Effects of Active Volcanism on Bacterial Communities in the Highest-Altitude Crater Lake of Ojos del Salado (Dry Andes, Altiplano-Atacama Region).

Periglacial and volcanic environments are considered terrestrial analogs of Mars with regard to astrobiological characteristics due to their specific set of extreme features. Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano on Earth (6893 m a.s.l.), is surrounded by several craters, one of which harbors the highest known altitude lake (6480 m a.s.l.), which is influenced by a rare combination of extreme environmental factors, that is, low mean temperature, permafrost, fumarolic activity, acidity, and extreme low organic matter content. To assess the genetic diversity and ecological tolerance of bacteria, samples were taken in February 2016 from the sediments covered with acidic cold (pH 4.88, 3.8°C) and warm (pH 2.08, 40.8°C) water. As a control, a nonvolcanic high-altitude lake (at 5900 m a.s.l.) was also studied by both cultivation-based and next-generation DNA sequencing methods. Isolates from the crater lake showed tolerance toward acidic pH values, unlike isolates from the nonvolcanic lake. Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene exposed simplified, although characteristically different, bacterial communities in the warm and cold water-saturated sediments. In the fumarolic creek sediments, acidophilic iron oxidizers (Ferrithrix, Gallionella) and iron reducers (Acidiphilium) were abundant, and bacteria involved in the sulfur oxidation (Hydrogenobaculum, Thiomonas) and reduction (Desulfosporosinus) were also detected. Therefore, we propose an integrated model that addresses the potential role of bacteria in the sulfur and iron geomicrobiological cycles.

Preparation and characterization of site-specific dechlorinating microbial inocula capable of complete dechlorination enriched in anaerobic microcosms amended with clay mineral.

Short-chain halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons (e.g. perchloroethene, trichloroethene) are among the most toxic environmental pollutants. Perchloroethene and trichloroethene can be dechlorinated to non-toxic ethene through reductive dechlorination by Dehalococcoides sp. Bioaugmentation, applying cultures containing organohalide-respiring microorganisms, is a possible technique to remediate sites contaminated with chlorinated ethenes. Application of site specific inocula is an efficient alternative solution. Our aim was to develop site specific dechlorinating microbial inocula by enriching microbial consortia from groundwater contaminated with trichloroethene using microcosm experiments containing clay mineral as solid phase. Our main goal was to develop fast and reliable method to produce large amount (100 L) of bioactive agent with anaerobic fermentation technology. Polyphasic approach has been applied to monitor the effectiveness of dechlorination during the transfer process from bench-scale (500 mL) to industrial-scale (100 L). Gas chromatography measurement and T-RFLP (Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) revealed that the serial subculture of the enrichments shortened the time-course of the complete dechlorination of trichloroethene to ethene and altered the composition of bacterial communities. Complete dechlorination was observed in enrichments with significant abundance of Dehalococcoides sp. cultivated at 8 °C. Consortia incubated in fermenters at 18 °C accelerated the conversion of TCE to ethene by 7-14 days. Members of the enrichments belong to the phyla Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. According to the operational taxonomic units, main differences between the composition of the enrichment incubated at 8 °C and 18 °C occurred with relative abundance of acetogenic and fermentative species. In addition to the temperature, the site-specific origin of the microbial communities and the solid phase applied during the fermentation technique contributed to the development of a unique microbial composition.

Biological treatment of coke plant effluents: from a microbiological perspective.

During coke production, large volume of effluent is generated, which has a very complex chemical composition and contains several toxic and carcinogenic substances, mainly aromatic compounds, cyanide, thiocyanate and ammonium. The composition of these high-strength effluents is very diverse and depends on the quality of coals used and the operating and technological parameters of coke ovens. In general, after initial physicochemical treatment, biological purification steps are applied in activated sludge bioreactors. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the anaerobic and aerobic transformation processes and describes key microorganisms, such as phenol- and thiocyanate-degrading, floc-forming, nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, which contribute to the removal of pollutants from coke plant effluents. Providing the theoretical basis for technical issues (in this case the microbiology of coke plant effluent treatment) aids the optimization of existing technologies and the design of new management techniques.

Dual bloom of green algae and purple bacteria in an extremely shallow soda pan.

In April 2014, dual bloom of green algae and purple bacteria occurred in a shallow, alkaline soda pan (Kiskunság National Park, Hungary). The water was only 5 cm deep, in which an upper green layer was clearly separated from a near-sediment purple one. Based on microscopy and DNA-based identification, the upper was inhabited by a dense population of the planktonic green alga, Oocystis submarina Lagerheim, while the deeper layer was formed by purple, bacteriochlorophyll-containing bacteria, predominated by Thiorhodospira and Rhodobaca. Additional bacterial taxa with a presumed capability of anoxygenic phototrophic growth belonged to the genera Loktanella and Porphyrobacter. Comparing the bacterial community of the purple layer with a former blooming event in a nearby soda pan, similar functional but different taxonomic composition was revealed. Members from many dominant bacterial groups were successfully cultivated including potentially new species, which could be the result of the application of newly designed media.

Chemical composition and trophic state of shallow saline steppe lakes in central Asia (North Kazakhstan).

The purpose of this study was to identify the prevailing chemical composition and trophic state of the shallow saline steppe lakes of North Kazakhstan along a wide size range (< 1-454 km2) and salinity gradient (2-322 g L-1) on a large spatial scale (1000 km), taking into account the potential effects of human disturbances. Water depth, Secchi disk transparency, temperature, pH, electric conductivity, major ions, total dissolved solids, total organic carbon, total nitrogen and phosphorus, nitrate, soluble reactive phosphorus, and chlorophyll a were measured. The equivalent percentage of major ions, Spearman rank correlation, multivariate analyses, equilibrium state of lakes, and spatial GIS autocorrelation were calculated. The impact of human disturbances (settlements, farms, and mines) on total organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and chlorophyll a were tested by Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA. The most common combinations of dominant ions were Na-Cl>SO4 and Na-Cl (n = 16; 64%); the Ca, Mg, HCO3, and SO4 ions precipitate with increasing salinity (2-322 g L-1); and ion composition shifts from Na>Mg-Cl>SO4 to Na-Cl. The most of the chemical variables positively, but chlorophyll a negatively, correlated with total dissolved solids, and the total phosphorus had no significant correlation with any variables. The trophic state of these lakes in most cases exceeded the hypertrophic level. The increase in salinity causes change in chemical composition and effects on the phytoplankton development independently from the size of water surface, and the human disturbances had negligible effect on the trophic state of shallow saline lakes in this region of Kazakhstan.

Thermophilic prokaryotic communities inhabiting the biofilm and well water of a thermal karst system located in Budapest (Hungary).

In this study, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic approach were applied to reveal the morphological structure and genetic diversity of thermophilic prokaryotic communities of a thermal karst well located in Budapest (Hungary). Bacterial and archaeal diversity of the well water (73.7 °C) and the biofilm developed on the inner surface of an outflow pipeline of the well were studied by molecular cloning method. According to the SEM images calcium carbonate minerals serve as a surface for colonization of bacterial aggregates. The vast majority of the bacterial and archaeal clones showed the highest sequence similarities to chemolithoautotrophic species. The bacterial clone libraries were dominated by sulfur oxidizer Thiobacillus (Betaproteobacteria) in the water and Sulfurihydrogenibium (Aquificae) in the biofilm. A relatively high proportion of molecular clones represented genera Thermus and Bellilinea in the biofilm library. The most abundant phylotypes both in water and biofilm archaeal clone libraries were closely related to thermophilic ammonia oxidizer Nitrosocaldus and Nitrososphaera but phylotypes belonging to methanogens were also detected. The results show that in addition to the bacterial sulfur and hydrogen oxidation, mainly archaeal ammonia oxidation may play a decisive role in the studied thermal karst system.

Reprint of "Characterization of cyclodextrin containing nanofilters for removal of pharmaceutical residues".

Due to the increasing amount of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in general and pharmaceutical residues in particular in municipal wastewater, the efficiency of water treatment technologies should be improved. Following the biological treatment of wastewater nanofiltration offers a possible way for the removal of POPs. In this study ß-cyclodextrin containing nanofilters having different chemical composition and thickness (1.5-3.5 mm) were investigated. For their characterization, their adsorption capacity was determined applying ibuprofen containing model solution and total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer. It could be established that the regeneration of nanofilters with ethanol and the application of inorganic additives (NaCl, NaHCO3, NH4HCO3) increased the adsorption capacity of nanofilters. The best results were achieved with chemical composition of 30 m/m% ß-cyclodextrin polymer beads and 70 m/m% ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene in the presence of 1 2mmol ammonium hydrogen carbonate/nanofilter.

Characterization of cyclodextrin containing nanofilters for removal of pharmaceutical residues.

Due to the increasing amount of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in general and pharmaceutical residues in particular in municipal wastewater, the efficiency of water treatment technologies should be improved. Following the biological treatment of wastewater nanofiltration offers a possible way for the removal of POPs. In this study ß-cyclodextrin containing nanofilters having different chemical composition and thickness (1.5-3.5mm) were investigated. For their characterization, their adsorption capacity was determined applying ibuprofen containing model solution and total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer. It could be established that the regeneration of nanofilters with ethanol and the application of inorganic additives (NaCl, NaHCO3, NH4HCO3) increased the adsorption capacity of nanofilters. The best results were achieved with chemical composition of 30m/m% ß-cyclodextrin polymer beads and 70m/m% ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene in the presence of 12mmol ammonium hydrogen carbonate/nanofilter.

Vertical physico-chemical gradients with distinct microbial communities in the hypersaline and heliothermal Lake Ursu (Sovata, Romania).

The effect of vertical physico-chemical stratification on the planktonic microbial community composition of the deep, hypersaline and heliothermal Lake Ursu (Sovata, Romania) was examined in this study. On site and laboratory measurements were performed to determine the physical and chemical variables of the lake water, and culture-based and cultivation-independent techniques were applied to identify the members of microbial communities. The surface of the lake was characterized by a low salinity water layer while the deepest region was extremely saline (up to 300 g/L salinity). Many parameters (e.g. photosynthetically active radiation, dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, redox potential) changed dramatically from 2 to 4 m below the water surface in conjunction with the increasing salinity values. The water temperature reached a maximum at this depth. At around 3 m depth, there was a water layer with high (bacterio) chlorophyll content dominated by Prosthecochloris vibrioformis, a phototrophic green sulfur bacterium. Characteristic microbial communities with various prokaryotic taxa were identified along the different environmental parameters present in the different water layers. Some of these bacteria were known to be heterotrophic and therefore may be involved in the decomposition of lake organic material (e.g. Halomonas, Idiomarina and Pseudoalteromonas) while others in the transformation of sulfur compounds (e.g. Prosthecochloris). Eukaryotic microorganisms identified by molecular methods in the lake water belonged to genera of green algae (Mantionella and Picochlorum), and were restricted mainly to the upper layers.

Phylogenetic diversity of bacterial and archaeal communities inhabiting the saline Lake Red located in Sovata, Romania.

Lake Red is one of the saline lakes which were formed as a consequence of salt massif dissolution at the foot of the Gurghiu Mountains (Central Romania) at the end of the nineteenth century. The lake water had approximately 15 % w/v salt content. Phylogenetic diversity of prokaryotes inhabiting the water and sediment of the lake was studied using cultivation and cultivation-independent methods following a sampling in spring 2009. According to the results of 16S rRNA gene-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), the richness of Bacteria was higher than Archaea on the basis of the number and position of dominant bands in the gel. Sequences from DGGE bands were affiliated with Gammaproteobacteria (Halomonas and Alkalilimnicola) and Bacteroidetes (Psychroflexus) as well as Euryarchaeota. Cultivation from five different saline media resulted in 101 bacterial strains of which Gammaproteobacteria (Halomonas, Marinobacter and Salinivibrio) were the most abundant. Firmicutes (Bacillus) and Alphaproteobacteria (Aurantimonas and Roseovarius) were also identified among the isolated strains. The 16S rRNA genes from 82 bacterial and 95 archaeal clones were also phylogenetically analyzed. Bacterial clones were related to various genera of Gammaproteobacteria (Alkalilimnicola, Alkalispirillum, Arhodomonas, Halomonas, Saccharospirillum), Bacteroidetes (Gracilimonas, Psychroflexus) and Alphaproteobacteria (Oceanicola, Roseinatronobacter, Roseovarius). All of the archaeal clones sequenced corresponded to a homologous cluster affiliated with Halopelagius.