Search results for "Soil microbiology"
showing 10 items of 213 documents
Hydrocarbons removal from real marine sediments: Analysis of degradation pathways and microbial community development during bioslurry treatment
2022
In this study, real marine sediments polluted by petroleum compounds were treated by means of a bioslurry pilot scale reactor. The treatment performance was evaluated by measuring the removal of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), coupled to further analyses required to understand the mechanisms involved in the biodegradation process. The maximum TPH-removal efficiency reached 86 % at the end of experiments. Moreover, high throughput 16S RNA gene sequencing was used to describe the microbiome composition in sediment prior to, and after, bioslurry treatment, in order to identify the taxa mostly entailed in the TPH removal process. The raw sediment was mostly colonized by members of Sulfurimon…
Spatiotemporal Variations in the Abundance and Structure of Denitrifier Communities in Sediments Differing in Nitrate Content
2017
Spatial and temporal variations related to hydric seasonality in abundance and diversity of denitrifier communities were examined in sediments taken from two sites differing in nitrate concentration along a stream Doñ
So close, so different: geothermal flux shapes divergent soil microbial communities at neighbouring sites
2016
This study is focused on the (micro)biogeochemical features of two close geothermal sites (FAV1 and FAV2), both selected at the main exhalative area of Pantelleria Island, Italy. A previous biogeochemical survey revealed high CH4 consumption and the presence of a diverse community of methanotrophs at FAV2 site, whereas the close site FAV1 was apparently devoid of methanotrophs and recorded no CH4 consumption. Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques were applied to describe the bacterial and archaeal communities which have been linked to the physicochemical conditions and the geothermal sources of energy available at the two sites. Both sites are dominated by Bacteria and host a negligib…
Application of Toxkit microbiotests for toxicity assessment in soil and compost
2004
The potential of Toxkit microbiotests to detect and analyze pollution in agricultural soil and the quality of compost was studied. The toxicity tests used included seed germination biotests using cress salad (Lepidum sativum L.), tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum L.), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), and the Toxkit microbiotests included those with microalgae (Selenastrum capricornutum), protozoa (Tetrahymena thermophila), crustaceans (Daphnia magna, Thamnocephalus platyurus, and Heterocypris incongruens), and rotifers (Brachionus calyciflorus). Experiments on compost were undertaken in a modified solid-state fermentation system (SSF) and under field conditions (in a windrow). To promote th…
Effects of Terbuthylazine on Soil Fauna and Decomposition Processes
1996
Abstract Acute lethal and sublethal effects of terbuthylazine and the commercial herbicide preparation Gardoprim [terbuthylazine is the active ingredient (a.i.)] on soil organisms (microbes, oppioid mites, two gamasid mite species, enchytraeids, and nematodes) were studied. In the humus soil terbuthylazine had no toxic effects on soil animals tested. However, the herbicide preparation had acute toxic effects on enchytraeids [no-observed-effect level (NOEL) 1.0 g a.i./m 2 ] and both gamasid mites (NOEL 2.4 and 5.0 g a.i./m 2 ). According to filter paper test, the LC 50 value for oppioid mites was 14.5 g a.i./m 2 . In the humus soil the commercial preparation caused no dose-related mortality …
Major and trace elements in Boletus aereus and Clitopilus prunulus growing on volcanic and sedimentary soils of Sicily (Italy)
2017
The aim of this study was to determine and compare the content of 28 elements (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Se, Sr, Tl, U, V and Zn) in fruiting bodies of Boletus aereus Bull. and Clitopilus prunulus P. Kumm collected from eleven unpolluted sites of Sicily (Italy) and, also to relate the abundance of chemical elements in soil with their concentration in mushrooms. Median concentrations of the most abundant elements in Boletus aereus ranged from 31,290 μg/g (K) to 107 μg/g (Zn) in caps and from 24,009 μg/g (K) to 57 μg/g (Zn) in stalks with the following abundance order: K > Na > Ca > Mg > Fe > Al > Rb > Zn. The s…
Evaluation of activated sludge model no.2 at high phosphorus concentrations
2001
This paper presents laboratory scale experimentation carried out to study enhanced biological phosphorus removal at high phosphorus concentrations in a sequencing batch reactor. Four series of data obtained in a sequencing batch reactor are examined in light of the Activated Sludge Model No. 2. This model was calibrated using data from the first and second series working at low phosphorus concentrations. The Activated Sludge Model No. 2 successfully characterised the enhanced biological phosphorus removal performance of the sequencing batch reactor at low phosphorus concentrations. The calibrated model was then used to adjust experimental results of the other series working at high phosphor…
Effects of heat treatment on hydrogen production potential and microbial community of thermophilic compost enrichment cultures
2011
Cellulosic plant and waste materials are potential resources for fermentative hydrogen production. In this study, hydrogen producing, cellulolytic cultures were enriched from compost material at 52, 60 and 70°C. Highest cellulose degradation and highest H(2) yield were 57% and 1.4 mol-H(2) mol-hexose(-1) (2.4 mol-H(2) mol-hexose-degraded(-1)), respectively, obtained at 52°C with the heat-treated (80°C for 20 min) enrichment culture. Heat-treatments as well as the sequential enrichments decreased the diversity of microbial communities. The enrichments contained mainly bacteria from families Thermoanaerobacteriaceae and Clostridiaceae, from which a bacterium closely related to Thermoanaerobiu…
Response of soil bacterial community structure to successive perturbations of different types and intensities
2008
SummaryIn soil, genetic structure modifications of indigenousbacterial community consecutively to a severe stress(mercury contamination) were delayed when thecommunity was pre-exposed to various minor per-turbations (heat, copper and atrazine). Such minorperturbations induced transitory community struc-ture modifications leading to an increase of commu-nity stability towards a severe mercury stress. Theseresults illustrated well the short-term pre-adaptationprocess for bacterial community hypothesizing thatcommunity submitted to perturbations become moreresistant to withstand another stress. Compared with other environmental matrices of the bio-sphere, soils are considered as the main reservo…
Effect of primary mild stresses on resilience and resistance of the nitrate reducer community to a subsequent severe stress
2008
International audience; The factors regulating soil microbial stability (e.g. resistance and resilience) are poorly understood, even though microorganisms are essential for ecosystem functioning. In this study, we tested whether a functional microbial community subjected to different primary mild stresses was equally resistant or resilient to a subsequent severe stress. The nitrate reducers were selected as model community and analysed in terms of nitrate reduction rates and genetic structure by narG PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting. Heat, copper and atrazine were used as primary stresses and mercury at a high concentration as a severe stress. None of the primary …