Rainfall-induced changes in aquatic microbial communities and stability of dissolved organic matter: Insight from a Fen river analysis.

Microbial communities are pivotal in aquatic ecosystems, as they affect water quality, energy dynamics, nutrient cycling, and hydrological stability. This study explored the effects of rainfall on hydrological and photosynthetic parameters, microbial composition, and functional gene profiles in the Fen River. Our results demonstrated that rainfall-induced decreases in stream temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, total phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations. In contrast, rainfall increased total dissolved solids, salinity, and ammonia-nitrogen concentrations. A detailed microbial community structure analysis revealed that Cyanobacteria was the dominant microbial taxon in the Fen River, accounting for approximately 75% and 25% of the microalgal and bacterial communities, respectively. The abundance of Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta increased by 47.66% and 29.92%, respectively, whereas the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes decreased by 37.55% under rainfall conditions. Stochastic processes predominantly affected the assembly of the bacterial community on rainy days. Functional gene analysis revealed variations in bacterial functions between sunny (Sun) and rainy (Rain) conditions, particularly in genes associated with the carbon cycle. The 3-oxoacyl-[acyl-carrier-protein] reductase gene was more abundant in the Fen River bacterial community. Particular genes involved in metabolism and environmental information processing, including the acetyl-CoA C-acetyltransferase (atoB), enoyl-CoA hydratase (paaF), and branched-chain amino acid transport system gene (livK), which are integral to environmental information processing, were more abundant in Sun than the Rain conditions. In contrast, the phosphate transport system gene, the galactose metabolic gene, and the pyruvate metabolic gene were more abundant in Rain. The excitation-emission matrix analysis with parallel factor analysis identified four fluorescence components (C1-C4) in the river, which were predominantly protein- (C1) and humic-like (C2-C4) substances. Rainfall affected organic matter production and transport, leading to changes in the degradation and stability of dissolved organic matter. Overall, this study offers insight into how rainfall affects aquatic ecosystems.

Baize-like CeO2 and NiO/CeO2 nanorod catalysts prepared by dealloying for CO oxidation.

Baize-like monolithic CeO2 and NiO/CeO2 nanorod catalysts were prepared by combined dealloying and calcination and the catalytic activities were evaluated using CO catalytic oxidation. The CeO2 catalysts were composed of nanorods and exhibited a three-dimensional supporting structure with pores. After introduction of NiO, dispersed NiO nanosheets and nanoparticles were supported on the surface of CeO2 nanorods and they were not well-crystallined due to CeO2 inhibiting the NiO crystallization. The Raman and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses revealed that the introduction of NiO species into CeO2 generated more coordinate unsaturated Ni atoms, oxygen vacancies, defects and active sites for CO catalytic reactions. The reaction activation energy of NiO/CeO2 nanorod catalyst prepared from the Al83Ce10Ni7 precursor alloy was just 31.2 kJ mol-1 and the CO conversion can reach up to 97% at 240 °C, which was superior to that of pure CeO2 and nanoporous NiO. The enhanced catalytic activity of baize-like NiO/CeO2 nanorods can be attributed to the strong synergistic effects between finely dispersed NiO species and surface oxygen vacancies in CeO2 nanorods.