Zaida Inês Antoniolli

Network topology reveals high connectance levels and few key microbial genera within soils

Microbes have a central role in soil global biogeochemical process, yet specific microbe-microbe relationships are largely unknown. Analytical approaches as network analysis may shed new lights in understanding of microbial ecology and environmental microbiology. We investigated the soil bacterial community interactions through cultivation-independent methods in several land uses common in two Brazilian biomes. Using correlation network analysis we identified bacterial genera that presented important microbial associations within the soil community. The associations revealed nonrandomly structured microbial communities and clusters of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that reflected relevant bacterial relationships. Possible keystone genera were found in each soil. Irrespective of the biome or land use studied only a small portion of OTUs showed positive or negative interaction with other members of the soil bacterial community. The more interactive genera were also more abundant however, within those genera, the abundance was not related to taxon importance as measured by the Betweenness Centrality. Most of the soil bacterial genera were important to the overall connectance of the network, whereas only few genera play a key role as connectors, mainly belonged to phyla Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Finally it was observed that each land use presented a different set of keystone genera and that no keystone genus presented a generalized distribution. Taking into account that species interactions could be more important to soil processes than species richness and abundance, especially in complex ecosystems, this approach might represent a step forward in microbial ecology beyond the conventional studies of microbial richness and abundance.

Biorremediação de solos contaminados com hidrocarbonetos aromáticos policíclicos

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds to the humans and animals, released through the environment by anthropogenic activities related to the extraction, transport, refine, transformation and use of the petroleum and its derivatives. Most of the soils microorganisms do not possess the capacity to degrade them, which results in its accumulation in the atmosphere and contamination of the ecosystems. A strategy for PAHs elimination from the soil is through the bioremediation, where microorganisms having capacity to metabolize these compounds will transform them in inert substances, CO2 and water. However, this biotechnology can be limited by the lack of specific HAP microbial-degraders in soil, by unfavorable environmental conditions to these microorganisms or by the low bioavailability of those contaminants to the microorganisms. To overcome these limitations and to promote an efficient removal of the pollutants to the atmosphere, several bioremediation techniques were developed as passive bioremediation, bioaugmentation, biostimulation, phytoremediation, landfarming, composting and bioreactors. This revision aims at discussing microbial metabolism of PAHs, present the main chemical and physical factors that influence the survival and the activity of these microorganisms and to show the bioremediation techniques that are being used now for the PAHs removal in soil.

Land-use change and soil type are drivers of fungal and archaeal communities in the Pampa biome

The current study aimed to test the hypothesis that both land-use change and soil type are responsible for the major changes in the fungal and archaeal community structure and functioning of the soil microbial community in Brazilian Pampa biome. Soil samples were collected at sites with different land-uses (native grassland, native forest, Eucalyptus and Acacia plantation, soybean and watermelon field) and in a typical toposequence in Pampa biome formed by Paleudult, Albaqualf and alluvial soils. The structure of soil microbial community (archaeal and fungal) was evaluated by ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis and soil functional capabilities were measured by microbial biomass carbon and metabolic quotient. We detected different patterns in microbial community driven by land-use change and soil type, showing that both factors are significant drivers of fungal and archaeal community structure and biomass and microbial activity. Fungal community structure was more affected by land-use and archaeal community was more affected by soil type. Irrespective of the land-use or soil type, a large percentage of operational taxonomic unit were shared among the soils. We accepted the hypothesis that both land-use change and soil type are drivers of archaeal and fungal community structure and soil functional capabilities. Moreover, we also suggest the existence of a soil microbial core.

Soil-borne bacterial structure and diversity does not reflect community activity in Pampa biome.

The Pampa biome is considered one of the main hotspots of the world’s biodiversity and it is estimated that half of its original vegetation was removed and converted to agricultural land and tree plantations. Although an increasing amount of knowledge is being assembled regarding the response of soil bacterial communities to land use change, to the associated plant community and to soil properties, our understanding about how these interactions affect the microbial community from the Brazilian Pampa is still poor and incomplete. In this study, we hypothesized that the same soil type from the same geographic region but under distinct land use present dissimilar soil bacterial communities. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the soil bacterial communities from four land-uses within the same soil type by 454-pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene and by soil microbial activity analyzes. We found that the same soil type under different land uses harbor similar (but not equal) bacterial communities and the differences were controlled by many microbial taxa. No differences regarding diversity and richness between natural areas and areas under anthropogenic disturbance were detected. However, the measures of microbial activity did not converge with the 16S rRNA data supporting the idea that the coupling between functioning and composition of bacterial communities is not necessarily correlated.

Organismos edáficos como bioindicadores da recuperação de solos degradados por arenização no Bioma Pampa

Edaphic organisms are sensible to environment alterations and have been used as indicators of soil quality changes. These modifications can be promoted by degradation or agradation events. The study area is located in Alegrete, Rio Grande do Sul. It was analyzed the role of epigeic soil fauna as bioindicator of soil degradation by arenizacao and its restoration by revegetation with Lupinus albescens Hook. & Arn., a native fabaceous of Bioma Pampa. The treatments were constituted of soil under natural covering with Lupinus albescens, degraded area recovered with Lupinus albescens by one year (T1), degraded area recovered with Lupinus albescens by three years (T3), degraded area (SA) and native grass field (CN). The sampling was made in February and May of 2006 with PROVID traps. It was determined the abundance of organisms at Order level, the organisms richness, the diversity and evenness Shannon’ index. The process of Arenizacao reduced the development of sampled edaphic populations, while revegetation showed positive effects in the recolonization of the area. Colembolla group was a good bioindicator of degradation and restoration effects. The Shannon diversity index was not satisfactory to evaluate the edaphic fauna if disconnected of other parameters.

Mycorrhizal morphotyping and molecular characterization of Chondrogaster angustisporus Giachini, Castellano, Trappe & Oliveira, an ectomycorrhizal fungus from Eucalyptus

Chondrogaster angustisporus is a hypogeous ectomycorrhizal fungus described from fruiting bodies collected under Eucalyptus spp. in Brazil, Uruguay, and Australia. Due to its efficiency in promoting plant growth, we decided to characterize this fungus through mycorrhizal morphotyping and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) (rRNA) sequencing. DNA extracted from mycelium was amplified and sequenced using specific primers. Mycorrhizas were obtained aseptically and analyzed in terms of macroscopic and microscopic characteristics. When compared with other fungal DNA sequences available in the NBCI GenBank, the C. angustisporus sequence presented the highest similarity to an uncultured ectomycorrhizal fungus from the Seychelles. It also shows significant similarities to Gomphus, Ramaria, and Hysterangium species supporting the classification of Chondrogaster in the subclass Phallomycetidae in the gomphoid–phalloid group. The mycorrhizas were characterized by a narrow mantle with a single tissue layer densely arranged and organized as a net synenchyma with elongated hyphae. Interhyphal spaces were seen only in the external region where hyphae were more loosely organized. Bottle-shaped cystidia with bent necks were observed on the surface of the mantle. Emanating hyphae were larger than those in the mantle and presented a granular content. At regular intervals the hyphae were divided by septa with clamp connections. The Hartig net was of the common type, with typical palmetti and single hyphal rows and limited to the epidermal layer. The mycorrhizal description and the ITS sequence obtained are useful tools to identify this ectomycorrhizal fungus in culture and in association with Eucalyptus roots.

Molecular and morphological analyses confirm Rhizopogon verii as a widely distributed ectomycorrhizal false truffle in Europe, and its presence in South America

The genus Rhizopogon includes species with hypogeous or subepigeus habit, forming ectomycorrhizae with naturally occurring or planted pines (Pinaceae). Species of the genus Rhizopogon can be distinguished easily from the other hypogeous basidiomycetes by their lacunose gleba without columella and their smooth elliptical spores; however, the limit between species is not always easy to establish. Rhizopogon luteolus, the type species of the genus, has been considered one of the species that are more abundant in Europe, as well as it has been cited in pine plantation of North and South America, different parts of Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. However, in this study, based on molecular analyses of the ITS nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) sequences (19 new sequences; 37 sequences from GenBank/UNITE, including those from type specimens), we prove that many GenBank sequences under R. luteolus were misidentified and correspond to Rhizopogon verii, a species described from Tunisia. Also, we confirm that basidiomes and ectomycorrhizae recently collected in Germany under Pinus sylvestris, as well as specimens from South of Brazil under Pinus taeda belong to R. verii. Thanks to the numerous ectomycorrhizal tips collected in Germany, a complete description of R. verii/P. sylvestris ectomycorrhiza is provided. Moreover, since in this paper the presence of R. verii in South America is here reported for the first time, a short description of basidiomes collected in Brazil, compared with collections located in different European herbaria, is included.

Copper resistance of different ectomycorrhizal fungi such as Pisolithus microcarpus, Pisolithus sp., Scleroderma sp. and Suillus sp.

Environments contaminated with heavy metals negatively impact the living organisms. Ectomycorrhizal fungi have shown important role in these impacted sites. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the copper-resistance of ectomycorrhizal fungi isolates Pisolithus microcarpus - UFSC-Pt116; Pisolithus sp. - UFSC-PT24, Suillus sp. - UFSM RA 2.8 and Scleroderma sp. - UFSC-Sc124 to different copper doses in solid and liquid media. The copper doses tested were: 0.00, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 and 1.25 mmol L−1 in the solid medium and 0.00, 0.32, 0.64 and 0.96 mmol L−1 in the liquid medium. Copper was amended as copper sulphate in order to supplement the culture medium MNM at pH 4.8, with seven replicates to each fungus-dose combination. The fungal isolates were incubated for 30 days at 28 °C. UFSC-Pt116 showed high copper-resistance such as accessed by CL50 determinations (concentration to reduce 50% of the growth) as while as UFSC-PT24 displayed copper-resistance mechanism at 0.50 mmol L−1 in solid medium. The UFSC-PT24 and UFSC-Sc124 isolates have increased copper-resistance in liquid medium. The higher production of extracellular pigment was detected in UFSC-Pt116 cultures. The UFSC-Pt116 and UFSC-PT24 isolates showed higher resistance for copper and produced higher mycelium biomass than the other isolates. In this way, the isolates UFSG-Pt116 and UFSC-PT24 can be important candidates to survive in copper-contaminated areas, and can show important role in plants symbiosis in these contaminated sites.

Metais pesados, agrotóxicos e combustíveis: efeito na população de colêmbolos no solo

The aim of this research was to evaluate the collembola development in soils with different levels of heavy metals, fuels and pesticides, in laboratory conditions. Treatments were: Cadmium - 1, 10 and 100mg kg-1 soil; Copper - 50, 500 and 5000mg kg-1 soil; Zinc - 100, 1000 and 10000 mg kg-1 soil; fungicide epoxiconazol + piraclostrobina - 1 and 2L ha-1; fungicide epoxiconazol - 0,75 and 1,5L ha-1; herbicide glyphosate - 2 and 4L ha-1; burned lubricating oil - 5, 50 and 100mL kg-1 soil and diesel oil - 5, 50 and 100mL kg-1 soil and control. In the 1mg kg-1 dose of Cd there was a great increase of the collembola population and the soil pH decreased as the Cd, Zn and Cu doses in the soil increased. In the presence on fuels the collembola presented incapacity to procreate regardless the dose applied in the soil. The number of collembola showed an increase with increasing glyphosate and epoxiconazole level. The heavy metal Cu and Zn have negative impact over the collembola population and just Cd (1mg kg-1 soil) offers increase on their population in the soil. The presence of burned oil and diesel in the soil inhibit the collembolan development in the soil. The pesticides glyphosate, epoxiconazol and epoxiconazol + piraclostrobina do not negatively influence the collembola population in the soil.

ÓLEO ESSENCIAL DE Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden NO ESTÍMULO À MICORRIZAÇÃO DE MUDAS DE SIBIPIRUNA (Caesalpinia peltophoroides Benth.)

Os metabolitos secundarios extraidos de especies florestais formadoras de ectomicorrizas podem estimular a simbiose entre fungos ectomicorrizicos e especies florestais nativas do Rio Grande do Sul. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o efeito do oleo essencial de eucalipto na formacao de associacao ectomicorrizica e no crescimento de mudas de sibipiruna, em condicoes de casa de vegetacao. Plântulas de sibipiruna foram submetidas a quatro tratamentos constituidos pela presenca e ausencia do inoculo ectomicorrizico Pisolithus microcarpus (Cooke & Massee) e aplicacao ou nao do oleo essencial de eucalipto. O oleo essencial foi solubilizado e aplicado com pulverizador manual nos periodos de 0, 7 e 14 dias a contar da data de transplante das plântulas. Utilizou-se o delineamento inteiramente casualizado com sete repeticoes. Decorridos 90 dias de crescimento, as mudas foram coletadas e avaliou-se altura, diâmetro do colo, comprimento de raizes, massa seca da parte aerea e porcentagem de colonizacao micorrizica. A aplicacao do oleo essencial de eucalipto favoreceu a ocorrencia de associacao ectomicorrizica, com Pisolithus microcarpus em mudas de sibipiruna, proporcionando aumento significativo no desenvolvimento da parte aerea das mudas.