent sampling of altogether 36 samples at three sites over the complete depth of 6 m. The fine fraction was removed from the host rock and sent to the laboratory for analysis of the microbial community. The pH ranged between 2.2 and 2.9. Total cell counts determined via counting under a fluorescence microscope after SYBR Green staining indicated a high microbial colonialization of the heap in all depths between 106 to 109 cells per g concentrate, however the highest cell numbers were mainly found in the upper 50 cm. Most-probable-number determination of living, acidophilic iron (II)-oxidizers for one site also revealed a decrease of cell numbers with depth (between 104 to 108 cells per g concentrate). Further molecular analyses of the community composition based on extracted DNA and 16S rRNA gene analyses by TRFLP and qPCR revealed a complex archaeal and bacterial community within the heap. It can be stated that an active community of acidophiles runs the biooxidation process in all sampled parts of the heap.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Nerva ◽  
Chiara Pagliarani ◽  
Massimo Pugliese ◽  
Matteo Monchiero ◽  
Solène Gonthier ◽  
...  

The reduction of antimicrobial treatments and mainly the application of environmentally friendly compounds, such as resistance elicitors, is an impelling challenge to undertake more sustainable agriculture. We performed this research to study the effectiveness of non-conventional compounds in reducing leaf fungal attack and to investigate whether they influence the grape phyllosphere. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on potted Vitis vinifera “Nebbiolo” and “Moscato” cultivars infected with the powdery mildew agent (Erysiphe necator) and treated with three elicitors. Differences in the foliar microbial community were then evaluated by community-level physiological profiling by using BiologTM EcoPlates, high throughput sequencing of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region, and RNA sequencing for the viral community. In both cultivars, all products were effective as they significantly reduced pathogen development. EcoPlate analysis and ITS sequencing showed that the microbial communities were not influenced by the alternative compound application, confirming their specific activity as plant defense elicitors. Nevertheless, “Moscato” plants were less susceptible to the disease and presented different phyllosphere composition, resulting in a richer viral community, when compared with the “Nebbiolo” plants. The observed effect on microbial communities pointed to the existence of distinct genotype-specific defense mechanisms independently of the elicitor application.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 476-486
Author(s):  
Tingting Liu ◽  
Caoping Pang ◽  
Fengcai Ye ◽  
Dafei Gong ◽  
Jieling Luo ◽  
...  

Four mine contaminated soils located in northwest of Guangxi autonomous region were selected for microbial community analysis. These mine soils were contaminated by chromium (Cr) and cadmium (Cd). Microbial communities were described by high-throughput sequencing technology, which showed 39 different phyla in four samples. Among these phyla, Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum in all samples. Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadetes, Bacteroidetes and Chloroflexi showed higher relative abundances than other phyla. In addition, a wide diversity of bacteria with the potential of bioremediation, such as Sphingomonas, Lysobacter and Gemmatimonas were detected in the tested mine contaminated soils. The results of microbial community analysis will provide a new target for isolation of microorganisms with the potential of bioremediation and lay the foundation for a great enhancement of bioremediation ability through the genetic engineering modification of indigenous microorganisms in future.


2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (15) ◽  
pp. 5121-5130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Bowers ◽  
Christian L. Lauber ◽  
Christine Wiedinmyer ◽  
Micah Hamady ◽  
Anna G. Hallar ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Bacteria and fungi are ubiquitous in the atmosphere. The diversity and abundance of airborne microbes may be strongly influenced by atmospheric conditions or even influence atmospheric conditions themselves by acting as ice nucleators. However, few comprehensive studies have described the diversity and dynamics of airborne bacteria and fungi based on culture-independent techniques. We document atmospheric microbial abundance, community composition, and ice nucleation at a high-elevation site in northwestern Colorado. We used a standard small-subunit rRNA gene Sanger sequencing approach for total microbial community analysis and a bacteria-specific 16S rRNA bar-coded pyrosequencing approach (4,864 sequences total). During the 2-week collection period, total microbial abundances were relatively constant, ranging from 9.6 × 105 to 6.6 × 106 cells m−3 of air, and the diversity and composition of the airborne microbial communities were also relatively static. Bacteria and fungi were nearly equivalent, and members of the proteobacterial groups Burkholderiales and Moraxellaceae (particularly the genus Psychrobacter) were dominant. These taxa were not always the most abundant in freshly fallen snow samples collected at this site. Although there was minimal variability in microbial abundances and composition within the atmosphere, the number of biological ice nuclei increased significantly during periods of high relative humidity. However, these changes in ice nuclei numbers were not associated with changes in the relative abundances of the most commonly studied ice-nucleating bacteria.


2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (17) ◽  
pp. 5902-5910 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. S. Jones ◽  
D. J. Tobler ◽  
I. Schaperdoth ◽  
M. Mainiero ◽  
J. L. Macalady

ABSTRACT We performed a microbial community analysis of biofilms inhabiting thermal (35 to 50°C) waters more than 60 m below the ground surface near Acquasanta Terme, Italy. The groundwater hosting the biofilms has 400 to 830 μM sulfide, <10 μM O2, pH of 6.3 to 6.7, and specific conductivity of 8,500 to 10,500 μS/cm. Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene cloning and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), the biofilms have low species richness, and lithoautotrophic (or possibly mixotrophic) Gamma- and Epsilonproteobacteria are the principle biofilm architects. Deltaproteobacteria sequences retrieved from the biofilms have <90% 16S rRNA similarity to their closest relatives in public databases and may represent novel sulfate-reducing bacteria. The Acquasanta biofilms share few species in common with Frasassi cave biofilms (13°C, 80 km distant) but have a similar community structure, with representatives in the same major clades. The ecological success of Sulfurovumales-group Epsilonproteobacteria in the Acquasanta biofilms is consistent with previous observations of their dominance in sulfidic cave waters with turbulent water flow and high dissolved sulfide/oxygen ratios.


2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (20) ◽  
pp. 7067-7077 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Ahmed ◽  
C. Staley ◽  
M. J. Sadowsky ◽  
P. Gyawali ◽  
J. P. S. Sidhu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIn this study, host-associated molecular markers and bacterial 16S rRNA gene community analysis using high-throughput sequencing were used to identify the sources of fecal pollution in environmental waters in Brisbane, Australia. A total of 92 fecal and composite wastewater samples were collected from different host groups (cat, cattle, dog, horse, human, and kangaroo), and 18 water samples were collected from six sites (BR1 to BR6) along the Brisbane River in Queensland, Australia. Bacterial communities in the fecal, wastewater, and river water samples were sequenced. Water samples were also tested for the presence of bird-associated (GFD), cattle-associated (CowM3), horse-associated, and human-associated (HF183) molecular markers, to provide multiple lines of evidence regarding the possible presence of fecal pollution associated with specific hosts. Among the 18 water samples tested, 83%, 33%, 17%, and 17% were real-time PCR positive for the GFD, HF183, CowM3, and horse markers, respectively. Among the potential sources of fecal pollution in water samples from the river, DNA sequencing tended to show relatively small contributions from wastewater treatment plants (up to 13% of sequence reads). Contributions from other animal sources were rarely detected and were very small (<3% of sequence reads). Source contributions determined via sequence analysis versus detection of molecular markers showed variable agreement. A lack of relationships among fecal indicator bacteria, host-associated molecular markers, and 16S rRNA gene community analysis data was also observed. Nonetheless, we show that bacterial community and host-associated molecular marker analyses can be combined to identify potential sources of fecal pollution in an urban river. This study is a proof of concept, and based on the results, we recommend using bacterial community analysis (where possible) along with PCR detection or quantification of host-associated molecular markers to provide information on the sources of fecal pollution in waterways.


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