Anna Lenart-Boroń

The evaluation of heavy metal content in water and sediments of small reservoirs in light of various environmental quality regulations

This article reports the heavy metal concentrations assessed both in bottom sediments and water flowing into two small reservoirs at Krempna and Zesławice, southern Poland. The experiments were carried out in spring, summer, autumn and winter 2010–2011. The resulting concentrations of lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium and copper were compared with the Environmental Quality Standards, guidelines of the Regulation of the Minister of Environmental Protection, regulations of the Polish Geological Institute and State Institute of Environment Protection, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, and with the regulations adopted in Germany, Denmark, the United States and Canada. Regarding the total heavy metal concentrations, water flowing into the examined reservoirs was not polluted. The highest concentrations of heavy metals were found in water flowing into the reservoirs in spring and summer. The heavy metal concentrations in sediments of the reservoirs at Krempna and Zesławice were much higher than the concentrations of the elements discussed present in waters flowing into these reservoirs.

High intraspecific genetic and morphological variation in the pioneer lichen Cladonia rei colonising slag dumps

This study investigates the genetic and morphological variability of the lichen Cladonia rei inhabiting strongly contaminated postsmelting slag dumps in southern Poland. Altogether, 27 C. rei samples were analysed, including 17 from a single population in one dump. The phylogenetic analysis includes samples of C. rei, outgroup species, and external sequences of Cladonia section representatives from GenBank. Comparative analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA sequences revealed the presence of 19 C. rei haplotypes overall, including several of the most frequent, of which 11 are represented by single individuals only. As many as 12 haplotypes were recorded within a single population. Three strongly supported monophyletic clades comprised of specimens from different geographical regions were recovered. Morphometric analysis showed great phenotypic variability within particular clades. Apart from a full range of previously known morphological forms of the species, an additional specific morphotype was recognised in the dumps; however, its representatives do not create a monophyletic group. High genetic variability within a single population suggests that C. rei has a great potential for colonising anthropogenic habitats. This attribute emphasises the role of this lichen as an essential pioneer in the early stages of natural regeneration of such sites.

Modifications in the structure of the lichen Cladonia thallus in the aftermath of habitat contamination and implications for its heavy-metal accumulation capacity

Phenotypic traits of lichens can be greatly modified by environmental factors. Granulose thalli on soil and podetia, densely covered with granules, referring to common and widespread lichen Cladonia cervicornis subsp. verticillata were found near zinc smelter. The granules are stratified, filled with fungal medulla and heavily encrusted with calcium oxalate weddellite crystals, not observed on regularly developed thalli of the species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that deformed granulose forms belong to this taxon, showing that the phenotypic plasticity of the lichens of Cladonia can lead to the emergence of features that do not coincide with the taxonomic definition of the species. The heavy-metal accumulation capacity of both granulose and regular form of primary and secondary lichen thallus, in relation to the element content in corresponding substrate, was determined. Granulose-modified thalli accumulate greater amounts of heavy metals than regular ones, meaning that the bioaccumulation property of a given species may be greatly affected by morphological modifications. The granulose forms are also characterised by considerably higher ratios of Cd, Pb and As concentrations in lichen samples in relation to the corresponding substrates than regular ones. This means that collection of variously formed thalli should be avoided in biomonitoring sampling procedures. The results indicate that a substantial part of the element load, in particular zinc, in the examined lichen thalli collected near the smelter originates from atmospheric fallout.

Phenotypic and molecular assessment of antimicrobial resistance profile of airborne Staphylococcus spp. isolated from flats in Kraków

Bacteria of the genus Staphylococcus were isolated from air sampled from living spaces in Kraków (Poland). In total, 55 strains belonging to the genus Staphylococcus were isolated from 45 sites, and 13 species of coagulase-negative staphylococci were identified. The species composition of studied airborne microbiota contains Staphylococcus species that are rarely infectious to humans. Most commonly isolated species comprised S. hominis and S. warneri. The disk-diffusion tests showed that the collected isolates were most frequently resistant to erythromycin. The PCR technique was employed to search for genes conferring the resistance in staphylococci to antibiotics from the group of macrolides, lincosamides and streptogramins. The analyzed Staphylococcus isolates possessed simultaneously 4 different resistance genes. The molecular analysis with the use of specific primers allowed to determine the most prevalent gene which is mphC, responsible for the resistance to macrolides and for the enzymatic inactivation of the drug by phosphotransferase. The second most often detected gene was msrA1, which confers the resistance of staphylococci to macrolides and is responsible for active pumping of antimicrobial particles out of bacterial cells.

Species composition and molecular assessment of the toxigenic potential in the population of Fusarium spp. isolated from ears of winter wheat in southern Poland

The aim of this study was to identify the species composition and to evaluate the prevalence of genes involved in the synthesis of the following mycotoxins: deoxynivalenol, nivalenol and fumonisins in the population of Fusarium spp. isolated from ears of winter wheat in southern Poland. All fungal isolates were identified by the species-specific PCR or sequencing of the translation elongation factor. Significant differences were observed in both abundance and species composition of the collected strains between two years of studies. A total of 304 ear samples were processed and 107 Fusarium strains belonging to 10 species: F. graminearum , F. culmorum , F. sporotrichioides , F. poae , F. avenaceum , F. oxysporum , F. verticillioides , F. equiseti , F. tricinctum and F. cerealis were isolated in 2012 and 2013. Numerous presence of mycotoxin-biosynthesis pathway genes was detected in the examined material, which evidences the potential toxicity of the analyzed Fusarium fungi.

Factors and Mechanisms Affecting Seasonal Changes in the Prevalence of Microbiological Indicators of Water Quality and Nutrient Concentrations in Waters of the Białka River Catchment, Southern Poland.

This 3-year study was aimed to understand the factors and mechanisms that cause the temporal changes in the concentration of microbiological indicators of water quality and nutrient concentration in selected sites of the Białka river catchment (southern Poland) situated in direct vicinity of the largest ski station in the region. The analysis comprised 35 sampling campaigns conducted in five sites. Water temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity were measured during sampling, laboratory analyses included determination of the selected nutrients content (NH4, NO3, NO2, PO4); and the number of mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria, coliforms, fecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli. Based on the cluster analysis, the collected samples were grouped into three to four groups, depending on the most characteristic features. Seasonal variation was evident, showing the predominance of either anthropogenic or natural-environment factors, depending on the considered season. On the other hand, principal component analysis revealed clear effect of various forms of land use in different sites.

Potential Microbiological Threat to the Vistula Waters by Its Tributaries in the Vicinity of Kraków

The Vistula is the longest river in Poland. It stretches from the Silesian Beskids to the Gulf of Gdansk. Water from the Vistula is the source of drinking water for many cities and is used in industry, and therefore its quality and microbiological purity is an important issue. The quality of water in the Vistula depends, among others, on the quality of water in its basin. The aim of this study is to assess microbiological hazard to the Vistula waters from its tributaries in the vicinity of Krakow. The analyses were carried out on 10 tributaries of the Vistula: Prądnik, Dlubnia, Drwina Dluga, Drwinka, Raba, Uszewka, Szreniawa, Uszwica, Kisielina, and Dunajec. The examinations were carried out in four series, from May 2012 to March 2013. The numbers of coliforms, faecal coliforms, Enterococcus faecalis , and sulphate reducing Clostridium were determined using the membrane filtration method, while the serial dilutions method was used to determine the numbers of mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria, Staphylococcus and Salmonella . There was a large variation in the number of microorganisms in the examined watercourses, however in most cases the water could be classified as clean, whereas waters of the Vistula in the vicinity of Krakow are microbiologically contaminated. Thus, the examined watercourses do not pose a serious threat to the quality of the Vistula. Among the analyzed tributaries, the waters of the Prądnik were characterized by the worst sanitary condition, while the best microbiological quality was observed in the Dunajec.

The molecular marker-based comparison of Azotobacter spp. populations isolated from industrial soils of Cracow-Nowa Huta steelworks (southern Poland) and the adjacent agricultural soils

The occurrence of Azotobacter spp., which has beneficial effects on plant development, is related to various soil properties, such as pH and fertility. This study evaluated the prevalence of Azotobacter spp. in industrial (H) and agricultural soils (P) in Nowa Huta, Cracow and determined the phenotypic and genetic diversity of these bacteria. The examined bacteria were present in 40% of H and in 50% of P soils. Taxonomic identification of the bacterial isolates indicated the presence of three species—A. salinestris, A. chroococcum and A. vinelandii. The genetic diversity, determined using two fingerprinting methods—Random Analysis of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and Rep-PCR (BOX) revealed high level of population diversity. In AMOVA analysis most of diversity was attributed to within-population variation (76–85%), and only 3.78–6.18% was associated with among-group H and P variation. Global test of differences revealed distinct population structure within bacterial strains isolated from H and P areas only for BOX markers (Fst = 0.05732, P = 0.00275). Phenetic analyses: UPGMA and DCA better discriminated H and P groups based on RAPD data. Both BOX and RAPD methods provided an insight into the genetic complexity of Azotobacter spp. variation in soils of different land-use types.

Correction to: Antimicrobial resistance and the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes in Escherichia coli isolated from the environment of horse riding centers

The aim of the study was to determine the antimicrobial resistance profile and the occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes and to analyze the genetic diversity of Escherichia coli strains isolated from the environment of horse riding centers. The study was conducted using E. coli strains isolated from the air, manure, and horse nostril swabs in three horse riding centers differing in the system of horse keeping—stable (OJK Pegaz and KJK Szary) and free-range (SKH Nielepice). Resistance to antibiotics was determined using the disk-diffusion method, and the PCR technique was employed to detect the extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes, while the genetic diversity of strains was assessed by rep-PCR. A total of 200 strains were collected during the 2-year study, with the majority isolated from KJK Szary, while the smallest number was obtained from SKH Nielepice. The strains were mostly resistant to ampicillin, aztreonam, and ticarcillin. The tested strains were most frequently resistant to one or two antibiotics, with a maximum of ten antimicrobials at the same time. Two multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains were detected in OJK Pegaz while in KJK Szary there were two MDR and one extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strain. The ESBL mechanism was most frequently observed in OJK Pegaz (20.31% of strains) followed by KJK Szary (15.53% of strains) and SKH Nielepice (15.15% of strains). Among the ESBL-determining genes, only blaTEM and blaCTXM-9 were detected—blaTEM was mostly found in KJK Szary (53.40% of strains), while the second detected gene—blaCTXM-9—was most frequent in SKH Nielepice (6.06% of strains). The rep-PCR genotyping showed high variation among the analyzed strains, whereas its degree differed between the studied facilities, indicating that the type of horse keeping (stable vs. free-range) affects the genetic diversity of the E. coli strains. Having regard to the fact that the tested strains of E. coli were derived from non-hospitalized horses that were not treated pharmacologically, we can assume that the observed antimicrobial resistance may be of both—natural origin, i.e., not the result of the selection pressure, and acquired, the source of which could be people present in the horse riding facilities, the remaining horses which were not included in the study, and air, as well as water, fodder, and litter of the animals. Therefore, it can be concluded that the studied horses are the source of resistant E. coli and it is reasonable to continue monitoring the changes in antimicrobial resistance in those bacteria.

Assessment of microbiological and chemical properties in a municipal landfill area

This study aimed at determining the environmental hazards for soils posed by a large municipal landfilll. The concentrations of heavy metals and Policyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, as well as microbial composition (i.e., mesophilic bacteria, actinomycetes, molds, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Clostridium perfringens) in four soils within and in the vicinity of the landfill were evaluated and compared to waste samples. Both chemical and microbiological analyses revealed only limited contamination of surrounding areas. Although the increased alkalinity of soils was detected, the concentrations of heavy metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) did not exceed the admissible values. All examined microbial groups were abundant in soil and waste. The highest microbial cell numbers were observed in warm summer and spring months. Although the site south of the landfill shows no trace of microbial contamination, pathogenic bacteria were found north of the landfill. This may suggest that there are other, more effective, transmission routes of bacteria than groundwater flow.