Evelyne Garnier-Sillam

Characterisation of sewage sludge-derived organic matter: lipids and humic acids

Abstract The distribution of humic substances and lipids extracted from two sewage sludges (S1 and S2) resulting from different wastewater and sludge processes was studied. The humic acids were investigated using elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy and thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (THM-GC–MS). The influence of lipid extraction prior to humic fractionation was also tested. The main differences between the two sludges are evident from the analysis of lipids and the distribution of carbon in the humic fractions. The results reveal that the carbon is more extractable in the most matured sludge (S2). The chromatograms of the lipids show that the extract from the least matured sludge (S1) consists mainly of fatty acids whereas that from the most matured one is dominated by steroids. THM-GC–MS analyses show the aliphatic nature of the sludge derived humic acids as confirmed by elemental analyses and infrared spectroscopy. The aliphatic character is attributed to the presence of lipids presumably trapped in the humic structure.

Distribution of humic compounds in mounds of some soil-feeding termite species of tropical rainforests: its influence on soil structure stability

SummaryA comparison was made of some physicochemical characteristics of epigeous termitaries (nest walls and surrounding horizons) of four species of soil-feeding termites living in tropical rainforests. Our aim was to determine whether these species affect the different compounds involved in the structural stability of soil in a similar manner.Our data support the general finding that the structural stability of soil is correlated with organic matter, cations and the relative proportion of mineral elements. Of these parameters, the content of organic matter is the most significant factor effecting the stability of termite building materials. Analysis of humic compound distribution revealed that fulvic and humic acids, owing to their electrochemical properties, are highly involved. Also, the organic matter in termitaries is more polymerized than that of humiferous control horizons, leading to FA/HA ratios close to 1.The stability of nest walls and topsoils differs between the species. Generally, the speciesNoditermes lamanianus, Thoracotermes macrothorax andCubitermes fungifaber build nests that are enriched with organic matter and exchangeable cations, resulting in high structural stability. In contrast, materials worked byCrenetermes albotarsalis are not enriched with organic matter or cations and do not differ in stability from the control soils.It is concluded that any generalization on the overall influence of soil-feeding termites on soil fertility might be misleading. Only species which enrich their materials with organic matter, especially stabilised humic acids, contribute to soil conservation and hence fertility. Once the termitary is dead, its organic matter is again available to the soil ecosystem.

Use of RAPD markers for the study of microbial community similarity from termite mounds and tropical soils

Abstract In this study, we test the use of the RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) molecular markers as a way to estimate the similarity of the microbial communities in various termite mounds and soils. In tropical ecosystems, termite activities induce changes in the chemical and physical properties of soil. The question then arises as to whether or not termites affect the presence of natural microbial communities. Successful 16S rDNA amplifications provided evidence of the occurrence of bacterial DNA in termite constructions including both soil feeder and fungus grower materials. A phenetic dendrogram using the similarity distance calculated from pairwise data including 88 polymorphic RAPD markers was reconstructed and bootstrap scores mapped. The microbial communities of the mounds of the four soil-feeding termites were clustered in the same clade, while those of the mounds of the fungus-growing species were distinct like those of control soils. Microbial changes in nests result from termite building behavior, depending on whether they include feces in their constructions for soil-feeders or use saliva as particle cement for fungus-growers. It is argued that RAPDs are useful markers to detect differences in microbial community structure not only between termitaries and control soils but also between mounds of soil-feeders.

Soil conservation for DNA preservation for bacterial molecular studies

The aim of this study was to select a method for preserving bacterial DNA in soil samples in cases where there are no possibilities of using freezing or cooling methods. To overcome this difficulty, we hypothesized that adding absolute ethanol to soil samples could be as successful to preserve bacteria as it is to preserve insect or tissue samples for molecular studies. In an attempt to test this assumption, we compared four conservation conditions. After inoculation of soil samples with Escherichia coli, they were either kept at 28 °C, stored in the cold (4 °C), dried at 60 °C, or treated with absolute ethanol. The relative effectiveness of the methods was evaluated by using both DNA recoveries and bacterial 16S rDNA amplification as criteria. Two kinds of soils, i.e. sandy clay and clayey soil, were used. Soil conservation was tested for seven time periods ranging from 2 d to 1 year after bacterial inoculation. Results showed that cold conservation or addition of absolute ethanol to the samples yielded similar DNA recoveries. For these treatments, successful amplifications are still obtained after one year of conservation. The ethanol conservation of soil samples appears to be the easiest method to preserve the bacterial DNA because of its reliability and field convenience.