Partial function prediction of sulfate-reducing bacterial community from the rhizospheres of two typical coastal wetland plants in China

Sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB)are ubiquitous anaerobic microorganisms that play signifi cant roles in the global biogeochemical cycle.Coastal wetlands,one of the major habitats of SRB,exhibit high sulfate-reducing activity and thus play signifi cant roles in organic carbon remineralization,benthic geochemical action,and plant-microbe interactions.Recent studies have provided credible evidence that the functional rather than the taxonomic composition of microbes responds more closely to environmental factors.Therefore,in this study,functional gene prediction based on PacBio single molecular real-time sequencing of 16S rDNA was applied to determine the sulfate-reducing and organic substrate-decomposing activities of SRB in the rhizospheres of two typical coastal wetland plants in North and South China:Zostera japonica and Scirpus mariqueter.To this end,some physicochemical characteristics of the sediments as well as the phylogenetic structure,community composition,diversity,and proportions of several functional genes of the SRB in the two plant rhizospheres were analyzed.The Z.japonic a meadow had a higher dissimilatory sulfate reduction capability than the S.mariqueter-comprising saltmarsh,owing to its larger proportion of SRB in the microbial community,larger proportions of functional genes involved in dissimilatory sulfate reduction,and the stronger ability of the SRB to degrade organic substrates completely.This study confi rmed the feasibility of applying microbial community function prediction in research on the metabolic features of SRB,which will be helpful for gaining new knowledge of the biogeochemical and ecological roles of these bacteria in coastal wetlands.

Responses of macrobenthic communities to patchy distributions of heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons in sediments:A study in China's Zhoushan Archipelago

This study conducted four cruises during 2014–2017 to investigate relationships between macrobenthic communities and sediment contaminations in sea area around the Zhoushan Archipelago.Fourteen sites were categorized into three groups:high total heavy metal contamination content(HHMC),high total petroleum hydrocarbon content(HTPH),and low content ratio of heavy metal contamination content to total petroleum hydrocarbon content(HMC/TPH)areas.Four main taxa of macrofauna(polychaetes,bivalves,gastropods,and crustaceans)were determined to respond to environmental factors differently.While tolerant polychaetes being the minimal impact by environmental factors,bivalves were threated by heavy metal pollutions in sediment.Additionally,body size distribution frequency demonstrated that macrofauna in the low HMC/TPH areas were less disturbed by contamination than those in the HHMC and HTPH areas.The result represented the presentation of sensitive species while tolerant species are usually considered as small size organisms.Overall,this study confirmed the hypothesis that the contamination levels of small-scale patches is indicated by the condition of macrobenthic communities.

Seasonal and regional diff erences in long-term changes in large mesozooplankton(>505μm)biomass and abundance in a semi-enclosed subtropical bay

Obvious spatiotemporal heterogeneity is a distinct characteristic of ecosystems in subtropical bays.To aid targeted management and ecological restoration in long and narrow semi-enclosed subtropical bays,we analyzed seasonal and regional differences in long-term changes(1980-2019)in the biomass and abundance of large mesozooplankton(LMZ;>505μm)in Xiangshan Bay,Zhejiang,China.We found spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the historical changes of LMZ.Significant negative trends in LMZ biomass were found in the inner and middle bay during the warm season(summer and autumn),when the nutrient concentration(especially dissolved inorganic nitrogen)and temperature increased simultaneously.Nutrient changes in Xiangshan Bay began in the late 1980s or early 1990s,coinciding with large-scale fish cage development.A rapid decline in LMZ biomass occurred after 2005 when power plants commenced operation,accelerating the warming trend.Therefore,the joint stress of eutrophication and warming likely precipitated the decline in LMZ biomass.Conversely,a significant increase in LMZ biomass was found in the outer bay in spring.This trend was consistent with the trend of LMZ biomass near the Changjiang(Yangtze)River estuary,which indicates that the pelagic ecosystem in the outer bay was aff ected by water from the Changjiang River estuary during spring.Based on our results,ecosystem management and restoration in semi-enclosed subtropical bays should focus on internal waters,which have a poor capacity for water exchange.For Xiangshan Bay,the changes in the Changjiang River estuary ecosystem during the cold season(winter and spring)should also be considered.