Aggregate-related changes in network patterns of nematodes and ammonia oxidizers in an acidic soil

Nitrification plays a central role in global nitrogen cycle, which is affected by biological interaction between soil microfauna and microorganisms. However, the complexity of soil biotic communities made it difficult to reveal organizational principles of the community and the interactions among species. Here, we used the network analysis to decipher the interactions between nematodes and ammonia oxidizers within aggregate fractions under 10-year manure application, and examine their associations with soil variables and potential nitrification activity (PNA). Three aggregate fractions included large macroaggregates (>2000 μm, LA), small macroaggregates (250–2000 μm, SA), and inter-aggregate soil and space (<250 μm, IA). Aggregate factions showed a remarkable effect on association networks of nematodes and ammonia oxidizers. The average connectivity (avgK) and the number of edges in overall networks increased with increasing aggregate sizes, while the average geodesic distance (GD) followed the opposite trend. The LA network could be viewed as a better organized or a better operational soil food web with more functional interrelated members than the SA and IA networks. The modules related to PNA were significantly correlated and clustered together as meta-modules in networks of aggregate fractions. The role-shifts prevailed among the network members such as significant module memberships (MMs) and generalist/specialist operational taxonomic units (OTUs). A half of shared nodes were further identified as shared MMs, dominated by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) especially for Nitrosospira cluster 3a and 10. Soil pH could explain partly the shift of module hubs in different networks, while grazing by bacterivores might account for three exclusively connecters related to Nitrososphaera clusters 1.1. The strongly coupled modules correlated positively to pH and total carbon (TC), regardless of aggregate fractions. The network analysis approach provided new insights into potential importance of network interactions between nematodes and ammonia oxidizers in soil nitrogen cycling.     

四种柱花草种子萌发中参与氮代谢的酶活性变化

研究了4种柱花草种子萌发过程中参与氮代谢的蛋白酶、肽酶和硝酸还原酶活性的动态变化。结果表明,蛋白酶的活性随着柱花草种子萌发的深入而不断上升,在种子即将露白胚根突破种皮的时候蛋白酶活性达到最大值。此后,随着胚芽的生长蛋白酶活性逐渐降低,其中热研2号柱花草的蛋白酶活性高于其他3种;肽酶活性的变化总体呈上升趋势;硝酸还原酶呈S型变化。了解柱花草种子萌发期各种酶活性的变化规律,为深入研究柱花草种子萌发时贮藏物质的动员和代谢机理提供数据。     

Soil aggregation: Influence on microbial biomass and implications for biological processes

Our 1988 paper, describing the effects of cultivation on microbial biomass and activity in different aggregate size classes, brought together the ‘aggregate hierarchy theory’ and the ‘microbial biomass concept’. This enabled us to identify the relationships between microbial and microhabitat (aggregate) properties and organic matter distribution and explain some of their responses to disturbance. By combining biochemical and direct microscopy based quantification of microbial abundance with enzyme activities and process measurements, this study provided evidence for the role of microbial biomass (especially fungi) in macroaggregate dynamics and carbon and nutrient flush following cultivation. In the last ten years environmental genomic techniques have provided much new knowledge on bacterial composition in aggregate size fractions yet detailed information about other microbial groups (e.g. fungi, archaea and protozoa) is lacking.We now know that soil aggregates are dynamic entities – constantly changing with regard to their biological, chemical and physical properties and, in particular, their influences on plant nutrition and health. As a consequence, elucidation of the many mechanisms regulating soil C and nutrient dynamics demands a better understanding of the role of specific members of microbial communities and their metabolic capabilities as well as their location within the soil matrix (e.g. aggregates, pore spaces) and their reciprocal relationship with plant roots. In addition, the impacts of environment and soil type needs to be quantified at the microscale using, wherever possible, non-destructive ‘in situ’ techniques to predict and quantify the impacts of anthropogenic activities on soil microbial diversity and ecosystem level functions.     

小叶九里香枝干抑菌活性成分的研究

为了获得小叶九里香枝干中抑制炭疽病菌的活性成分,在活性追踪指导下,利用硅胶柱色谱、Sephadex LH-20凝胶柱色谱及半制备液相色谱等方法对小叶九里香枝干进行了研究。经追踪分离鉴定到1个活性化合物XY-01,利用质谱、核磁共振谱鉴定化合物为九里香甲碱(Koenidine),该化合物可有效抑制香蕉炭疽病菌和芒果炭疽病菌的生长,EC50值分别为34.28和45.88μg/mL,表明九里香甲碱抑菌活性较好、结构简单,具有开发为新型植物源杀菌剂的潜在价值,九里香甲碱系首次从小叶九里香中分离得到。     

抑霉乳酸菌的筛分及其抑菌特性研究

试验旨在获取生物抑霉的优良菌株以及为质量安全青贮饲料生产提供高效菌剂。从青贮饲料、酸奶以及奶豆腐中分离纯化出乳酸菌和霉菌,并且通过双层平板法对具有抑制霉菌活性的乳酸菌菌株进行筛选,测定其上清液抑霉效果;采用蛋白酶处理和高温处理法分析乳酸菌抑霉的有效成分。结果表明:分离筛选的乳酸菌和霉菌经鉴定为植物乳杆菌和黄曲霉菌,且植物乳杆菌对黄曲霉菌的生长有明显抑制作用。蛋白酶处理对乳酸菌无细胞上清液的抑菌活性有不同影响,而加热处理并不改变其抑菌效果。研究表明,植物乳杆菌对黄曲霉菌生长有明显的抑制作用,推测其抑菌活性物质为蛋白质、肽类等,并且这些抑菌活性物质的热稳定性较高。     

连作及轮作土壤微生物菌群对黄瓜幼苗生长及土壤酶活性的影响

通过植物-土壤反馈试验,研究连作及轮作土壤微生物菌群对黄瓜幼苗生长和土壤酶活性的影响。结果表明,轮作土壤微生物处理黄瓜植株鲜质量、叶绿素含量、土壤中性磷酸酶、蔗糖酶活性显著高于连作土壤微生物处理;连作及轮作土壤微生物处理增加了黄瓜幼苗干质量、鲜质量、叶绿素含量及总叶面积,显著提高了土壤中性磷酸酶、蔗糖酶、脲酶活性。综上,连作及轮作土壤微生物菌群对黄瓜幼苗生长均产生正反馈作用,并且轮作土壤微生物的正反馈作用大于连作土壤微生物。     

一种国外野生沉香的生物活性和化学成分研究

研究一种国外野生沉香乙醚提取物的生物活性并分析其化学成分，为国外野生沉香的进一步研究和开发利用 提供一定的基础。采用乙醚浸提法提取沉香，对提取物分别用 MTT 法、Ellman 法、pNPG 法和贝曼漏斗法进行细胞毒、 乙酰胆碱酯酶抑制、α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制和杀全齿复活线虫活性测试，利用 GC-MS 分析提取物化学成分。结果表明，该 提取物对 5 株人体肿瘤细胞、乙酰胆碱酯酶、α-葡萄糖苷酶和全齿复活线虫均表现出一定的生物活性。GC-MS 检测鉴 定了其中的 26 个化合物，相对含量为 57.39%，包括 23 个倍半萜类成分，相对含量为 56.72%，1 个 2-(2-苯乙基)色酮 类成分，相对含量为 0.35%。本次对此种国外野生沉香的生物活性和化学成分研究，发现沉香乙醚提取物具有杀线虫 的活性，为更好地开发沉香的药用价值提供了一定的科学依据。     

橄榄多酚类物质研究进展

橄榄是中国传统的药用植物，其中多酚类物质是橄榄重要的功效成分之一。目前，橄榄多酚类物质研究较为 广泛，常用的提取方法包括温浸法、超声波辅助提取法、微波辅助提取法、超声与微波协同辅助提取法等，分离纯化 后采用液相色谱或液质联用技术鉴定多酚类物质的种类和成分，并对其抗氧化、抗病毒、抗菌消炎、抗癌抑癌、解酒 护肝和提高机体免疫等方面的药理活性进行验证。此外，橄榄多酚类物质合成和代谢分子机理也已经被初步阐释。基 于上述研究报道，本文进一步对橄榄多酚类物质后续研究方向和产业化开发利用前景进行展望。     

Strong functional stability of soil microbial communities under semiarid Mediterranean conditions and subjected to long-term shifts in baseline precipitation

We investigated the effect of soil microclimate on the structure and functioning of soil microbial communities in a Mediterranean Holm-oak forest subjected to 10 years of partial rain exclusion manipulations, simulating average drought conditions expected in Mediterranean areas for the following decades. We applied a high throughput DNA pyrosequencing technique coupled to parallel measurements of microbial respiration (R_H) and temperature sensitivity of microbial respiration (Q₁₀). Some consistent changes in the structure of bacterial communities suggest a slow process of community shifts parallel to the trend towards oligotrophy in response to long-term droughts. However, the structure of bacterial communities was mainly determined by short-term environmental fluctuations associated with sampling date (winter, spring and summer) rather than long-term (10 years) shifts in baseline precipitation. Moreover, long-term drought did not exert any chronic effect on the functioning of soil microbial communities (R_H and Q₁₀), emphasizing the functional stability of these communities to this long-term but mild shifts in water availability. We hypothesize that the particular conditions of the Mediterranean climate with strong seasonal shifts in both temperature and soil water availability but also characterized by very extreme environmental conditions during summer, was acting as a strong force in community assembling, selecting phenotypes adapted to the semiarid conditions characterizing Mediterranean ecosystems. Relations of climate with the phylogenetic structure and overall diversity of the communities as well as the distribution of the individual responses of different lineages (genera) to climate confirmed our hypotheses, evidencing communities dominated by thermotolerant and drought-tolerant phenotypes.     

Effects of natural protease inhibitors on high protease activity flours

Wheat grain damaged by wheat bug (Eurygaster spp.) contains the bug salivary secretion which hydrolyses the gluten needed for the dough quality of breadmaking due to its proteolytic activity. Since the protease inhibitors are widespread throughout the plant kingdom, the possibility of using some plants, especially food and feed legumes to decrease the proteolytic activity of flours milled from bug damaged wheats was investigated. The proteolytic activity was considerably inhibited by pefabloc-SC and EDTA-Na₂, suggesting that bug protease(s) included serine and metallo proteases. Extracts from cones of hops, seeds of grass pea, red kidney bean and sunflower caused reduction in the activity of bug protease(s). Effects of hop extract on electrophoretic, rheological properties of high protease activity flours milled from different bread wheat cultivars damaged by the bug were also studied. The dough development time and stability values of high protease activity flours increased considerably with hop extract at the lowest addition level (10:1, flour to hop extract ratio). The doughs supplemented with the hop extract had higher maximum resistance and lower extensibility values as compared to their controls. These results suggested that hop extract had improving effects on high protease activity flours due to the bug damage.