Article
Microbiology
Zhichao Zhou, Emily St. John, Karthik Anantharaman, Anna-Louise Reysenbach
Summary: This study explores the genomic diversity in 42 metagenomes from deep-sea hydrothermal vents and documents their potential implications in biogeochemical cycles. The findings reveal a significant expansion of microbial genomic diversity associated with hydrothermal vent deposits and highlight the metabolic adaptation of taxonomic guilds.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sarah K. Hu, Amy R. Smith, Rika E. Anderson, Sean P. Sylva, Michaela Setzer, Maria Steadmon, Kiana L. Frank, Eric W. Chan, Darlene S. S. Lim, Christopher R. German, John A. Breier, Susan Q. Lang, David A. Butterfield, Caroline S. Fortunato, Jeffrey S. Seewald, Julie A. Huber
Summary: This study investigated the community diversity patterns among protistan assemblages and identified putative vent endemic microbial eukaryotes through 18S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The results showed that deep-sea vents harbor diverse microbial eukaryotic communities composed of various protists. Each vent field supports distinct and highly diverse assemblages, including potentially endemic or novel vent-associated strains.
Article
Microbiology
Nedaa Ali, Majida Khanafer, Husain Al-Awadhi
Summary: A microbial consortium of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria isolated from oil-saturated desert soil was tested for its ability to remove oil in batch cultures and in oil-polluted soil samples. The results showed that the consortium did not consume more oil than the individual species, and the rate of oil removal in the bioaugmented soil samples was similar to that in the unbioaugmented ones. The study also found that certain bacterial species, such as Arthrobacter ginsengisoli, played an important role in oil removal.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maryam Rezaei Somee, Seyed Mohammad Mehdi Dastgheib, Mahmoud Shavandi, Leila Ghanbari Maman, Kaveh Kavousi, Mohammad Ali Amoozegar, Maliheh Mehrshad
Summary: The Persian Gulf, with 48% of the world's oil reserves, is continuously exposed to natural oil seepage. Studies have shown that chronic exposure to trace amounts of pollution in the Gulf promotes the growth of oil-degrading microbes, leading to shifts in the microbial community composition in polluted areas. Hydrocarbon type, exposure time, and sediment depth are identified as the main factors determining microbial response to pollution in oil-polluted marine samples.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Liping Huang, Jiangyu Ye, Kemei Jiang, Yichao Wang, Yunyi Li
Summary: The study revealed that oil pollution reduces correlations between co-existing bacteria and alters core genera related to oil metabolism. Under oil pollution pressure, indigenous bacteria Gammaproteobacteria was domesticated as biomarker and enzyme expression related to the metabolism of toxic hydrocarbons was enhanced. Functional pathways of xenobiotics biodegradation were also stimulated under oil contamination.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Thomas P. Smith, Shorok Mombrikotb, Emma Ransome, Dimitrios-Georgios Kontopoulos, Samraat Pawar, Thomas Bell
Summary: The response of complex microbial communities to climatic fluctuations is still not well understood. This study investigated how bacterial communities in soil can respond to changes in environmental temperature through a combination of phenotypic plasticity and species sorting. The results showed that distinct communities with different phylogenetic and functional characteristics emerged at different temperatures, with K-strategist taxa favored under cooler conditions and r-strategist taxa favored under warmer conditions. The study also found that the dynamic emergence of distinct communities across a wide range of temperatures is driven by the resuscitation of latent functional diversity.
Article
Ecology
Clemens Schauberger, Ronnie N. Glud, Bela Hausmann, Blandine Trouche, Lois Maignien, Julie Poulain, Patrick Wincker, Sophie Arnaud-Haond, Frank Wenzhoefer, Bo Thamdrup
Summary: The study found that microbial communities in Hadal trenches exhibit high similarity within each trench axis and are strongly influenced by sediment depth and redox stratification. Differences in community composition are more related to sediment depth within each trench rather than between different trenches, and not solely explained by total organic carbon content.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Bennett J. Kapili, Anne E. Dekas
Summary: This study introduces an R package called PPIT that infers microbial taxonomy from nifH amplicons using both phylogenetic and sequence identity approaches. By placing query sequences on a reference nifH gene tree, PPIT searches the phylogenetic neighborhood of each query sequence and attempts to draw microbial taxonomy inferences. The results show that PPIT returns a higher proportion of correct taxonomic inferences compared to BLAST-based approaches.
Article
Microbiology
Tianfei Yu, Xiaodong Liu, Jiamin Ai, Jiamin Wang, Yidan Guo, Xinhui Liu, Xiaolong He, Zhenshan Deng, Yingying Jiang
Summary: Microbial community succession during the enrichment of crude-oil-degrading bacteria was analyzed using Illumina high-throughput sequencing. Rhodococcus sp. OS62-1, Dietzia sp. OS33, and Pseudomonas sp. P35 were isolated and used to construct a bacterial consortium with high crude-oil-degrading efficiency, providing technical support for bioremediation of crude oil pollution.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Diego Rojas-Gatjens, Paola Fuentes-Schweizer, Keilor Rojas-Jimenez, Danilo Perez-Pantoja, Roberto Avendano, Randall Alpizar, Carolina Coronado-Ruiz, Max Chavarria
Summary: The study identified a significant abundance of methylotrophic bacteria and other common bacteria associated with hydrocarbon degradation in an abandoned exploratory oil well in Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica. This has important implications for understanding microbial communities in environments with high concentrations of these compounds.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sarah K. Hu, Erica L. Herrera, Amy R. Smith, Maria G. Pachiadaki, Virginia P. Edgcomb, Sean P. Sylva, Eric W. Chan, Jeffrey S. Seewald, Christopher R. German, Julie A. Huber
Summary: In deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems, protists exert higher predation pressure compared to the surrounding deep seawater environment, consuming a significant portion of prokaryotic biomass within vent fluids. The diverse protistan communities play an important role in deep-sea carbon cycling, as ciliates, dinoflagellates, Syndiniales, rhizaria, and stramenopiles dominate the vent protistan community. The distribution and co-occurrence patterns of vent microbes provide valuable insights into potential predator-prey interactions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Lloyd D. Potts, Alex Douglas, Luis J. Perez Calderon, James A. Anderson, Ursula Witte, James Prosser, Cecile Gubry-Rangin
Summary: Acute environmental perturbations cause changes in microbial community composition and selection of different phylotypes, while chronic perturbations maintain community stability and can lead to the establishment of alternative stable states. This study also demonstrates the functional resilience of ecosystem following environmental perturbations.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Janina Leinberger, Felix Milke, Magdalini Christodoulou, Anja Poehlein, Javier Caraveo-Patino, Andreas Teske, Thorsten Brinkhoff
Summary: Life at hydrothermal vent sites relies on chemosynthetic primary producers supplying substrates for heterotrophic microorganisms and biomass for higher trophic levels. Bacterial and archaeal communities attached to deep-sea squat lobsters differ significantly from those in ambient sea water. The epibiotic bacteria on the lobsters are mainly chemoautotrophic Gammaproteobacteria, while archaea are predominantly affiliated with Ca. Nitrosopumilus. Sea water samples have a higher abundance of Marine Group II and III archaea, as well as organoheterotrophic Alphaproteobacteria, Flavobacteriia, and Planctomycetacia. The identified taxa suggest that the main metabolic processes carried out by the lobster epibionts include ammonia, methane, and sulphide oxidation. A mutualistic host-microbe relationship is likely due to the lobster benefiting from sulphide detoxification by its epibionts.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jennifer M. Polinski, Mattie Rodrigue, Jason D. Meyer, Matthew J. Harke
Summary: This study focuses on hydrothermal vent plume waters above the Moytirra hydrothermal vent field and examines the biodiversity and metabolic activities of the microbial communities in the plume. The results reveal a rich diversity of microorganisms and suggest the importance of sulfur compounds as an energy source in these waters. The study also highlights the decreasing metabolic functions and quiescent stages of bacterial communities with distance from the vent source.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Daniela F. Soto, Ivan Gomez, Pirjo Huovinen
Summary: The study investigates the ecological mechanisms governing the assembly of microbial communities during the formation of snow algae blooms in the West Antarctic Peninsula. The microbial composition and abundance were examined using metabarcoding techniques, and the contribution of different ecological processes to the microbial community assembly was quantified. The results show differences in microbial assembly between bacteria and eukaryotes in snow algae blooms and propose a model to integrate both assembly processes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Atefeh Zendehboudi, Azam Mohammadi, Sina Dobaradaran, Gabriel E. De-la-Torre, Bahman Ramavandi, Seyed Enayat Hashemi, Reza Saeedi, Emran Moradpour Tayebi, Ahmad Vafaee, Amirhossein Darabi
Summary: This study investigated the characteristics and ecological risks of microplastics (MPs) in ballast water for the first time, and found high levels of MP pollution. These findings contribute to our understanding of the sources and risks of microplastics in marine ecosystems.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rose Boahemaa Pinto, Linda Bogerd, Martine van der Ploeg, Kwame Duah, Remko Uijlenhoet, Tim H. M. van Emmerik
Summary: Catchment-scale plastic pollution assessments provide insights into the sources, sinks, and pathways of plastic pollution. We propose an approach to quantify macroplastic transport and density in the Odaw catchment, Ghana, and find that the urban riverine zone has the highest transport, while the urban tidal zone has the highest riverbank and land macroplastic density.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aliya Baidourela, Qian Sun, Gongxin Yang, Umut Halik, Zhongkai Dong, Kaixu Cai, Guili Sun, Wenya Zhang, Sisi Cheng
Summary: The study focused on heavy metal pollution in the green vegetation of a suburban industrial area in Tuokexun County, Xinjiang, China. The results showed that the overall level of heavy metal pollution in the soil was minor, with mercury (Hg) being the most severe contamination, likely caused by human activities. The composition of heavy metal elements in trees was more stable compared to grass and shrubs, with varying concentrations across different vegetation. Shrubbery was found to be the most effective in heavy metal restoration, and there were disparities in heavy metal enrichment among different vegetation types.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
James H. Bridson, Hayden Masterton, Beatrix Theobald, Regis Risani, Fraser Doake, Jessica A. Wallbank, Stefan D. M. Maday, Gavin Lear, Robert Abbel, Dawn A. Smith, Joanne M. Kingsbury, Olga Pantos, Grant L. Northcott, Sally Gaw
Summary: Plastic pollution has significant environmental impacts, largely due to chemical additives. However, the behavior of plastic additives in marine environments is not well understood. A marine deployment experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of weathering on the extractables profile of four types of plastics in New Zealand over a period of nine months. The concentration of additives in polyethylene and oxo-degradable polyethylene was strongly influenced by artificial weathering, while polyamide 6 and polyethylene terephthalate showed minimal change. These findings emphasize the importance of considering leaching and weathering effects on plastic composition when assessing the potential impact and risk of plastic pollution in receiving environments.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alan G. Scarlett, Francis D. Spilsbury, Steven J. Rowland, Marthe Monique Gagnon, Kliti Grice
Summary: This study used diamondoid hydrocarbon distributions to identify the sources of environmental oil contamination. A suite of 20 diamondoids was found to accumulate in fish adipose tissue. The scatter plots of indices between fish and exposure oils showed a close to ideal 1:1 relationship, which can be used to determine the origin of the oil.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shan Jiang, Mengmeng Wan, Kun Lin, Yanshan Chen, Rui Wang, Liju Tan, Jiangtao Wang
Summary: In this study, the concentration, composition, distribution, and sources of PCBs in surface seawater of the Bohai Bay were analyzed. The results showed that PCBs in the Bohai Bay had high concentrations and were primarily derived from land-based sources such as port activities and river inputs. The PCBs in the Bohai Bay may come from commercial PCBs and their incineration products, municipal landfills, wood and coal combustion, and industrial activities, etc.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Icaro S. A. Porto, Saulo V. A. Dantas, Caio S. A. Felix, Francisco A. S. Cunha, Jailson B. de Andrade, Sergio L. C. Ferreira
Summary: This study evaluated the risks of mercury levels in sardines consumed by low-income population in Salvador, Brazil. The results showed that the mercury content in the sampled sardines posed no risks to human health. This study is significant as most sardines in Salvador come from Todos os Santos Bay, which has a history of mercury contamination.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiahui Chen, Chengyu Yuan, Guanqun Zhai, Guangcheng Chen, Heng Zhu, Jun Liu, Yong Ye
Summary: This study investigated the combined influences of species selection and site elevation on greenhouse gas fluxes from restored mangrove soils. The results suggest that Avicennia marina should be selected for mangrove restoration to minimize carbon release and reduce the influence of greenhouse gas fluxes on the global greenhouse effect.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emmanuel Onyeabor, Uju Obuka
Summary: The Gulf of Guinea region in Africa is a significant area for coastal countries, playing a vital role in their economic and environmental development. This study aims to reduce marine plastic pollution in the region by utilizing legal instruments.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuanli Liu, Stephan Luttjohann, Alvise Vianello, Claudia Lorenz, Fan Liu, Jes Vollertsen
Summary: Large area attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (LAATR-FTIR) is a novel technique for detecting small microplastics, with limited accuracy for large microplastics. However, it shows promise in homogeneous matrices. The spectra quality is comparable between transmission mode and LAATR mode.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Phuc T. D. Le, Andrew M. Fischer, Britta D. Hardesty, Heidi J. Auman, Chris Wilcox
Summary: This study explores the relationship between ocean currents and the accumulation of floating marine debris (FMD) and finds that higher concentrations of FMD are associated with frontal frequencies (FF). FMD is primarily trapped in accumulation zones between fronts and the coastline, which have high biodiversity value.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rosa Sawan, Perine Doyen, Florence Viudes, Rachid Amara, Celine Mahfouz
Summary: Few studies have examined the impact of urbanization and meteorological events on microplastics discharged into the sea through rivers. Surface water samples were collected from two Lebanese rivers, with differing degrees of urbanization, during dry and wet periods. The results showed that the most industrialized river had a significantly higher abundance of microplastics compared to the less-industrialized river. There was also a correlation between particle contamination and the season at each site, with microplastic concentrations highest on the first day of the wet season. These findings highlight the importance of considering meteorological events in accurately assessing plastic pollution influx into coastal waters.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katherine R. Shaw, Jonathan L. Whitney, Eileen M. Nalley, Madeline C. Schmidbauer, Megan J. Donahue, Jesse Black, Raquel N. Corniuk, Kellie Teague, Rachel Sandquist, Catherine Pirkle, Rachel Dacks, Max Sudnovsky, Jennifer M. Lynch
Summary: This study examines the ingestion of plastic in reef fish in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Plastic particles were found in the gastrointestinal tracts of multiple fish species. However, further analysis revealed that these particles were actually natural materials and posed no threat to human consumers.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Revati Hardikar, C. K. Haridevi, Shantaj Deshbhratar
Summary: This study investigated the variability in phytoplankton functional structure using a trait-based approach and explored the relationship between species traits and environmental factors, as well as their impact on ecosystem functioning. The results revealed that morphological traits, temperature, and ammonia played a decisive role in the seasonal succession of phytoplankton species. It was found that certain traits favored higher biomass production but might hinder energy transfer efficiency. The strong correlation between environmental variables and phytoplankton functional structure supports the practical implementation of a trait-based approach in studying phytoplankton community dynamics under different environmental conditions.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Engki A. Kisnarti, Nining Sari Ningsih, Mutiara R. Putri, Nani Hendiarti, Bernhard Mayer
Summary: This study examines the movement patterns of plastic marine debris in Indonesian waters, revealing that Indonesia contributes significantly to transboundary marine debris in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea. Most of the debris remains in Indonesian waters and moves back and forth due to the influence of monsoon currents.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
