Long-term fertilization effects on active ammonia oxidizers in an acidic upland soil in China

The effects of long-term fertilization of acidic soils on ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) communities and its ecological implications remain poorly understood. We chose an acidic upland soil site under long-term (27-year) fertilization to investigate ammonia oxidizer communities under four different regimes: mineral N fertilizer (N), mineral NPK fertilizer (NPK), organic manure (OM) and an unfertilized control (CK). Soil net nitrification rates were significantly higher in OM soils than in CK, N or NPK soils. Quantitative analysis of the distribution of amoA genes by DNA-based stable isotope probing revealed that AOA dominate in CK, N and NPK soils, while AOB dominate in OM soils. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and clone library analyses of amoA genes revealed that Group 1.1a-associated AOA (also referred to as Nitrosotalea) were the most dominant active AOA population (>92%), while Nitrosospira Cluster 3 and Cluster 9 were predominant among active AOB communities. The functional diversity of active ammonia oxidizers in acidic soils is affected by long-term fertilization practices, and the responses of active ammonia oxidizers to mineral fertilizer and organic manure are clearly different. Our results provide strong evidence that AOA are more highly adapted to growth at low pH and low substrate availability than AOB, and they suggest that the niche differentiation and metabolic diversity of ammonia oxidizers in acidic soils are more complex than previously thought.     

博斯腾湖沉积物氨氧化细菌的筛选与鉴定

为了解干旱区淡水湖泊沉积物微生物在氨氧化中的功能,利用铵盐培养基对博斯腾湖不同深度沉积物进行驯化培养,结合水环境因子分析混合菌株产亚硝酸盐能力,从中分离纯化氨氧化细菌并对其氨转化能力进行试验。结果表明,6个采样位点12个样品中,11号位点深层沉积物(20～40 cm)混合菌株能有效利用铵盐产生亚硝酸盐,且连续6 d稳定维持其质量浓度高达20 mg/L以上。进而,从该混合菌液中分离得到30株单菌,其中有2株呈现出明显的氨氧化细菌特性。通过16S rRNA基因序列比对及形态学分析分别鉴定其为弯曲芽孢杆菌(Bacillus flexus)和赤红球菌(Rhodococcus ruber)。     

不同施肥方式对红壤蔬菜田氨氧化细菌和氨氧化古菌群落的影响

通过构建氨单加氧酶基因(amoA)克隆文库,研究在红壤蔬菜田上只施用磷钾化肥(PK)、只施氮磷钾化肥(NPK)、施用腐熟有机肥(DNPK)和施用新鲜有机肥(FNPK)等4种不同施肥处理的土壤氨氧化细菌(AOB)和氨氧化古菌(AOA)群落多样性及与土壤脲酶活性的相关性。结果表明:施加有机肥处理(DNPK和FNPK)的蔬菜田土壤的AOB文库和AOA文库OTU数量和Shannon指数高于只施用无机肥(NPK和PK)处理的蔬菜田土壤;DNPK和FNPK处理的土壤优势AOB菌群为多形亚硝化叶菌(Nitrosolobus multiformis),比例分别为88.5%和68.5%,NPK和PK处理的土壤优势AOB菌群为亚硝化单胞菌属(Nitrosospirasp.),比例分别为54.8%和65.5%;DNPK、FNPK、NPK和PK处理土壤优势AOA菌群均为阿伯丁土壤亚硝化细杆菌侯选种(CandidatusNitrosotalea devanaterra),比例分别为90.9%、84.4%、77.8%和45.2%;施加有机肥处理(DNPK和FNPK)的土壤脲酶活性和氨氧化微生物的多样性指数都高于只施用无机肥处理(NPK和PK);AOA群落多样性指数与土壤脲酶活性呈显著正相关,而AOB群落多样性与土壤脲酶活性相关性不显著。总体来看,有机肥比无机肥处理提高了AOA和AOB群落多样性,且AOA在红壤蔬菜田土壤氨氧化过程中起着更为重要的作用。     

Cashew nut shell liquid potentially mitigates methane emission from the feces of Thai native ruminant livestock by modifying fecal microbiota

The methane-mitigating potency of cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) was evaluated by investigating gas production from batch cultures using feces from Thai native ruminants that had been incubated for different periods. Feces was obtained from four Thai native cattle and four swamp buffaloes reared under practical feeding conditions at the Kasetsart University farm, Thailand. Fecal slurry from the same farm was also included in the analysis. CNSL addition successfully suppressed the methane production potential of feces from both ruminants by shifting short chain fatty acid profiles towards propionate production. Methane mitigation continued for almost 150 days, although the degree of mitigation was more apparent from Day 0 to Day 30. Bacterial and archaeal community shifts with CNSL addition were observed in feces from both ruminants; specifically, Bacteroides increased, whereas Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae decreased in feces to which CNSL was added. Fecal slurry did not show marked changes in gas production with CNSL addition. The findings showed that the addition of CNSL to the feces of ruminants native to the Southeast Asian region can suppress methane emission. Because CNSL can be easily obtained as a byproduct of the local cashew industry in this region, its on-site application might be ideal.     

Growth and morphologic response of rumen methanogenic archaea and bacteria to cashew nut shell liquid and its alkylphenol components

The growth and morphology of rumen methanogenic archaea (15 strains of 10 species in 5 genera, including 7 strains newly isolated in the present study) and bacteria (14 species in 12 genera) were investigated using unsupplemented in vitro pure cultures and cultures supplemented with cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) and its phenolic compound components, anti-methanogenic agents for ruminant animals. Growth of most of the methanogens tested was inhibited by CNSL and alkylphenols at different concentrations ranging from 1.56 to 12.5 μg/ml. Of the alkylphenols tested, anacardic acid exhibited the most potent growth inhibition. Three gram-negative bacterial species involved in propionate production were resistant to CNSL and alkylphenols (>50 μg/ml). All the methanogens and bacteria that were sensitive to CNSL and alkylphenols exhibited altered morphology; disruption of the cell surface was notable, possibly due to surfactant activity of the tested materials. Cells division was inhibited in some organisms, with cell elongation and unclear septum formation observed. These results indicate that CNSL and alkylphenols, particularly anacardic acid, inhibit both rumen bacteria and methanogens in a selective manner, which could help mitigate rumen methane generation.     

Digestive physiology,metabolism and methane production of captive Linné's two‐toed sloths (Choloepus didactylus)

Sloths are renowned for their low metabolic rate, low food intake and low defecation frequency. We investigated factors of digestive physiology and energy metabolism in four captive individuals (mean body mass 10.0 ± SD 3.7 kg) of a hitherto mostly unstudied sloth species, Linné's two‐toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus), in a 2‐week digestion recording and 23‐h respiration experiment on animals fed a standard zoo diet of vegetables and starchy components. Dry matter intake, defecation frequency and particle mean retention time (MRT) in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) were 12 ± 3 g/(kg^0.75 day), once every 5 days and >140 h in three individuals, but 53 g/(kg^0.75 day), daily and 82 h in one individual that was apparently compensating for a period of weight loss prior to the experiment. In all animals, solute marker was eliminated at a faster rate than the particle marker, indicating ‘digesta washing’ in the sloths’ GIT. The overall metabolic rate calculated from oxygen consumption matched the metabolisable energy intake in three individuals [173 ± 22 vs. 168 ± 44 kJ/(kg^0.75 day)] but not in the fourth one [225 vs. 698 kJ/(kg^0.75 day)], supporting the interpretation that this animal was replenishing body stores. In spite of the low food intake and the low‐fibre diet (209 ± 26 g neutral detergent fibre/kg dry matter), methane production was rather high accounting for 9.4 ± 0.8% of gross energy intake (2.7% in the fourth individual), which exceeded literature data for ruminants on forage‐only diets. These results corroborate literature reports on low intake, low defecation frequency, low metabolic rate and long MRT in other sloth species. The long MRT is probably responsible for the comparatively high methane production, providing more opportunity for methanogenic archaea than in other non‐ruminant mammals to produce significant amounts of methane.     

Response of ammonia oxidizing microbes to the stresses of arsenic and copper in two acidic alfisols

Soil pollution by elevated heavy metals exhibits adverse effects on soil microorganisms. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria and ammonia oxidizing archaea perform ammonia oxidative processes in acidic soils. However, influence of heavy metal stress on soil ammonia oxidizers distribution and diversity is inadequately addressed. This study investigated the responses of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea to heavy metals, Cu and As during short-term laboratory experiment. Two different acidic alfisols named as Rayka and Hangzhou spiked with different concentrations of As, Cu and As + Cu were incubated for 10 weeks. Significant reduction in copy numbers of archaeal-16S rRNA, bacterial-16S rRNA and functional amoA genes was observed along elevated heavy metal concentrations. Ammonia oxidizing archaea was found to be more abundant than ammonia oxidizing bacteria in all the heavy metal treatments. The potential nitrification rate significantly decreased with increasing As and Cu concentrations in the two soils examined. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis revealed no apparent community shift for ammonia oxidizing archaea even at higher concentrations of As and Cu. Phylogenetic analysis of archaeal amoA gene from 4 clone libraries indicated that all the archaeal amoA sequences were placed within 3 distinct clusters from soil and sediment group 1.1b of Thaumarchaeota. Our results could be useful for the better understanding of the ecological effects of heavy metals on the abundance and diversity of soil ammonia oxidizers.     

双价转基因抗虫棉花对土壤氨氧化细菌和氨氧化古菌群落结构及丰度的影响

采用末端片段多态性分析(T-RFLP)和实时定量PCR(Quantitative real-time PCR,qPCR)方法,研究了不同生长时期双价转基因抗虫棉花和亲本非转基因棉花(对照)土壤氨氧化细菌(Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria,AOB)和氨氧化古菌(Ammonia-oxidizing archaea,AOA)群落结构和丰度的变化,以探讨双价转基因抗虫棉花种植对土壤氨氧化微生物的影响。结果表明,双价转基因抗虫棉花土壤中AOB和AOA优势种群与对照相同,且随生长时期无显著变化,但在各自样品中所占比例不同。不同生长时期双价转基因抗虫棉花土壤AOB的Shannon指数和Evenness指数均与对照无显著差异,AOA的Shannon指数与对照也无显著差异,而苗期时Evenness指数显著低于对照(P0.05),其他3个生长时期差异均不显著。qPCR分析表明,除花铃期双价转基因抗虫棉花土壤AOB丰度高于对照外,其他3个生长时期均低于对照,而AOA丰度在4个生长时期均低于对照。吐絮期时,双价转基因抗虫棉花与对照土壤AOB和AOA丰度均差异显著(P0.05)。双价转基因抗虫棉花对土壤AOB和AOA群落结构组成无显著影响,但降低了AOB和AOA的数量,双价转基因抗虫棉花对土壤微生物的某些类群可能存在潜在影响。     

模拟条件下土壤硝化作用及硝化微生物对不同水分梯度的响应

以江苏滨海县一植稻土壤为研究对象,在微宇宙培养条件下设置了不同水分处理(最大持水量的30%、60%、90%和淹水2 cm深),研究了硝化作用及硝化微生物对水分变化的响应特征。结果表明:淹水处理显著降低了土壤的氧化还原电位(Eh),但所有处理土壤Eh变化范围为330~500 m V,土壤整体处于氧化态。在每7天向土壤加入10 mg kg-1NH+4-N的连续培养过程中,各个水分处理均观察到明显的NH+4-N降低和NO-3-N累积的现象,60%WHC处理下土壤硝态氮累积最显著和迅速,90%WHC处理次之,随培养时间延长,30%WHC和淹水处理也观察到明显的硝化作用。淹水处理中氨氧化细菌(Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria,AOB)的数量显著高于非淹水处理,且淹水处理中AOB在DGGE图谱上的条带更加清晰明亮,而氨氧化古菌(Ammonia-oxidizing archaea,AOA)的群落组成和数量在不同水分处理间无明显变化。表明该土壤中AOB对水分条件变化响应灵敏,是该土壤的硝化作用、尤其是淹水条件下硝化作用发生的主要原因。