Natalia González

Effect of surfactants on PAH biodegradation by a bacterial consortium and on the dynamics of the bacterial community during the process

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of a non-biodegradable (Tergitol NP-10) and a biodegradable (Tween-80) surfactant on growth, degradation rate and microbial dynamics of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) degrading consortium (C2PL05) from a petroleum polluted soil, applying cultivable and non cultivable techniques. Growth and degradation rate were significantly lower with Tergitol NP-10 than that with Tween-80. Toxicity did not show any significant reduction with Tergitol NP-10 whereas with Tween-80 toxicity was almost depleted (30%) after 40 days. Regarding to the cultured bacteria, Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas groups were dominant during PAH degradation with Tergitol NP-10, whereas Enterobacter and Stenotrophomonas were dominant with Tween-80. DGGE analyses (PRIMER and MDS) showed that bacteria composition was more similar between treatments when PAHs were consumed than when PAHs concentration was still high. Community changes between treatments were a consequence of Pseudomonas sp., Sphingomonas sp., Sphingobium sp. and Agromonas sp.

More, smaller bacteria in response to ocean's warming?

Heterotrophic bacteria play a major role in organic matter cycling in the ocean. Although the high abundances and relatively fast growth rates of coastal surface bacterioplankton make them suitable sentinels of global change, past analyses have largely overlooked this functional group. Here, time series analysis of a decade of monthly observations in temperate Atlantic coastal waters revealed strong seasonal patterns in the abundance, size and biomass of the ubiquitous flow-cytometric groups of low (LNA) and high nucleic acid (HNA) content bacteria. Over this relatively short period, we also found that bacterioplankton cells were significantly smaller, a trend that is consistent with the hypothesized temperature-driven decrease in body size. Although decadal cell shrinking was observed for both groups, it was only LNA cells that were strongly coherent, with ecological theories linking temperature, abundance and individual size on both the seasonal and interannual scale. We explain this finding because, relative to their HNA counterparts, marine LNA bacteria are less diverse, dominated by members of the SAR11 clade. Temperature manipulation experiments in 2012 confirmed a direct effect of warming on bacterial size. Concurrent with rising temperatures in spring, significant decadal trends of increasing standing stocks (3% per year) accompanied by decreasing mean cell size (−1% per year) suggest a major shift in community structure, with a larger contribution of LNA bacteria to total biomass. The increasing prevalence of these typically oligotrophic taxa may severely impact marine food webs and carbon fluxes by an overall decrease in the efficiency of the biological pump.

Assessment of the efficiency of in situ bioremediation techniques in a creosote polluted soil: Change in bacterial community

This work aimed to assess the effectiveness of different in situ bioremediation treatments (bioaugmentation, biostimulation, bioaugmentation and biostimulation, and natural attenuation) on creosote polluted soil. Toxicity, microbial respiration, creosote degradation and the evolution of bacterial communities were analyzed. Results showed that creosote decreased significantly in all treatments, and no significant differences were found between treatments. However, some specific polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were degraded to a greater extent by biostimulation. The dominance of low temperatures (8.9 °C average) slowed down microbial creosote and PAH uptake and, despite significantly creosote degradation (>60%) at the end of the experiment, toxicity remained constant and high throughout the biodegradation process. DGGE results revealed that biostimulation showed the highest microbial biodiversity, although at the end of the biodegradation process, community composition in all treatments was different from that of the control assay (unpolluted soil). The active uncultured bacteria belonged to the genera Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Flexibacter, Pantoea and Balneimonas, the latter two of which have not been previously described as PAH degraders. The majority of the species identified during the creosote biodegradation belonged to Pseudomonas genus, which has been widely studied in bioremediation processes. Results confirmed that some bacteria have an intrinsic capacity to degrade the creosote without previous exposure.

Evaluation of the Influence of Multiple Environmental Factors on the Biodegradation of Dibenzofuran, Phenanthrene, and Pyrene by a Bacterial Consortium Using an Orthogonal Experimental Design

For a bioremediation process to be effective, we suggest to perform preliminary studies in laboratory to describe and characterize physicochemical and biological parameters (type and concentration of nutrients, type and number of microorganisms, temperature) of the environment concerned. We consider that these studies should be done by taking into account the simultaneous interaction between different factors. By knowing the response capacity to pollutants, it is possible to select and modify the right treatment conditions to enhance bioremediation.

Surface distribution of dissolved trace metals in the oligotrophic ocean and their influence on phytoplankton biomass and productivity

The distribution of bioactive trace metals has the potential to enhance or limit primary productivity and carbon export in some regions of the world ocean. To study these connections, the concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, and V were determined for 110 surface water samples collected during the Malaspina 2010 Circumnavigation Expedition (MCE). Total dissolved Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, and V concentrations averaged 19.0 ± 5.4 pM, 21.4 ± 12 pM, 0.91 ± 0.4 nM, 0.66 ± 0.3 nM, 88.8 ± 12 nM, 1.72 ± 0.4 nM, and 23.4 ± 4.4 nM, respectively, with the lowest values detected in the Central Pacific and increased values at the extremes of all transects near coastal zones. Trace metal concentrations measured in surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean during the MCE were compared to previously published data for the same region. The comparison revealed little temporal changes in the distribution of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, and Ni over the last 30 years. We utilized a multivariable linear regression model to describe potential relationships between primary productivity and the hydrological, biological, trace nutrient and macronutrient data collected during the MCE. Our statistical analysis shows that primary productivity in the Indian Ocean is best described by chlorophyll a, NO3, Ni, temperature, SiO4, and Cd. In the Atlantic Ocean, primary productivity is correlated with chlorophyll a, NO3, PO4, mixed layer depth, Co, Fe, Cd, Cu, V, and Mo. The variables salinity, temperature, SiO4, NO3, PO4, Fe, Cd, and V were found to best predict primary productivity in the Pacific Ocean. These results suggest that some of the lesser studied trace elements (e.g., Ni, V, Mo, and Cd) may play a more important role in regulating oceanic primary productivity than previously thought and point to the need for future experiments to verify their potential biological functions.

Non-developing ascospores in apothecia of asexually reproducing lichen-forming fungi

The presence of apothecia in mixed species (vegetatively reproducing lichens, occasionally producing ascomata) has been interpreted as a mechanism to increase genetic variability in mostly clonal populations. However, spore viability from these apothecia has not been studied. We asked whether ascospores of the mixed species Physconia grisea are viable and thereby contribute to increasing the genetic diversity within populations of this species. An ontogenetic study of spores in cultures of P. grisea and a related sexual species (P. distorta), showed that although mature apothecia from both species produced and discharged meiospores capable of germination, spores from P. grisea were only rarely (0.43%) able to continue development whereas those from P. distorta germinated and developed successfully. The strongly reduced viability of P. grisea spores suggested that they do not have a strong reproductive function, at least in the two local populations analyzed. Additionally, we show that the segregation of Physconia grisea ssp. lilacina does not have molecular support.