Marinobacter mangrovi sp. nov., isolated from mangrove sediment

A novel marine bacterium, designated strain CHFG3-1-5T, was isolated from mangrove sediment sampled at Jiulong River estuary, Fujian, PR China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain CHFG3-1-5T belonged to the genus Marinobacter , with the highest sequence similarity to Marinobacter segnicrescens SS011B1-4T (97.6%), followed by Marinobacter nanhaiticus D15-8WT (97.5%), Marinobacter bohaiensis T17T (97.1%) and Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus SP.17T (90.6%). The bacterium was Gram-stain-negative, facultative anaerobic, oxidase- and catalase-positive, rod-shaped and motile with a polar flagellum. Strain CHFG3-1-5T grew optimally at 32–37 °C, pH 6.0–8.0 and in the presence of 2.0–3.0% (w/v) NaCl. The G+C content of the chromosomal DNA was 61.1 mol%. The major respiratory quinone was determined to be Q-9. The principal fatty acids were C16 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c/ω6c), C12 : 0, summed feature 9 (C17 : 1 iso ω9c and/or C16 : 0 10-methyl), C12 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c). The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, three phospholipids, one glycolipid and two aminolipids. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values among the genomes of strain CHFG3-1-5T and the reference strains were 73.4–79.4 and 19.6–22.4%, respectively. Like many other species reported in the genus Marinobacter , strain CHFG3-1-5T was able to oxidise iron. The combined genotypic and phenotypic data showed that strain CHFG3-1-5T represents a novel species within the genus Marinobacter , for which the name Marinobacter mangrovi sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain CHFG3-1-5T (=MCCC 1A18306T=KCTC 82398T).

Fusibacter ferrireducens sp. nov., an anaerobic, Fe(Ⅲ)- and sulphur-reducing bacterium isolated from mangrove sediment

An anaerobic, alkaliphilic, halotolerant, Gram-stain-positive and rod-shaped bacterium, designated Q10-2T, was isolated from mangrove sediment sampled at the Jiulong river estuary, PR China. The cells of strain Q10-2T were motile and 0.5×2–4 µm in size. Strain Q10-2T grew at 8–45 °C (optimum, 32 °C), at pH 7.0–10.5 (optimum, pH 8.5) and in the presence of 0–6 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3 %). It could use complex organic compounds and carbohydrates including d-fructose, d-galactose, d-glucose, d-mannitol, d-xylose, trehalose, lactose, maltose, sucrose and starch as carbon sources and electron donors. It could reduce sulphate, thiosulphate and elemental sulphur to sulphide, but not sulphite. Fe (Ⅲ) citrate, ferrihydrite, haematite and goethite in the presence of glucose as the electron donor were also reduced. Acetate, butyrate, ethanol, CO2 and H2 were end products of glucose fermentation. The predominant cellular fatty acids were composed of C14 : 0, C16 : 0 and summed features containing C16 : 1 ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and iso-C17 : 1 and/or anteiso-C17 : 1 B. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the novel strain was most closely related to Fusibacter paucivorans DSM 12116T (95.5 % sequence similarity). The genome size of strain Q10-2T was 5.0 Mb, with a G+C content of 37.4 mol%. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain Q10-2T and F. paucivorans DSM 12116T were 69.1 and 21.8 %, respectively. The combined genotypic and phenotypic data showed that strain Q10-2T represents a novel species of the genus Fusibacter , for which the name Fusibacter ferrireducens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Q10-2T (=MCCC 1A16257T=KCTC 15906T).

Mid-Level Riverine Outflow Matters: A Case of Microplastic Transport in the Jiulong River, China

Riverine outflow is one of the major pathways for microplastic transportation to coastal environments. Research on the output of microplastics in small- or medium-sized rivers will help accurately understand the status of their marine loads. In this study, we used both trawling and pumping methods to collect microplastics of different sizes in the Jiulong River Estuary and Xiamen Bay. We found that the abundance of small microplastics (44 μm–5.0 mm) was at least 20 times higher than the large particles (0.33–5.0 mm). The abundance of the large particles ranges from 4.96 to 16.3 particles/m3, and that of the small particles ranged from 82.8 to 918 particles/m3. Granule was the dominant shape (>60%), and polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were the most common components. The riverine flux of small microplastics (44 μm–5 mm, 472 ± 230 t/y) was at a medium level and was eight times greater than that of large particles (0.33–5.0 mm, 61.2 ± 2.6 t/y). The behavior of the large microplastics was relatively conservative, whose abundance had a significant correlation with salinity (R2 = 0.927) and was mainly influenced by physical factors. In contrast, results of statistical analysis revealed that more complicated factors influenced the small microplastics.

Croceicoccus bisphenolivorans sp. nov., a bisphenol A-degrading bacterium isolated from seawater

A bisphenol A-degrading bacterium, designated as strain H4T, was isolated from surface seawater, which was sampled from the Jiulong River estuary in southeast PR China. Strain H4T is Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, short rod-shaped, lacking bacteriochlorophyll a, motile with multifibrillar stalklike fascicle structures and capable of degrading bisphenol A. Growth of strain H4T was observed at 24–45 °C (optimum, 32 °C), at pH 5.5–9 (optimum, pH 7.0) and in 0–7 % NaCl (optimum, 2 %; w/v) . The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain H4T showed highest similarity to Croceicoccus pelagius Ery9T (98.7 %), Croceicoccus sediminis (98.3 %), Croceicoccus naphthovorans PQ-2T (98.1 %) and Croceicoccus ponticola GM-16T (97.6 %), followed by Croceicoccus marinus E4A9T (96.7 %) and Croceicoccus mobilis Ery22T (96.0 %). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain H4T fell within a clade comprising the type strains of Croceicoccus species and formed a phyletic line with them that was distinct from other members of the family Erythrobacteraceae . The sole respiratory quinone was quinone 10 (Q-10). The predominant fatty acids (>5 % of the total fatty acids) of strain H4T were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω6c and/or C18 : 1 ω7c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω6c and/or C16 : 1 ω7c), C17 : 1 ω6c and C14 : 02-OH. The genomic DNA G+C content was 62.8 mol%. In the polar lipid profile, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified phospholipids, two sphingoglycolipids and three unknown lipids were the major compounds. Based on the genotypic and phenotypic data, strain H4T represents a novel species of the genus Croceicoccus , for which the name Croceicoccus bisphenolivorans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is H4T (=DSM 102182T=MCCC1 K02301T).

Relations between marine plastic litter and river plumes: First results of PLUMPLAS project

We report here first and preliminary results of the PLUMPLAS Project – an ongoing international joint research effort between Federal University of Rio Grande (Brazil), Xiamen University (China), and P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Russia) developed within science and technology cooperation initiative (STI) between BRICS countries. The studies are focused on specific model regions representing different conditions of river discharges and anthropogenic loads, namely, the areas adjacent to the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea (Russia); the region of the Patos Lagoon mouth in the South Atlantic (Brazil); and Jiulong river estuary in Xiamen (China). The working hypothesis being tested is as follows: the floating plastic litter in the coastal ocean is mainly concentrated in the river plumes associated with continental freshwater discharges, and its dynamics is largely controlled by the dynamics of the plumes. The preliminary results of in situ observations and modeling accomplished to date seem to be in line with this hypothesis.

Pseudooceanicola aestuarii sp. nov., isolated from the Jiulong River Estuary in PR China

A novel Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, aerobic, oxidase-positive and catalase-positive bacterium of the genus Pseudooceanicola , designated strain E2-1T, was isolated from surface water of Jiulong River Estuary, PR China. Cells of strain E2-1T grew in medium containing 0.5–12 % NaCl (w/v; optimum, 2–4 %), at 15–45 °C (optimum, 28–33 °C) and at pH 7.0–9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0–8.0). Comparative analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain E2-1T had the highest similarity to Pseudooceanicola nitratireducens JLT1210T (97.3 %) and Pseudooceanicola batsensis HTCC2597T (97.1 %), and had less than 97.0 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to other type strains within the genus Pseudooceanicola . The DNA G+C content of strain E2-1T was 65.7 mol%. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization relatedness values between E2-1T and related type strains were 75.0 and 20.1 % with P. nitratireducens JLT1210T and 75.6 and 20.4 % with P. batsensis HTCC2597T, respectively. The sole isoprenoid quinone was Q-10; the predominant polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, three unidentified phospholipids and six unidentified lipids; the major cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0 (17.5 %), C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c (22.7 %) and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c/C18 : 1 ω6c; 10.1 %). According to the phylogenetic and genotypic results, strain E2-1T represents a novel species in the genus Pseudooceanicola , for which the name Pseudooceanicola aestuarii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is E2-1T (=MCCC 1K03742T=KCTC 72107T).