Search results for "microbial"

Deciphering Biotic Interactions and Their Role in Soil Microbial Community Assembly and Functions

2022

Microbial communities play a key role in ecosystem functioning as well as in plant, animal, and human welfare. Their assembly relies on different processes commonly referred to as abiotic and biotic filters. Despite the widespread emphasis on abiotic filters in terrestrial ecosystems, a growing body of evidence suggests that interactions between microorganisms play a critical role in community assembly. However, the contribution of these interactions to microbial community assembly and the factors influencing them have not been clearly established. In most cases, biotic interactions between microorganisms have been investigated based on cocultures of a handful of strains, completely overloo…

Biological diversity of the microbial film associated to the central-Mediterranean Dendropoma cristatum (Biondi, 1859) reefs.

2017

Microbial films may provide physical and bio-chemical cues which positively affect the settlement dynamic of a variety of benthic marine organisms, driving the development of ecosystems. Also for the Mediterranean intertidal reef-builder Dendropoma cristatum (Biondi, 1859), biofilm maturity has been found to enhance the settlement pattern. However, the microbial diversity associated with these bioconstructions has never been described. This study investigates the D. cristatum reef bacterial assemblage composition and temporal evolution in two localities in the northwest of Sicily. Biological diversity of the reef-associated biofilm and of 3 progressively older biofims obtained on artificial…

Structure of planktonic microbial communities along a trophic gradient in lakes of Byers Peninsula, South Shetland Islands

2013

AbstractA systematic limnological survey of water bodies of Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands) was carried out during the summer of 2001/02. Abundances of microbial plankton were determined which allowed a delineation of the pelagic food web structure. We also report the nutrient status of these lakes. We demonstrate the occurrence of a trophic gradient that extended from upland lakes (oligotrophic) to the coastal ones (eutrophic). The study shows that a lake's morphology regulates the relative importance of the pelagic and benthic habitats, whereas nutrient loads mainly determine its trophic status. Yet, some of the variability observed could be also a legacy of th…

Size-fractionated δ15N and δ13C isotope ratios elucidate the role of the microbial food web in the pelagial of Lake Tanganyika

2003

Food web structure of the pelagic community in Lake Tanganyika was studied using the stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes 15N and 13C. Size-fractionated seston, zooplankton, shrimps, medusae and fish were sampled in the northern part of Lake Tanganyika. Picoplankton fractions as well as cyanobacteria-dominated nano/microplankton fractions had very low nitrogen isotope signatures typical for nitrogen-fixing organisms. Fractions containing mainly dead organic matter (and associated bacteria) or nano/microalgae (chlorophytes and diatoms) had δ15N 2 to 4‰ higher. The low δ15N signatures of small cyclopoids and shrimps suggest they are feeding on nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria (picoplankton or lar…

Influence of the methodology of inoculation in the performance of air-breathing microbial fuel cells

2017

In this work, four air-breathing microbial fuel cells (AB-MFC) were operated for 1 month in order to determine if the methodology of inoculation affects the steady-state performance of this type of MFCs. For this purpose, anaerobic and aerobic sludge were fed to two identical AB-MFCs without any external carbon source into a tight sealed environment during the first three days of start-up. For comparison purposes, other two AB-MFCs were operated mixing the initial sludge and an amount of sodium acetate as substrate. Results point out that the inoculation procedure does not affect the steady-state treatment capacity of the cells but it affects very seriously the production of electricity. On…

Abatement of AO7 in a divided microbial fuel cells by sequential cathodic and anodic treatment powered by different microorganisms

2017

Abstract Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can allow the treatment of organic pollutants resistant to conventional biological processes by electro-Fenton (EF) process performed in the cathodic compartment. However, EF usually results in a partial mineralization of pollutants. Here, we have studied the possible treatment of such organics in a MFC by a sequential cathodic and anodic treatment. In particular, the treatment of an aqueous solution of Acid Orange (AO7), a largely used azoic dye resistant to conventional biological processes, was performed in the cathodic compartment of a divided MFC by EF. The process allowed the total removal of the color and the partial removal of the TOC, due mainly…

Influence of the initial sludge characteristics and acclimation on the longterm performance of double-compartment acetate-fed microbial fuel cells

2018

Abstract In this work, three double-compartment MFCs (DC-MFC) were operated for 1 month in order to compare their performances in terms of wastewater treatment capacity and electricity production and to get information about how this performance is influenced by the start-up procedure. To do this, they underwent different start-up procedures. One of them (aerobic-starved MFC) was inoculated with 100% fresh aerobic sludge, another (anaerobic-starved MFC) using 100% fresh anaerobic sludge, and finally a third one (aerobic-fed MFC) was inoculated using a mixture 10% fresh aerobic sludge and 90% synthetic wastewater (based on acetate). Then, from this start-up, the cells were operated exactly u…

From Microorganism-Based Amperometric Biosensors towards Microbial Fuel Cells

2021

This review focuses on the overview of microbial amperometric biosensors and microbial biofuel cells (MFC) and shows how very similar principles are applied for the design of both types of these bioelectronics-based devices. Most microorganism-based amperometric biosensors show poor specificity, but this drawback can be exploited in the design of microbial biofuel cells because this enables them to consume wider range of chemical fuels. The efficiency of the charge transfer is among the most challenging and critical issues during the development of any kind of biofuel cell. In most cases, particular redox mediators and nanomaterials are applied for the facilitation of charge transfer from a…

Anodic biofilm vitality during operation of microbial fuel cells at various load conditions

2016

Heterogeneous electro-Fenton and photoelectro-Fenton processes: A critical review of fundamental principles and application for water/wastewater trea…

2018

Abstract This exhaustive review focuses on the fundamental principles and applications of heterogeneous electrochemical wastewater treatment based on Fenton’s chemistry reaction. The elementary equations involved in formation of hydroxyl radical in homogeneous electro-Fenton (EF) and photo electro-Fenton (PEF) processes was presented and the advantages of using insoluble solids as heterogeneous catalyst rather than soluble iron salts (heterogeneous electro-Fenton process) (Hetero-EF) was enumerated. Some of the required features of good heterogeneous catalysts were discussed, followed by the mechanisms of catalytic activation of H2O2 to reactive oxygen species (ROS) especially hydroxyl radi…