Soil Geochemical Properties Influencing the Diversity of Bacteria and Archaea in Soils of the Kitezh Lake Area, Antarctica.

It is believed that polar regions are influenced by global warming more significantly, and because polar regions are less affected by human activities, they have certain reference values for future predictions. This study aimed to investigate the effects of climate warming on soil microbial communities in lake areas, taking Kitezh Lake, Antarctica as the research area. Below-peak soil, intertidal soil, and sediment were taken at the sampling sites, and we hypothesized that the diversity and composition of the bacterial and archaeal communities were different among the three sampling sites. Through 16S rDNA sequencing and analysis, bacteria and archaea with high abundance were obtained. Based on canonical correspondence analysis and redundancy analysis, pH and phosphate had a great influence on the bacterial community whereas pH and nitrite had a great influence on the archaeal community. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis was used to find the hub bacteria and archaea related to geochemical factors. The results showed that in addition to pH, phosphate, and nitrite, moisture content, ammonium, nitrate, and total carbon content also play important roles in microbial diversity and structure at different sites by changing the abundance of some key microbiota.

Inventory of riverine dissolved organic carbon in the Bohai Rim.

Riverine carbon (C) composition and export are closely related to changes in the coastal environment and climate. Excessive C inputs from rivers to seas and their subsequent decomposition could result in harmful algal blooms and ecosystem degradation in the coastal sea. In this study, we explored the C transportation and composition in the 24 major rivers of the Bohai Sea (BS) Rim based on the investigation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), carbon stable isotopes (δ13CDOC) and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM). The results showed that the riverine DOC concentrations were high (10.6 ± 6.04 mg/L) in the BS Rim compared with the DOC levels in the main rivers in Eastern China (4.98 ± 2.45 mg/L). The δ13CDOC ranged from -28.29‰ to -25.32‰ in the rivers of the BS Rim, suggesting that the DOC mainly originated from riverine plankton, soil organic matter mainly induced by C3 plants, and sewage. The excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy of the CDOM indicated that a soluble, microbial by product-like material accounted for the largest proportion (approximately 40%) of CDOM in these rivers and that CDOM mainly originated from autochthonous riverine sources with high protein-like components. The rivers in the BS Rim transported approximately 0.55 Tg C of DOC to the BS each year, with more than 70% of reactive C based on the CDOM composition. The DOC yields in terms of unit drainage area transported from the small rivers to the BS were higher compared to those of the larger rivers in the world, which indicated that the small rivers in the Bohai Rim could be an important source of the C in the BS. This study would enrich our understanding of environmental evolution in coastal areas with numerous small rivers.

Variability in water chemistry of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China.

The environmental influence of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) on the Changjiang River has been widely studied since the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) began operation in 2003. However, the changes in water chemistry in the reservoir in response to damming effect variations are poorly documented in the area of this large reservoir. The results suggest that in comparison to the water chemistry before the TGR operation, the inflow concentrations of Mg2+, K+, Na+ and Cl- increased in the TGR, and the abundance of Ca2+ and HCO3 - decreased in the inflow in the period after the TGR filling as a result of climate change and human activities in the Changjiang River basin. The ionic composition in the TGR is primarily controlled by contributions from the upstream region of the Changjiang River but was modified by the interaction between water and rocks within the TGR. The concentrations of most major ions as well as the equivalent ratios of the major ions increased in the TGR after the operation of TGD. This change yielded a 6% increase in the major ion loading downstream of the TGD. The Three Gorges area strongly contributes to the increase in ion loading in the TGR due to enhanced water and rock interactions in comparison with the period before TGD operation.

Sedimentary phosphorus cycling and budget in the seasonally hypoxic coastal area of Changjiang Estuary.

Anthropogenic activities have greatly accelerated phosphorus (P) inputs from land to coastal seas. The increased P inputs from major rivers can cause adjacent coastal areas to experience seasonal hypoxia with the enhancing coastal eutrophication, which can subsequently increase P cycling and alter long term preservation. Analysis of sediment core measurements including SEDEX P speciation coupled with diagenetic kinetic models were performed on two cores in the coastal area under the Changjiang river plume, that experiences seasonal hypoxia. It was found that the benthic flux of dissolved reactive phosphate (DRP) in the Changjiang Estuary (CJE) was higher than that of adjacent areas of the Chinese coastal shelf. Sedimentary phosphorus transformations of Fe-bound P and organic P resulted in the in-situ formation of authigenic P (probably apatite), which was the major form of reactive P buried in the sediment. P burial efficiency (PBE) was lower than that of the oxic Chinese shelf but higher than that of other seasonally hypoxic areas in the world away from major river inputs. An exponential relationship between PBE and bottom water dissolved oxygen was developed, which suggested a positive feedback mechanism of increased hypoxia increasing P recycling, and hence intensifying eutrophication. The relatively high input of sediment including detrital P from the adjacent major river can explain many of the observed differences in P cycling from other seasonally hypoxic areas.

[Sources, Distribution, and Fluxes of Major and Trace Elements in the Yangtze River].

Surface water samples were collected from 20 sampling sites in the main stream and its major tributaries of the Yangtze River from April to May 2017. The concentrations of dissolved trace and major elements were analyzed to determine the spatial variation, source identification, and riverine fluxes using various multivariate statistical techniques, including correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis (CA) with the goal of determining the influence of natural factors and human activities, including the operation of the Three Gorges Dam on the distribution and loading of major and trace elements in the Yangtze River water environment. Spatial distribution results showed that Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and As were the major elements affected by human activities in the Yangtze River, and their concentrations downstream were significantly higher than those in the middle and upper reaches (P<0.05). All elements had fairly high concentration values in both channels of the Yangtze River mainstream in Chongqing city and Hanjiang River in Wuhan city, which were mainly related to the enhanced human activities. However, the low concentrations of multi-elements in the reach of the Yangtze River in Yichang were largely caused by the retention effect of Three Gorges Project on element transport, which decreased the riverine loadings of multi-elements. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that Na, Mg, K, Ca, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Mo, Cr, and V were mainly associated with the weathering and erosion of various rocks and minerals in the river basin. And Cu, Zn, and Pb were mainly affected by enhanced human activities, such as industrial wastewater, metal smelting, and mineral mining, whereas Cd and As were mainly related to agricultural activities. The spatial distribution of trace and major elements showed that concentrations of some elements in the Yangtze River channels were enhanced by human activities. Generally, the heavy metal pollution in the Yangtze River Basin was lower than that in other rivers of the world. However, the annual fluxes of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and As could have far-reaching ecological effects on the Yangtze River estuary and offshore ecological environment.

The Effect of Nitrogen Content on Archaeal Diversity in an Arctic Lake Region.

The function of Arctic soil ecosystems is crucially important for the global climate, and nitrogen (N) is the major limiting nutrient in these environments. This study assessed the effects of changes in nitrogen content on archaeal community diversity and composition in the Arctic lake area (London Island, Svalbard). A total of 16S rRNA genes were sequenced to investigate archaeal community composition. First, the soil samples and sediment samples were significantly different for the geochemical properties and archaeal community composition. Thaumarchaeota was an abundant phylum in the nine soil samples. Moreover, Euryarchaeota, Woesearchaeota, and Bathyarchaeota were significantly abundant phyla in the three sediment samples. Second, it was found that the surface runoff caused by the thawing of frozen soil and snow changed the geochemical properties of soils. Then, changes in geochemical properties affected the archaeal community composition in the soils. Moreover, a distance-based redundancy analysis revealed that NH4+-N (p < 0.05) and water content were the most significant factors that correlated with the archaeal community composition. Our study suggests that nitrogen content plays an important role in soil archaeal communities. Moreover, archaea play an important role in the carbon and nitrogen cycle in the Arctic lake area.

Geochemical-Compositional-Functional Changes in Arctic Soil Microbiomes Post Land Submergence Revealed by Metagenomics.

Lakes of meltwater in the Artic have become one of the transforming landscape changes under global warming. We herein compared microbial communities between sediments and bank soils at an arctic lake post land submergence using geochemistry, 16S rRNA amplicons, and metagenomes. The results obtained showed that each sample had approximately 2,609 OTUs on average and shared 1,716 OTUs based on the 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 region. Dominant phyla in sediments and soils included Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, and Nitrospirae; sediments contained a unique phylum, Euryarchaeota, with the phylum Thaumarchaeota being primarily present in bank soils. Among the top 35 genera across all sites, 17 were more abundant in sediments, while the remaining 18 were more abundant in bank soils; seven out of the top ten genera across all sites were only from sediments. A redundancy analysis separated sediment samples from soil samples based on the components of nitrite and ammonium. Metagenome results supported the role of nitrite because most of the genes for denitrification and methane metabolic genes were more abundant in sediments than in soils, while the abundance of phosphorus-utilizing genes was similar and, thus, was not a significant explanatory factor. We identified several modules from the global networks of OTUs that were closely related to some geochemical factors, such as pH and nitrite. Collectively, the present results showing consistent changes in geochemistry, microbiome compositions, and functional genes suggest an ecological mechanism across molecular and community levels that structures microbiomes post land submergence.

Response of the sediment geochemistry of the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) to the impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam.

Based on the measurement of major and trace elements in suspended sediments in the low reaches of the Changjiang River during throughout a whole hydrologic year, the origins, seasonal variations, and fluxes of multielements and the human impacts on multielements transport processes have been analyzed along with the influence of weathering in the Changjiang River basin. The results show that most element contents were high in both autumn and winter and low in summer, which was largely caused by the dilution of discharge. Weathering detritus in the Changjiang River basin is the main source of most elements in suspended sediments. However, riverine pollution could bring more loadings of Cd, Pb, As and Zn into river water than it did a few decades ago. The annual average fluxes of Cd, Pb and Zn, which are major contamination elements, to the sea were 179 ±â€¯21 tons/year, 7810 ±â€¯675 tons/year, and 12,000 ±â€¯1320 tons/year, respectively, in which approximately 8.7%, 11.9% and 2.7% of their loadings, respectively, were contributed by pollution inputs. Element exports mainly occurred in the summer (44.4%-57.4%) in the lower part of the Changjiang River. A general relationship between sediment retention and element content suggests a positive feedback mechanism for the decreased number of particles, in which element riverine loadings are reduced due to the enhanced trapping effect by the Three Gorges Dam (TGD). Compared to those in 1980, current element shares of the Changjiang River compared to the global budget have declined due to the construction of the TGD.

Direct and Indirect Effects of Penguin Feces on Microbiomes in Antarctic Ornithogenic Soils.

Expansion of penguin activity in maritime Antarctica, under ice thaw, increases the chances of penguin feces affecting soil microbiomes. The detail of such effects begins to be revealed. By comparing soil geochemistry and microbiome composition inside (one site) and outside (three sites) of the rookery, we found significant effects of penguin feces on both. First, penguin feces change soil geochemistry, causing increased moisture content (MC) of ornithogenic soils and nutrients C, N, P, and Si in the rookery compared to non-rookery sites, but not pH. Second, penguin feces directly affect microbiome composition in the rookery, not those outside. Specifically, we found 4,364 operational taxonomical units (OTUs) in 404 genera in six main phyla: Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes. Although the diversity is similar among the four sites, the composition is different. For example, penguin rookery has a lower abundance of Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Nitrospirae but a higher abundance of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Thermomicrobia. Strikingly, the family Clostridiaceae of Firmicutes of penguin-feces origin is most abundant in the rookery than non-rookery sites with two most abundant genera, Tissierella and Proteiniclasticum. Redundancy analysis showed all measured geochemical factors are significant in structuring microbiomes, with MC showing the highest correlation. We further extracted 21 subnetworks of microbes which contain 4,318 of the 4,364 OTUs using network analysis and are closely correlated with all geochemical factors except pH. Our finding f penguin feces, directly and indirectly, affects soil microbiome suggests an important role of penguins in soil geochemistry and microbiome structure of maritime Antarctica.

[Sedimentary Phosphorus Speciation in the Coastal Hypoxic Area of Changjiang Estuary and Its Environmental Significance].

Phosphorus (P) is a potential limiting nutrient in Changjiang Estuary. Sedimentary P preservation and regeneration play an important role in indicating regional environmental changes and buffering P limitation in the water column. A series of coring experiments was implemented in the hypoxic area of Changjiang Estuary to explore sedimentary P speciation and distribution and their environmental significance. The results showed that the contents and distributions of P in the cores were largely influenced by terrestrial loading, and Detr-P was the dominant P form in the sediments, followed by Org-P, Fe-P, and Auth-P, whereas Exch-P was the minor phase of Tot-P (<5%). Auth-P was predominantly yielded by Org-P and Fe-P transformations. P preservation in Changjiang Estuary was significantly related to terrestrial inputs and environmental changes in the water column. P speciation in cores tracked the regional environmental changes effectively. Distribution of reactive P in the hypoxic area was significantly different from that in the oxic area, with fairly high C/P ratios. The benthic diffusive flux of DRP in the study area ranged from 0.90 to 1.13 µmol·(cm2·a)-1. Tot-P burial efficiency (PBE) was higher than 70% and the PBE for Detr-P was nearly 100%, whereas the PBEs for Fe-P and Org-P were 38% and 26%, respectively. Auth-P was the dominant fraction of reactive P preserved in the sediments, and about 51% of Auth-P originated from Fe-P and Org-P transformations. The PBE in the hypoxia area of Changjiang Estuary was fairly lower than that in the continental shelf of the East China Sea. Hypoxia leads to a decrease in the PBE, which would have long-term influence on ecological environmental problems, especially eutrophification. Changes in terrestrial inputs played a key role in P composition in the sediments; the P loads of Changjiang River coupled with primary production and hypoxia greatly affected the P cycling in the Estuary.

Biogenic silica composition and δ13C abundance in the Changjiang (Yangtze) and Huanghe (Yellow) Rivers with implications for the silicon cycle.

The study was carried out to address a method for separation of terrestrial and marine biogenic silica (BSi) in estuaries based on BSi compositions and δ13C values in BSi associated organic matter (δ13CBSi). We used two world-class major rivers - the Changjiang (Yangtze) and Huanghe (Yellow) Rivers as examples to illustrate our approach. Our results for these rivers indicate that riverine BSi is comprised mainly of phytoliths and diatoms. River BSi concentrations vary with terrestrial inputs and in-stream primary production. Although the fluvial BSi sources are complex, the terrestrial δ13CBSi signals are quite unique (-24.7±0.8), significantly lower than the marine δ13CBSi values (-21.3±0.07, central Yellow Sea) (p<0.01). Thus, the variation of δ13C within BSi organic matter can provide terrestrial source information on the biogeochemistry of silicon in estuaries and the adjacent shelf. The δ13CBSi combination could potentially act as an efficient tool to study environmental change in coastal areas on decadal time-scales since this index may respond to variable terrestrial fluxes from land, as well as to changed phytoplankton assemblages in the coastal ocean.

Composition and variability in the export of biogenic silica in the Changjiang River and the effect of Three Gorges Reservoir.

Silicon (Si) plays an essential role in biogeochemical processes, but is still poorly characterized in the river system. This study addressed the biogenic silica (BSi) composition, origin and variation in the Changjiang River, and estimated the impacts of natural processes and human activities on the river Si cycling. Our results indicate that phytoliths comprised 14%-64% of BSi, while diatoms accounted for 34%-85% of BSi. The Changjiang River transported 620Ggyr(-1) of BSi and 2100Ggyr(-1) of dissolved silicate (DSi) loadings, respectively; 55% of the BSi and 51% of the DSi fluxes are transported during the high discharge period from June to September. The Changjiang River carried phytolith BSi mostly comes from the middle and lower reaches area. The ratio of BSi/(BSi+DSi) has decreased from 0.47 before 1980 to 0.19 in 2013-2014 due to the direct retention of BSi. The BSi sedimentation in the Three Gorges Reservoir would cause a decrease of total reactive silica, but contribute to approximately 4%-16% of the DSi loading at the Jiangyin station due to its dissolution. This study demonstrates that phytoliths represent a significant contribution to the biogeochemical cycle of silica in coastal waters, and in-stream process exerts a great influence on the river Si loading and cycling.

Phosphorus speciation, transformation, and preservation in the coastal area of Rushan Bay.

Phosphorus (P) speciation, burial, and transformation are poorly constrained under low-oxygen conditions. Sequential chemical extraction techniques, in-situ incubation, and laboratory incubation were employed to explore P cycling in the low-oxygen area of coastal Rushan. The study determined that the total P concentrations in the coastal area of Rushan Bay were higher than those of other China shelf seas, and largely affected by anthropogenic activities. The phosphate (DRP) fluxes in the study area calculated using an incubation method (0-1960µmolm(-2)day(-)(1)) and measured based on pore water gradients (1.5-50.4µmolm(-2)day(-)(1)) were both highly correlated with oxygen conditions. Sediment incubations showed that DRP diffusion from the sediment mainly originates from Fe-P and Auth-P dissolution and that Org-P recycling contributed only a small portion of the total released P pool. The benthic phosphate flux can be 60 times higher under low bottom-water oxygen levels of 63-150µmolL(-1) than under oxygen levels exceeding 150µmolL(-1) in the study area. The P accumulation rates and burial efficiencies in this study area ranged from 16.5-33.3µmolcm(-2)year(-1) and 81.1-83.4%, respectively, and were regulated by the oxygen level and diffusive DRP flux. This study indicates that low oxygen levels between 63 and 150µmol significantly govern P transformation and preservation in the sediment and P pools in the water column.

Production of cold-adapted cellulase by Verticillium sp. isolated from Antarctic soils

Background: Cellulose can be converted to ethanol by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). The difference between the optimal temperature of cellulase and microbial fermentation, however, has been identified as the critical problem with SSF. In this study, one fungal strain (AnsX1) with high cellulase activity at low temperature was isolated from Antarctic soils and identified as Verticillium sp. by morphological and molecular analyses. Results: The biochemical properties of crude AnsX1 cellulase samples were studied by filter paper cellulase assay. The maximum cellulase activity was achieved at low temperature in an acidic environment with addition of metal ions. Furthermore, AnsX1 cellulase demonstrated 54-63% enzymatic activity at ethanol concentrations of 5-10%. AnsX1 cellulase production was influenced by inoculum size, carbon and nitrogen sources, and elicitors. The optimal culture conditions for AnsX1 cellulase production were 5% inoculum, wheat bran as carbon source, (NH4)2SO4 as nitrogen source, and sorbitol added in the medium. Conclusions: Our present work has potential to enable the development of an economic and efficient cold-adapted cellulase system for bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels in future.

[Flow injection-spectrophotometric determination of total dissolved nitrogen in seawater based on quantificational solenoid valves].

Using three pipe clamp solenoid valves to replace the traditional six-port valve for sample quota, a set of multi-channel flow injection analyzer was designed in the present paper. The authors optimized optimum instrumental testing condition, and realized determination and analysis of total dissolved nitrogen in seawaters. The construction of apparatus is simple and it has the potential to be used for analysis of total dissolved nitrogen. The sample throughput of total dissolved nitrogen was 27 samples per hour. The linear range of total dissolved nitrogen was 50.0-1 000.0 microgN x L(-3) (r > or = 0.999). The detection limit was 7.6 microgN x L(-3). The recovery of total dissolved nitrogen was 87.3%-107.2%. The relative standard deviation for total dissolved nitrogen was 1.35%-6.32% (n = 6). After the t-test analysis, it does not have the significance difference between this method and national standard method. It is suitable for fast analysis of total dissolved nitrogen in seawater.

Rapid finding and quantification of the major antioxidant in water extracts of three marine drug organisms from China by online HPLC-DAD/MS-DPPH.

A method based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detector coupled with electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry and an online detection system for radical scavenging was established and used to rapidly find and quantify antioxidant compounds in the water extracts of Hippocampus japonicus Kaup, Hippocampus kuda Bleeker and Syngnathus acus Linnaeus. The online screening results revealed the presence of one major radical scavenging compound identified as hypoxanthine by comparison of mass data and retention time with the standard. Subsequently, the developed HPLC method was applied to quantify hypoxanthine in different H. japonicus, H. kuda and S. acus samples. The results indicated that the developed HPLC method is simple and reliable for the quantification of hypoxanthine with a detection limit at 0.002 µg mL(-1), and a high recovery from 96.3% to 102.1%. This method provides a powerful tool for rapid identification and quantification of free radical scavenging compounds in complex marine natural products.

[Comparison of different buffer systems for separation of 15 nucleosides by capillary electrophoresis].

The most suitable background electrolytes (BGEs) for simultaneous separation of 15 nucleosides by different modes of capillary electrophoresis (CE) were obtained. Various modes of CE were performed including capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-TOF/MS) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). The electrolyte buffers using sodium tetraborate decahydrate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium acetate, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium acetate or 1, 2-diamino-ethane (DEA) were tested, and the best of them were systematically optimized. In CZE mode, the nucleosides could not be separated completely with sodium tetraborate decahydrate or disodium hydrogen phosphate as BGEs, demonstrating the limited applicability of the two buffer systems for complex samples. However, with 300 mmol/L DEA (containing 2% acetone) as BGE, 15 nucleosides could be separated with good resolution and peak shape, which proved that the DEA buffer was most suitable in CZE. The best buffer system in MEKC mode was 25 mmol/L disodium hydrogen phosphate with 70 mmol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and it was successfully applied for the separation of the nucleosides in Chinese Anthopleura lanthogrammica Berkly. The optimum buffer system for CE-ESI-TOF/MS analysis was 20 mmol/L ammonium acetate (pH 10.0). In the positive ion mode, the MS signals of each compound were better than those in the literature using DEA as BGE. The results of this study demonstrated the applicability of different buffer systems for the simultaneous separation of 15 nucleosides, and were helpful for the development of CE method in complex sample separation.

[Chemicohydrographic characteristics and the seasonal variations of nutrients at 35 degrees N transect in the cold water mass of the Southern Yellow Sea].

Based on the four cruises during 2006-2007, the chemicohydrographic characteristics and the seasonal variations of nutrients at 35 degrees N transect in the cold water mass of the Southern Yellow Sea were analyzed. The results showed that: In Winter, hydrological conditions in the eastern part of the section was significantly influenced by the Yellow Sea Warm Current, and the vertical mixing in the deep water had not reached the bottom, which led to the different distribution of the elements in the eastern and western part of the section, the vertically uniform distribution was presented in the west and the upper water of the east, while the stratification structure was found in the bottom water of the east. In Spring, the Yellow Sea warm current residual water and the Qingdao cold water mass were the most obviously hydrological characteristics, and because of the increasing of the temperature in the upper water and the weakening of the vertical mixing, the stability of the water column increased gradually; compared with winter, the contour trend of DO, pH and nutrients in deep water transferred to the more horizontal direction, and with the arrival of spring blooming, the nutrient concentrations in the upper water decreased significantly, besides, the subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM) phenomena also began to emerge. In Summer, the section was influenced by the thermocline and the Yellow Sea cold water mass, which was accompanied with the maximum value phenomenon of DO and pH, in addition, the nutrient concentrations were low in upper water and high in bottom water, and compared with spring, the further reduction of the nutrient concentrations existed in upper water, but the nutrient concentrations were increasing dominantly in the water below the thermocline. In Autumn, with the decreasing of the temperature in the upper water and the enhancing of the vertical mixing, the stability of the water column decreased, but the vertical mixing in the deep water was still not smooth, and the nutrient concentrations in the bottom water of the east were higher than those in summer. This study further revealed the influencing mechanism of the mixing, stratification as well as other physical processes on the vertical distribution and its seasonal variations of the elements.