Succession of aquatic microbial communities as a result of the water quality variations in continuous water

The changes of structural and functional parameters of aquatic microbial communities in continuous water on campus of Tsinghua University, China are investigated by polyurethane foam unit(PFU) method. The measured compositions of the communities include alga, protozoa, and some metazoa(such as rotifers). The measured indicators of water quality include water temperature, pH value, dissolved oxygen(DO), potassium permanganate index(COD Mn ), total nitrogen(TN), total phosphorus(TP) and chlorophyll-a(Chla). The trophic level, expressed by the trophic level indices(TLIc), is assessed with analytic hierarchy process and principal component analysis(AHP-PCA) method. The changing trends of the structural and functional parameters of aquatic microbial communities, such as Margalef index of diversity(D), Shannon-weaver index of diversity (H), Heterotropy index(HI), number of species when the colonization gets equilibrium(S eq ), colonizing speed constant(G) and time spent when 90 percent of S eq colonized in PFU(T 90% ), are also analyzed. The experimental results showed the succession of aquatic microbial communities along the water flow is consistent with the water quality changes, so the parameters of microbial community can reflect the changes of water quality from the ecological view.

Metabolomic modulations in a freshwater microbial community exposed to the fungicide azoxystrobin

An effective broad-spectrum fungicide,azoxystrobin(AZ),has been widely detected in aquatic ecosystems,potentially affecting the growth of aquatic microorganisms.In the present study,the eukaryotic alga Monoraphidium sp.and the cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena sp.were exposed to AZ for 7 days.Our results showed that 0.2–0.5 mg/L concentrations of AZ slightly inhibited the growth of Monoraphidium sp.but stimulated Pseudanabaena sp.growth.Meanwhile,AZ treatment effectively increased the secretion of total organic carbon(TOC)in the culture media of the two species,and this phenomenon was also found in a freshwater microcosm experiment(containing the natural microbial community).We attempted to assess the effect of AZ on the function of aquatic microbial communities through metabolomic analysis and further explore the potential risks of this compound.The metabonomic profiles of the microcosm indicated that the most varied metabolites after AZ treatment were related to the citrate cycle(TCA),fatty acid biosynthesis and purine metabolism.We thereby inferred that the microbial community increased extracellular secretions by adjusting metabolic pathways,which might be a stress response to reduce AZ toxicity.Our results provide an important theoretical basis for further study of fungicide stress responses in aquatic microcosm microbial communities,as well as a good start for further explorations of AZ detoxification mechanisms,which will be valuable for the evaluation of AZ environmental risk.