Phylogenetic diversity of planktonic bacteria in the Chukchi Borderland region in summer

Planktonic bacteria are abundant in the Chukchi Borderland region. However, little is known about their di- versity and the roles of various bacteria in the ocean. Seawater samples were collected from two stations K2S and K4S where sea ice was melting obviously. The analysis of water samples with fluorescence in situ hybridization （FISH） showed that DMSP-degrading bacteria accounted for 13% of the total bacteria at the station K2S. No aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic （AAP） bacteria were detected in both samples. The bacterial communities were characterized by two 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Sequences fell into four major lineages of the domain Bacteria, including Proteobacteria （Alpha, Beta and Gamma subclasses）, Bac- teroidetes, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. No significant difference was found between the two clone li- braries. SAR11 and Rhodobacteraceae clades of Alphaproteobacteria and Pseudoalteromonas of Gammapro- teobacteria constituted three dominant fractions in the clone libraries. A total of 191 heterotrophic bacterial strains were isolated and 76% showed extracellular proteolytic activity. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the isolates fell into Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. The most common genus in both the bacterial isolates and protease-producing bacteria was Pseudoalteromonas. UniFrac data showed suggestive differences in bacterial communities between the Chukchi Borderland and the northern Bering Sea.

Microbial community structure and diversity in deep-sea hydrothermal vent sediments along the Eastern Lau Spreading Centre

The aim of this study is to investigate microbial structures and diversities in five active hydrothermal fields＇ sediments along the Eastern Lau Spreading Centre （ELSC） in the Lau Basin （southwest Pacific）. Microbial communities were surveyed by denatured gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） and clone library analysis of 16S rRNA genes. The differences in microbial community structures among sediment samples from the five deep-sea hydrothermal sites were revealed by DGGE profiles. Cluster analysis of DGGE profiles sepa- rated the five hydrothermal samples into two groups. Four different 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, repre- senting two selected hydrothermal samples （19-4TVG8 and 19-4TVG11）, were constructed. Twenty-three and 32 phylotypes were identified from 166 and 160 bacterial clones respectively, including Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae and Planctomycetes. The phylum Proteobacteria is dominant in both bacterial libraries with a predominance of Gamma-Proteobacteria. A total of 31 and 25 phylotypes were obtained from 160 and 130 archaeal clones respectively, including Miscellaneous Crenarchaeotic Group, Marine Group Ⅰ and Ⅲ, Marine Benthic Group E, Terrestrial Hot Spring Crenarchaeota and Deep-sea Hy- drothermal Vent Euryarchaeota. These results show a variety of clones related to those involved in sulfur cycling, suggesting that the cycling and utilization of sulfur compounds may extensively occur in the Lau Basin deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystem.

Analysis of bacterial community in bulking sludge using culture-dependent and -independent approaches

The bacterial community of a bulking sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant with anoxic-anaerobic-oxic process was investigated by combination of cultivation and 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis for understanding the causes of bulking.A total of 28 species were obtained from 63 isolates collected from six culture media.The most cultivable species belonged to γ-Proteobacteria including Klebsiella sp.,Pseudomonas sp.,Aeromonas sp.and Acinetobacter sp.Further analysis of these strains by repetitive sequence based on polymerase chain reaction （rep-PCR） technology showed that rep-PCR yielded discriminatory banding patterns within the same genus using REP and BOX primer sets.While the culture-independent assessment revealed that β-Proteobacteria was the dominant group in the bulking sample.Sequence analysis revealed that the highest proportion （14.7%） of operational taxonomic units was 98% similar to Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis,which is used to remove phosphorous from wastewater.Our results indicated that combining different approaches can produce complementary information,thus generate a more accurate view of microbial community in bulking sludge.

Archaeal community structure along a gradient of petroleum contamination in saline-alkali soil

The response of archaeal communities to petroleum contamination in saline-alkali soil was characterized by analyses of three soil samples with different total petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations.Through the construction and screening of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries based on DNA extracts from these soils,nine distinct phylogenetic groups were identified.Statistical analyses showed that the distribution of archaeal community structures differ significantly along the gradient of petroleum contamination in these three saline- alkali soils.Five phylogenetic groups were dominant in the control soil,two of which were also abundant in the lightly contaminated soil.Four phylogenetic groups were dominant in heavily contaminated soil,one of which was also abundant in the lightly contaminated soil.The halophilic genus of Haloferax and the haloalkaliphilic genus of Natronomonas were more abundant in heavily contaminated soil.These results suggested that the genera of Haloferax and Natronomonas may have a role in the natural attenuation of petroleum- contaminated saline-alkali soil.

Start-up of the anammox process from the conventional activated sludge in a hybrid bioreactor

The anaerobic ammonium oxidation （anammox） process was successfully started up from conventional activated sludge using a hybrid bioreactor within 2 months.The average removal efficiencies of ammonia and nitrite were both over 80%,and the maximum total nitrogen removal rate of 1.85 kg N/（m^3 ·day） was obtained on day 362 with the initial sludge concentration of 0.7 g mixed liquor suspended solids （MLSS）/L.Scanning electron microscope （SEM） observation of the granular sludge in the hybrid reactor clearly showed a high degree of compactness and cell sphericity,and the cell size was quite uniform.Transmission electron microscope photos showed that cells were round or oval,the cellular diameter was 0.6-1.0 μm,and the percentage of the anammoxosome compartment was 51%-85% of the whole cell volume.Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis （FISH） indicated that anammox bacteria became the dominant population in the community （accounting for more than 51% of total bacteria on day 250）.Seven planctomycete 16S rRNA gene sequences were present in the 16S rRNA gene clone library generated from the biomass and affiliated to Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis and Candidatus Brocadia sp.,a new anammox species.In addition,the average effluent suspended solid （MLSS） concentrations of outlets I （above the non-woven carrier） and II （below the non-woven carrier） were 0.0009 and 0.0035 g/L,respectively.This showed that the non-woven carrier could catch the biomass effectively,which increased biomass and improved the nitrogen removal rate in the reactor.

Effect of reclaimed water effluent on bacterial community structure in the Typha angustifolia L. rhizosphere soil of urbanized riverside wetland, China

In order to evaluate the impact of reclaimed water on the ecology of bacterial communities in the Typha angustifolia L. rhizosphere soil, bacterial community structure was investigated using a combination of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and 16S rRNA gene clone library. The results revealed significant spatial variation of bacterial communities along the river from upstream and downstream. For example, a higher relative abundance of γ-Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi and a lower proportion of β-Proteobacteria and ε-Proteobacteria was detected at the downstream site compared to the upstream site. Additionally, with an increase of the reclaimed water interference intensity, the rhizosphere bacterial community showed a decrease in taxon richness, evenness and diversity. The relative abundance of bacteria closely related to the resistant of heavy-metal was markedly increased, while the bacteria related for carbon/nitrogen/phosphorus/sulfur cycling wasn＇t strikingly changed. Besides that, the pathogenic bacteria markedly increased in the downstream rhizosphere soil since reclaimed water supplement, while the possible plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria obviously reduced in the downstream sediment. Together these data suggest cause and effect between reclaimed water input into the wetland, shift in bacterial communities through habitat change, and alteration of capacity for biogeochemical cycling of contaminants.