[Sorption of humic acids by bacteria].

Capacity for sorption of humic acid (HA) from water solutions was shown for 38 bacterial strains. Isotherms of HA sorption were determined for the cells of 10 strains. The bonding strength between the cells and HA (k) and the terminal adsorption (Q(max)) determined from the Langmuir equation for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were reliably different. Gram-positive bacteria sorbed greater amounts of HA than gram-negative ones (Q(max) = 23 ± 10 and 5.6 ± 1.2 mg/m2, respectively). The bonding strength between HA and the cells was higher in gram-negative bacteria than in gram-positive: k = 9 ± 5 and 3.3 ± 1.1 mL/mg, respectively.

[Earthworms as modifiers of the structure and biological activity of humic acids].

Passage of humic acids (HAs) through the digestive tract of the earthworm, Eiseniafetida andrei, resulted in a decrease in molecular masses of the HAs. The effect of earthworm-modified HAs on individual bacteria and on bacterial communities as a whole is different from the effect of native HAs. Modified HA probably induces and regulates microbial successions in soils and composts in a different manner than the native HA, suppressing or stimulating different groups of microorganisms. These results may explain why the positive effects of commercial humates in real soil ecosystems, unlike model communities, attenuate rapidly.