Plastic and terrestrial organic matter degradation by the humic lake microbiome continues throughout the seasons.

Boreal freshwaters go through four seasons, however, studies about the decomposition of terrestrial and plastic compounds often focus only on summer. We compared microbial decomposition of 13C-polyethylene, 13C-polystyrene, and 13C-plant litter (Typha latifolia) by determining the biochemical fate of the substrate carbon and identified the microbial decomposer taxa in humic lake waters in four seasons. For the first time, the annual decomposition rate including separated seasonal variation was calculated for microplastics and plant litter in the freshwater system. Polyethylene decomposition was not detected, whereas polystyrene and plant litter were degraded in all seasons. In winter, decomposition rates of polystyrene and plant litter were fivefold and fourfold slower than in summer, respectively. Carbon from each substrate was mainly respired in all seasons. Plant litter was utilized efficiently by various microbial groups, whereas polystyrene decomposition was limited to Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. The decomposition was not restricted only to the growth season, highlighting that the decomposition of both labile organic matter and extremely recalcitrant microplastics continues throughout the seasons.

Atrazine detoxification by intracellular crude enzyme extracts derived from epiphytic root bacteria associated with emergent hydrophytes.

The present study demonstrated atrazine detoxification by intracellular crude enzyme extracts of Pseudomonas spp. strains ACB and TLB. Indigenous bacterial protein-based remediation techniques could be an alternative to bioaugmentation which pose multiple challenges when applied to the field. Intracellular enzymes were extracted from strains ACB and TLB and their degradation potential of 10 mg L-1 was determined using Gas Chromatography; further, enzyme extracts were subjected to protein profiling studies. In span of 6 h, enzyme extracts of strain ACB showed maximum degradation at 30 °C and 40 °C (71%) and enzyme extracts of strain TLB showed maximum degradation at 40 °C (48%). Atrazine degradation by enzyme extracts of strain ACB showed maximum degradation at pH 7 (71%) and pH 6 (69%) in 6 h. Similarly, enzyme extracts of strain TLB showed maximal degradation at pH 6 (46%) in 6 h. The present study demonstrated, for the first time, efficient atrazine remediation by intracellular crude enzyme extracts from epiphytic root bacteria at a range of temperature and pH conditions. Protein profiling studies indicated that atrazine induced expression of CoA ester lyase and alkyl hydroperoxide reductase in the strains ACB and TLB respectively. Expressions of these proteins have never been associated with atrazine exposure.

Seasonal Patterns Contribute More Towards Phyllosphere Bacterial Community Structure than Short-Term Perturbations.

Phyllosphere microorganisms are sensitive to fluctuations in wind, temperature, solar radiation, and rain. However, recent explorations of patterns in phyllosphere communities across time often focus on seasonal shifts and leaf senescence without measuring the contribution of environmental drivers and leaf traits. Here, we focus on the effects of rain on the phyllosphere bacterial community of the wetland macrophyte broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia) across an entire year, specifically targeting days before and 1, 3, and 5 days after rain events. To isolate the contribution of precipitation from other factors, we covered a subset of plants to shield them from rainfall. We used targeted Illumina sequencing of the V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to characterize phyllosphere community composition. Rain events did not have a detectable effect on phyllosphere community richness or evenness regardless of whether the leaves were covered from rain or not, suggesting that foliar microbial communities are robust to such disturbances. While climatic and leaf-based variables effectively modeled seasonal trends in phyllosphere diversity and composition, they provided more limited explanatory value at shorter time scales. These findings underscore the dominance of long-term seasonal patterns related to climatic variation as the main factor influencing the phyllosphere community.

Changes of root microbial populations of natively grown plants during natural attenuation of V-Ti magnetite tailings.

Mine tailings contain dangerously high levels of toxic metals which pose a constant threat to local ecosystems. Few naturally grown native plants can colonize tailings site and the existence of their root-associated microbial populations is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to give further insights into the interactions between native plants and their microbiota during natural attenuation of abandoned V-Ti magnetite mine tailings. In the present work, we first examined the native plants' potential for phytoremediation using plant/soil analytical methods and then investigated the root microbial communities and their inferred functions using 16 S rRNA-based metagenomics. It was found that in V-Ti magnetite mine tailings the two dominant plants Bothriochloa ischaemum and Typha angustifolia were able to increase available nitrogen in the rhizosphere soil by 23.3% and 53.7% respectively. The translocation factors (TF) for both plants indicated that B. ischaemum was able to accumulate Pb (TF = 1.212), while T. angustifolia was an accumulator of Mn (TF = 2.502). The microbial community structure was more complex in the soil associated with T. angustifolia than with B. ischaemum. The presence of both plants significantly reduced the population of Acinetobacter. Specifically, B. ischaemum enriched Massilia, Opitutus and Hydrogenophaga species while T. angustifolia significantly increased rhizobia species. Multivariate analyses revealed that among all tested soil variables Fe and total organic carbon (TOC) could be the key factors in shaping the microbial structure. The putative functional analysis indicated that soil sample of B. ischaemum was abundant with nitrate/nitrite reduction-related functions while that of T. angustifolia was rich in nitrogen fixing functions. The results indicate that these native plants host a diverse range of soil microbes, whose community structure can be shaped by plant types and soil variables. It is also possible that these plants can be used to improve soil nitrogen content and serve as bioaccumulators for Pb or Mn for phytoremediation purposes.

Nonomuraea typhae sp. nov., an endophytic actinomycete isolated from the root of cattail pollen (Typha angustifolia L.).

A novel endophytic actinomycete, designated strain p1410T, was isolated from the root of cattail pollen (Typha angustifolia L.) and characterized using a polyphasic approach. The strain had morphological characteristics and chemotaxonomic properties identical to those of members of the genus Nonomuraea. It produced spiral chains of spores on aerial mycelium as well as forming a pseudosporangium. Whole-cell hydrolysates contained meso-diaminopimelic acid, glucose, ribose and madurose. The menaquinones detected were MK-9(H2), MK-9(H4) and MK-9(H0). The major fatty acids were 10-methyl C17 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and C17 : 0. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine, hydroxyphosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol mannoside and an unknown glycolipid. The DNA G+C content of the draft genome sequence, consisting of 11.4 Mbp, was 70.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain p1410T belongs to the genus Nonomuraea with the highest sequence similarity to Nonomuraea candida HMC10T (98.6 %), but phylogenetically clustered with Nonomuraea endophytica YIM 65601T (98.4 %) and Nonomuraea longicatena NRRL 15532T (98.3 %). Based on its phenotypic characteristics, DNA-DNA relatedness and average nucleotide identity, the strain is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Nonomuraea, for which the name Nonomuraea typhae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is p1410T (=CCTCC AA 2019044T=JCM 33461T).

Phytoremediation of pharmaceutical-contaminated wastewater: Insights into rhizobacterial dynamics related to pollutant degradation mechanisms during plant life cycle.

Rhizobacterial dynamics, relating to pollutant degradation mechanisms, over the course of plant lifespan have rarely been reported when using phytoremediation technologies for pharmaceutical-contaminated wastewater treatment. This study investigated the rhizobacterial dynamics of Typha angustifolia in constructed wetlands to treat ibuprofen (IBP)-polluted wastewater throughout plant development from seedling, vegetative, bolting, mature, to senescent stages. It was found that conventional pollutant and IBP removals increased with plant development, reaching to the best performance at bolting or mature stage (removal efficiencies: 92% organics, 52% ammonia, 60% phosphorus and 76% IBP). In the IBP-stressed wetlands, the rhizobacterial diversity during plant development was adversely affected by IBP accompanied with a reduced evenness. The bacterial communities changed dynamically at different developmental stages and showed significant differences compared to the control wetlands (free of IBP). The dominant bacteria colonized in the rhizosphere was the phylum Actinobacteria, having a final relative abundance of 0.79 and containing a large amount of genus norank_o__PeM15. Positive interactions were evident among the rhizobacteria in IBP-stressed wetlands and the predicted functions of 16S rRNA genes revealed the potential co-metabolism and metabolism of IBP. The co-metabolism of IBP might be related to root exudates such as amino acid, lipid, fatty acid and organic acid. In addition, positive correlations between the organic compounds of interstitial water (bulk environment) and the rhizobacterial communities were observed in IBP-stressed wetlands, which suggests that the influence of IBP on bulk microbiome might be able to modulate rhizosphere microbiome to achieve the degradation of IBP via co-metabolism or metabolism.

Lysinimonas yzui sp. nov., isolated from cattail root soil from mine tailings.

A yellow-pigmented, Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile rod shaped, mesophilic bacterium, designated strain N7XX-4T, was isolated from cattail root grown on the mine tailings of Phoenix mountain, Tongling city, Anhui Province (PR China). Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that the strain represented a novel member of the family Microbacteriaceae. The nearest phylogenetic neighbour was Lysinimonas kribbensis MSL-13T (97.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). The most abundant fatty acid in whole cells of N7XX-4T was anteiso-C15 : 0 (29.9 %). The predominant menaquinones were MK-12(H2), MK-13(H2) and MK-11(H2). The peptidoglycan type of the isolate was B1δ with l-Lys as the diagnostic cell-wall diamino acid. On the basis of differences in phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, strain N7XX-4T (=CGMCC 1.16548T=DSM 106791T=JCM 32630T) is designated as the type strain of a novel species of the genus Lysinimonas, for which the name Lysinimonas yzui sp. nov. is proposed.

Suppression of root-endogenous fungi in persistently inundated Typha roots.

Wetland soils are defined by anoxic and reducing conditions that impose biogeochemically hostile conditions on plant roots and their endogenous fungal communities. The cosmopolitan wetland plant Typha L. mitigates root-zone anoxia efficiently, such that roots of these plants may constitute fungal habitats similar to roots in subaerially exposed soils. Alternatively, fungi may compete with plant cells for limited oxygen in inundated roots. We hypothesized that extrinsic environmental factors may reduce fungal incidence and affect fungal community structure within inundated roots as compared with those in subaerially exposed soils. We sampled roots of Typha spp. plants across inundation gradients in constructed reservoirs; root subsamples were microscopically examined for fungal structures, and morphologically distinct fungal endophytes were cultured and isolated from surface-sterilized subsamples. We found that the incidence of fungal hyphae was suppressed for all types of vegetative mycelia when roots were inundated, regardless of depth, but that there were no obvious differences in community composition of fungi cultured from roots growing in inundated versus subaerially exposed soils. This suggests that the suppression of hyphae we observed in root samples did not result from changes in community composition. Instead, low hyphal incidence in inundated Typha roots may reflect germinal inhibition or unsuccessful initial colonization, possibly owing to plant-mediated redox dynamism in the surrounding soil. No variation was seen in the incidence of asexual spores, or chytridiomycetes, nor were there significant differences between geographically disparate sampling sites. Communities of root-endogenous fungi may therefore be influenced more strongly by external environmental factors than by the environments that plant roots comprise.

Enhancement of oil field-produced wastewater remediation by bacterially-augmented floating treatment wetlands.

Plants and bacteria individually as well as in synergism with each other hold a great potential to degrade a wide range of environmental pollutants. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) is an efficient and low-cost technology that uses the synergistic interaction between plant roots and microbes for in situ remediation of wastewater. The present study aims to assess the feasibility of FTW-based remediation of oil field-produced wastewater using an interaction between two plant species, Typha domingensis and Leptochloa fusca, in partnership with a consortium of crude oil-degrading bacterial species, Bacillus subtilis LORI66, Klebsiella sp. LCRI87, Acinetobacter Junii TYRH47, and Acinetobacter sp. BRSI56. All the treatments reduced contaminant levels, but T. domingensis, in combination with bacterial inoculation, exhibited the highest reduction in hydrocarbon (95%), COD (90%), and BOD content (93%) as compared to L. fusca. This combination maximally promoted increases in fresh biomass (31%), dry biomass (52%), and length (25%) of plants as well. This effect was further signified by the persistence of bacteria (40%) and considerable abundance (27%) and expression (28.5%) of the alkB gene in the rhizoplane of T. domingensis in comparison to that of L. fusca. The study, therefore, suggests that T. domingensis, in combination with bacterial consortium, has significant potential for treatment of oil field-produced water and can be exploited on large scale in FTWs.

Effects of ofloxacin on nitrogen removal and microbial community structure in constructed wetland.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have emerged as a promising technology for the purification of micro-polluted water. However, their nitrogen removal performance can be significantly degraded by design, operational, and environmental factors. The present study investigates the effects of ofloxacin (OFL: 0.1, 10, and 1000 µg L-1) and plants (Cyperus alternifolius L. and Typha angustifolia L.) on nitrogen removal in a micro-polluted CW system over a duration of 12 weeks. The effects were evaluated by investigating NH4-N and NO3-N removal efficiency, nitrification genes (amoA-AOA and amoA-AOB), denitrification genes (nirK and nirS), fungal 18S rRNA gene and microorganism community structure. The results showed that in unplanted CWs, OFL increased the NH4-N removal efficiency (from 72.6% to 80.7-82.1%), the abundances of amoA-AOA, nirS, nirK and fungal 18S rRNA gene, and the bacterial diversity but decreased the abundance of both amoA-AOB and bacterial richness. In contrast, both the nitrogen removal efficiency (83.4-89.5% for NH4-N and 33.8-38.5% for NO3-N) and bacterial diversity/richness were not significantly affected by OFL in planted CWs. In planted systems, OFL increased the relative abundance of Arthrobacter, Pseudomonas, and Enterococcus, which are proven antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This study showed that CWs are able to remove nitrogen from antibiotic-contaminated micro-polluted water, which might primarily be attributed to the presence of plants that protect the microorganism community.

Characterization of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria in Constructed Wetland Microcosms Used to Treat Crude Oil Polluted Water.

Ten plant species were grown in constructed wetlands (CWs) to remediate water containing 2% (w/v) crude oil. The plant species with better growth and biomass production were Typha latifolia and Cyperus laevigatus, and they were significantly correlated (R2 = 0.91) with hydrocarbon degradation. From T. latifolia and C. laevigatus, 33 hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizosphere, and root and shoot interiors. More diversified bacteria were found in the rhizosphere and endosphere of C. laevigatus than those of T. latifolia. The predominant cultural hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were shown to belong to the genera Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Bacillus. In addition to genes involved in hydrocarbon degradation, most of the bacteria displayed multiple plant growth promoting (PGP) activities. This study suggests the importance of selecting suitable bacterial strains with hydrocarbon degradation and PGP activities for improving the efficacy of CWs used in remediating water contaminated with crude oil.

Assessing the Bacterial Community Structure in the Rhizoplane of Wetland Plants.

Plant-microorganism interaction in the rhizosphere is important for nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration in natural ecosystems, contaminant elimination and ecosystem functioning. Abundance of microbial communities and variation in species composition can be an imperative determinant of phytoremediation capability. In the present study we have assessed the bacterial community structure in the rhizoplane of wetland plants, Acorus calamus, Typha latifolia, and Phragmites karka using Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. The most dominant phylum, in the plants under study, was phylum Firmicutes, followed by Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Bacterial groups belonging to phylum Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Deferribacteres and Thermotogae also showed their presence in P. karka and T. latifolia but were absent in A. calamus. Diversity indices of bacterial community were assessed. The results of this study show the presence of bacterial phyla which play an important role in bioremediation of contaminants. Thus these plants can be used as potential candidates of phytoremediation.

The potential phototoxicity of nano-scale ZnO induced by visible light on freshwater ecosystems.

With the development of nanotechnology, nanomaterials have been widely applied in anti-bacterial coating, electronic device, and personal care products. NanoZnO is one of the most used materials and its ecotoxicity has been extensively studied. To explore the potential phototoxicity of nanoZnO induced by visible light, we conducted a long-term experiment on litter decomposition of Typha angustifolia leaves with assessment of fungal multifaceted natures. After 158 d exposure, the decomposition rate of leaf litter was decreased by nanoZnO but no additional effect by visible light. However, visible light enhanced the inhibitory effect of nanoZnO on fungal sporulation rate due to light-induced dissolution of nanoZnO. On the contrary, enzymes such as ß-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, and leucine-aminopeptidase were significantly increased by the interaction of nanoZnO and visible light, which led to high efficiency of leaf carbon decomposition. Furthermore, different treatments and exposure time separated fungal community associated with litter decomposition. Therefore, the study provided the evidence of the contribution of visible light to nanoparticle phototoxicity at the ecosystem level.

Taxonomic structure and function of seed-inhabiting bacterial microbiota from common reed (Phragmites australis) and narrowleaf cattail (Typha angustifolia L.).

The present study investigated the endophytic bacterial communities in the seeds of mature, natural common reed (Phragmites australis) and narrowleaf cattail (Typha angustifolia L.). Additionally, seed endophytic bacterial communities were compared with rhizospheric and root endophytic bacterial communities using Illumina-based sequencing. Seed endophytic bacterial communities were dominated by Proteobacteria (reed, 41.24%; cattail, 45.51%), followed by Bacteroidetes (reed, 12.01%; cattail, 10.41%), Planctomycetes (reed, 10.36%; cattail, 9.09%), Chloroflexi (reed, 8.72%; cattail, 6.45%), Thermotogae (reed, 5.43%; cattail, 6.11%), Tenericutes (reed, 3.63%; cattail, 3.97%) and Spirochaetes (reed, 3.32%; cattail, 3.90%). The dominant genera were Desulfobacter (reed, 8.02%; cattail, 8.96%), Geobacter (reed, 2.74%; cattail, 2.81%), Thiobacillus (reed, 2.71%; cattail, 2.41%), Sulfurimonas (reed, 2.47%; cattail, 2.31%), Methyloversatilis (reed, 2.29%; cattail, 2.05%) and Dechloromonas (reed, 1.13%; cattail, 1.48%). Obvious distinctions were observed among the respective rhizospheric, root endophytic and seed endophytic bacterial communities. Principal coordinate analysis with weighted UniFrac distance and the heat map analysis demonstrated that the seed endophytic bacterial communities were distinct assemblages rather than a subgroup of rhizobacterial communities or root endophytic bacterial communities. These results provide new information regarding endophytic bacteria associated with seeds of wetland plants and demonstrate a variety of genera that have a strong potential to enhance phytoremediation in the wetland ecosystem.

Domestic wastewater treatment by constructed wetlands enhanced with bioremediating rhizobacteria.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) offer several advantages for treating waters; however, the successful application of these systems remains a challenge. Practical solutions to pollution through CWs remain incipient because wetlands are still studied as "black boxes"; further studies are required regarding the involvement of rhizosphere bacteria in the removal of pollutants. This research focused on increasing the performance of CWs treatment systems for the removal of inorganic and organic pollutants from domestic wastewater, by the application of native bioremediating rhizobacteria. A bacterial consortium (CAD/1S) was designed with four rhizobacteria strains isolated from Typha domingensis plants of natural wetlands. Each individual strain was identified by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. This consortium removed organic matter, ammonium, and phosphate with percentages over 70% from model wastewater. The evaluation of abiotic and biotic factors' influence on pollutant removal indicated the best conditions to remove pollutants: a neutral pH, a 72-h contact time, and an inoculum from single growth of each strain. The subsequent bioaugmentation with the consortium of CWs at laboratory scale allowed 100%, greater than 70 and 55% removal of organic matter, ammonium, and phosphate, respectively. The set of results allowed the proposal of a new strategy for the improvement of CWs technology for the treatment of domestic wastewater pollutants.

Community Composition and Abundance of Anammox Bacteria in Cattail Rhizosphere Sediments at Three Phenological Stages.

The distribution of anammox bacteria in rhizosphere sediments of cattail (Typha orientalis) at different phenological stages was investigated. Results showed that the number of 16S rRNA gene copies of the anammox bacteria was considerably higher in the rhizosphere sediment than in the nonrhizosphere sediment and control sediment. The abundances of the anammox bacteria exhibited striking temporal variations in the three different cattail phenological stages. In addition, the Chao1 and Shannon H indexes of the anammox bacteria in cattail rhizosphere sediments had evident spatial and temporal variations at different phenological stages. Four anammox genera (Brocadia, Kuenenia, Jettenia, and a new cluster) were detected and had proportions of 34.18, 45.57, 0.63, and 19.62%, respectively. The CCA analysis results indicated that Cu, TN, Pb, and Zn were pivotal factors that affect anammox bacteria composition. The PCoA analysis results indicated that the community structure at the rhizosphere and nonrhizosphere sediments collected on July was relatively specific and was different from sediments collected on other months, suggesting that cattail can influence the community structures of the anammox bacteria at the maturity stage.

Bioenergy generation and rhizodegradation as affected by microbial community distribution in a coupled constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell system associated with three macrophytes.

Rhizodeposits excreted by various macrophytes might lead to the potential discrepancy of microbial community distribution in constructed wetland coupled with microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC), which has been considered as main factors for the variations of bioelectricity generation during wastewater treatment. In this study, CW-MFC has been associated with three macrophytes (J. effuses, T. orientalis and S. validus) for domestic sewage treatment, also unplanted CW-MFC was performed as a control system. Macrophyte T. orientalis and S. validus can significantly strengthen the bioenergy output in CW-MFC. Highest current (94.27mAm-2) and power densities (21.53mWm-2) were obtained in CW-MFC planted with T. orientalis. Removal efficiencies of COD, NO3-N and NH3-N in CW-MFC planted with S. validus was respectively 5.8%, 7.2%, and 23.9% higher than that of unplanted system. Notably, the oxygen depletion in S. validus CW-MFC reactor during the dark cycle was higher that of other reactors. Results of high-throughput sequencing analysis showed that higher biodiversity was observed in rhizosphere than that of anode material, and the relative abundance of Desulfobulbus sp. and Geobacter sp. has been apparently promoted in the samples of rhizosphere. However, a higher relative abundance of electrochemically active bacteria (Proteobacteria) was observed on the surface of anode electrode material. In addition, microbes (Cytophagales, Clostridium sp., and Dechloromonas sp., and so forth) found in rhizosphere show a capability to decompose refractory contaminants. These contaminants and death roots in the upper part of wetland could be oxidized to fat acids, which may be used as the electrons acceptors for promoting the bioelectricity generation during wastewater treatment.

Effect of reclaimed water effluent on bacterial community structure in the Typha angustifolia L. rhizosphere soil of urbanized riverside wetland, China.

In order to evaluate the impact of reclaimed water on the ecology of bacterial communities in the Typha angustifolia L. rhizosphere soil, bacterial community structure was investigated using a combination of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and 16S rRNA gene clone library. The results revealed significant spatial variation of bacterial communities along the river from upstream and downstream. For example, a higher relative abundance of γ-Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi and a lower proportion of ß-Proteobacteria and ε-Proteobacteria was detected at the downstream site compared to the upstream site. Additionally, with an increase of the reclaimed water interference intensity, the rhizosphere bacterial community showed a decrease in taxon richness, evenness and diversity. The relative abundance of bacteria closely related to the resistant of heavy-metal was markedly increased, while the bacteria related for carbon/nitrogen/phosphorus/sulfur cycling wasn't strikingly changed. Besides that, the pathogenic bacteria markedly increased in the downstream rhizosphere soil since reclaimed water supplement, while the possible plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria obviously reduced in the downstream sediment. Together these data suggest cause and effect between reclaimed water input into the wetland, shift in bacterial communities through habitat change, and alteration of capacity for biogeochemical cycling of contaminants.

A consortium of non-rhizobial endophytic microbes from Typha angustifolia functions as probiotic in rice and improves nitrogen metabolism.

Endophytic microbes isolated from plants growing in nutrient-deficient environments often possess properties that improve nutrition of agriculturally important plants. A consortium of non-rhizobial endophytic microbes isolated from a macrophyte Typha angustifolia growing in the marginal wetlands associated with a Uranium mine was characterized for their beneficial effect on rice and the mechanisms of growth promotion were investigated. The microbes were identified and characterized for their potential plant growth promoting (PGP) properties. Effect of these microbes on nitrogen (N)-metabolism of rice was tested as Typha endophytes were predominantly (N)-fixing. Relative N-use efficiency and expression of genes involved in N-uptake and assimilation were investigated in treated plants. Evidence of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of dinitrogen reductase gene was observed within the consortium from a Pseudomonas stutzeri strain. The consortium behaved as plant probiotic and showed substantial growth benefits to Typha, their natural host as well as to rice. Typha endophytes colonized rice endosphere significantly increasing biomass, shoot length and chlorophyll content in rice plants both under N-sufficient and N-deficient conditions. N-uptake and assimilation genes were upregulated in plants treated with the endophytes even after three weeks post infection. Our results suggested, HGT of nitrogen-fixation trait to be highly prevalent among endophytes isolated from nutrient-poor habitats of the uranium mine. A long-term nitrogen deficiency response in the treated plants was elicited by the consortium improving N-uptake, assimilation and relative N-use efficiency of rice plants. This appeared to be at least one of the main strategies of plant growth promotion.

Desiccation of sediments affects assimilate transport within aquatic plants and carbon transfer to microorganisms.

With the projected increase in drought duration and intensity in future, small water bodies, and especially the terrestrial-aquatic interfaces, will be subjected to longer dry periods with desiccation of the sediment. Drought effects on the plant-sediment microorganism carbon continuum may disrupt the tight linkage between plants and microbes which governs sediment carbon and nutrient cycling, thus having a potential negative impact on carbon sequestration of small freshwater ecosystems. However, research on drought effects on the plant-sediment carbon transfer in aquatic ecosystems is scarce. We therefore exposed two emergent aquatic macrophytes, Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia, to a month-long summer drought in a mesocosm experiment. We followed the fate of carbon from leaves to sediment microbial communities with 13 CO2 pulse labelling and microbial phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. We found that drought reduced the total amount of carbon allocated to stem tissues but did not delay the transport. We also observed an increase in accumulation of 13 C-labelled sugars in roots and found a reduced incorporation of 13 C into the PLFAs of sediment microorganisms. Drought induced a switch in plant carbon allocation priorities, where stems received less new assimilates leading to reduced starch reserves whilst roots were prioritised with new assimilates, suggesting their use for osmoregulation. There were indications that the reduced carbon transfer from roots to microorganisms was due to the reduction of microbial activity via direct drought effects rather than to a decrease in root exudation or exudate availability.