Evaluating microcystinase A-based approach on microcystins degradation during harvested cyanobacterial blooms.

Addressing notorious and worldwide Microcystis blooms, mechanical algae harvesting is an effective emergency technology for bloom mitigation and removal of nutrient loads in waterbodies. However, the absence of effective methods for removal of cyanobacterial toxins, e.g., microcystins (MCs), poses a challenge to recycle the harvested Microcystis biomass. In this study, we therefore introduced a novel approach, the "captured biomass-MlrA enzymatic MC degradation", by enriching microcystinase A (MlrA) via fermentation and spraying it onto salvaged Microcystis slurry to degrade all MCs. After storing the harvested Microcystis slurry, a rapid release of extracellular MCs occurred within the initial 8 h, reaching a peak concentration of 5.33 µg/mL at 48 h during the composting process. Upon spraying the recombinant MlrA crude extract (about 3.36 U) onto the Microcystis slurry in a ratio of 0.1% (v/v), over 95% of total MCs were degraded within a 24-h period. Importantly, we evaluated the reliability and safety of using MlrA extracts to degrade MCs. Results showed that organic matter/nutrient contents, e.g. soluble proteins, polysaccharides, phycocyanin and carotenoids, were not significantly altered. Furthermore, the addition of MlrA extracts did not significantly change the bacterial community composition and diversity in the Microcystis slurry, indicating that the MlrA extracts did not increase the risk of pathogenic bacteria. Our study provides an effective and promising method for the pre-treatment of harvested Microcystis biomass, highlighting an ecologically sustainable framework for addressing Microcystis blooms.

Strategies for regulating the intensity of different cyanobacterial blooms: Insights from the dynamics and stability of bacterioplankton communities.

The occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms is increasing in frequency and magnitude due to climate change and human activities, which poses a direct threat to drinking water security. The impacts of abiotic and biotic factors on the development of blooms have been well studied; however, control strategies for different bloom intensities have rarely been explored from the perspective of the dynamics and stability of bacterioplankton communities. Here, a network analysis was used to investigate the interactions and stability of microbial communities during different periods of R. raciborskii bloom in an inland freshwater lake. The abundance and diversity of rare taxa were significantly higher than that of abundant taxa throughout the bloom cycle. At the pre-bloom (PB) stage, microbial interactions among the different bacterial groups were weak but strongly negatively correlated, indicating low robustness and weak disturbance resistance within the community. However, community stability was better, and microbial interactions became more complicated at the high-bloom (HB) and low-bloom (LB) stages. Interestingly, rare taxa were significantly responsible for community stability and connectivity despite their low relative abundance. The Mantel test revealed that Secchi depth (SD), orthophosphate (PO43--P), and dissolved oxygen (DO) were significantly positively correlated with abundant taxa, rare taxa and PB. DO was significantly positively correlated with HB, intermediate taxa, and rare taxa, while water temperature (WT), N/P and total nitrogen (TN) were significantly positively correlated with LB, abundant taxa, intermediate taxa, and rare taxa. These findings suggest that reducing the PO43--P concentration at the PB stage may be an effective approach to preventing the development of R. raciborskii blooms, while regulating rare taxa at the HB and LB stages may be a key factor in controlling R. raciborskii blooms.

Changes in CO2 concentration drive a succession of toxic and non-toxic strains of Microcystis blooms.

The dynamic changes between toxic and non-toxic strains of Microcystis blooms have always been a hot topic. Previous studies have found that low CO2 favors toxic strains, but how changing dissolved CO2 (CO2 [aq]) in water body influences the succession of toxic and non-toxic strains in Microcystis blooms remains uncertain. Here, we combined laboratory competition experiments, field observations, and a machine learning model to reveal the links between CO2 changes and the succession. Laboratory experiments showed that under low CO2 conditions (100-150 ppm), the toxic strains could make better use of CO2 (aq) and be dominant. The non-toxic strains demonstrated a growth advantage as CO2 concentration increased (400-1000 ppm). Field observations from June to November in Lake Taihu showed that the percentage of toxic strains increased as CO2 (aq) decreased. Machine learning highlighted links between the inorganic carbon concentration and the proportion of advantageous strains. Our findings provide new insights for cyanoHABs prediction and prevention.

Changes in nitrogen metabolism of phosphorus-starved bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa: Implications for nutrient management.

The surplus of nitrogen plays a key role in the maintenance of cyanobacterial bloom when phosphorus has already been limited. However, the interplay between high nitrogen and low phosphorus conditions is not fully understood. Nitrogen metabolism is critical for the metabolism of cyanobacteria. Transcriptomic analysis in the present study suggested that nitrogen metabolism and ribosome biogenesis were the two most significantly changed pathways in long-term phosphorus-starved bloom-forming cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa FACHB-905. Notably, the primary glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase cycle, crucial for nitrogen metabolism, was significantly downregulated. Concurrently, nitrogen uptake showed a marked decrease due to reduced expression of nitrogen source transporters. The content of intracellular nitrogen reservoir phycocyanin also showed a drastic decrease upon phosphorus starvation. Our study demonstrated that long-term phosphorus-starved cells also suffered from nitrogen deficiency because of the reduction in nitrogen assimilation, which might be limited by the reduced ribosome biogenesis and the shortage of adenosine triphosphate. External nitrogen supply will not change the transcriptions of nitrogen metabolism-related genes significantly like that under phosphorus-rich conditions, but still help to maintain the survival of phosphorus-starved cells. The study deepens our understanding about the survival strategies of Microcystis cells under phosphorus starvation and the mutual dependence between nitrogen and phosphorus, which would provide valuable information for nutrient management in the eutrophicated water body.

The facilitating role of phycospheric heterotrophic bacteria in cyanobacterial phosphonate availability and Microcystis bloom maintenance.

BACKGROUND: Phosphonates are the main components in the global phosphorus redox cycle. Little is known about phosphonate metabolism in freshwater ecosystems, although rapid consumption of phosphonates has been observed frequently. Cyanobacteria are often the dominant primary producers in freshwaters; yet, only a few strains of cyanobacteria encode phosphonate-degrading (C-P lyase) gene clusters. The phycosphere is defined as the microenvironment in which extensive phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria interactions occur. It has been demonstrated that phytoplankton may recruit phycospheric bacteria based on their own needs. Therefore, the establishment of a phycospheric community rich in phosphonate-degrading-bacteria likely facilitates cyanobacterial proliferation, especially in waters with scarce phosphorus. We characterized the distribution of heterotrophic phosphonate-degrading bacteria in field Microcystis bloom samples and in laboratory cyanobacteria "phycospheres" by qPCR and metagenomic analyses. The role of phosphonate-degrading phycospheric bacteria in cyanobacterial proliferation was determined through coculturing of heterotrophic bacteria with an axenic Microcystis aeruginosa strain and by metatranscriptomic analysis using field Microcystis aggregate samples. RESULTS: Abundant bacteria that carry C-P lyase clusters were identified in plankton samples from freshwater Lakes Dianchi and Taihu during Microcystis bloom periods. Metagenomic analysis of 162 non-axenic laboratory strains of cyanobacteria (consortia cultures containing heterotrophic bacteria) showed that 20% (128/647) of high-quality bins from eighty of these consortia encode intact C-P lyase clusters, with an abundance ranging up to nearly 13%. Phycospheric bacterial phosphonate catabolism genes were expressed continually across bloom seasons, as demonstrated through metatranscriptomic analysis using sixteen field Microcystis aggregate samples. Coculturing experiments revealed that although Microcystis cultures did not catabolize methylphosphonate when axenic, they demonstrated sustained growth when cocultured with phosphonate-utilizing phycospheric bacteria in medium containing methylphosphonate as the sole source of phosphorus. CONCLUSIONS: The recruitment of heterotrophic phosphonate-degrading phycospheric bacteria by cyanobacteria is a hedge against phosphorus scarcity by facilitating phosphonate availability. Cyanobacterial consortia are likely primary contributors to aquatic phosphonate mineralization, thereby facilitating sustained cyanobacterial growth, and even bloom maintenance, in phosphate-deficient waters. Video Abstract.

Urbanization shifts long-term phenology and severity of phytoplankton blooms in an urban lake through different pathways.

Climate change can induce phytoplankton blooms (PBs) in eutrophic lakes worldwide, and these blooms severely threaten lake ecosystems and human health. However, it is unclear how urbanization and its interaction with climate impact PBs, which has implications for the management of lakes. Here, we used multi-source remote sensing data and integrated the Virtual-Baseline Floating macroAlgae Height (VB-FAH) index and OTSU threshold automatic segmentation algorithm to extract the area of PBs in Lake Dianchi, China, which has been subjected to frequent PBs and rapid urbanization in its vicinity. We further explored long-term (2000-2021) trends in the phenological and severity metrics of PBs and quantified the contributions from urbanization, climate change, and also nutrient levels to these trends. When comparing data from 2011-2021 to 2000-2010, we found significantly advanced initiation of PBs (28.6 days) and noticeably longer duration (51.9 days) but an insignificant trend in time of disappearance. The enhancement of algal nutrient use efficiency, likely induced by increased water temperature and reduced nutrient concentrations, presumably contributed to an earlier initiation and longer duration of PBs, while there was a negative correlation between spring wind speed and the initiation of PBs. Fortunately, we found that both the area of the PBs and the frequency of severe blooms (covering more than 19.8 km2 ) demonstrated downward trends, which could be attributed to increased wind speed and/or reduced nutrient levels. Moreover, the enhanced land surface temperature caused by urbanization altered the thermodynamic characteristics between the land and the lake, which, in turn, possibly caused an increase in local wind speed and water temperature, suggesting that urbanization can differently regulate the phenology and severity of PBs. Our findings have significant implications for the understanding of the impacts of urbanization on PB dynamics and for improving lake management practices to promote sustainable urban development under global change.

Aridity modulates biogeographic distribution and community assembly of cyanobacterial morphotypes in drylands.

The patterns of biogeographic distribution and assembly processes of microbiota are of vital importance for understanding ecological adaptation and functioning maintenance. However, the role of morphological characteristics in microbial assembly is still poorly ascertained. Here, by integrating high-throughput sequencing and robust extrapolation of traits, we investigated taxonomic and phylogenetic turnovers of various cyanobacterial morphotypes in biocrusts to evaluate the contributions of deterministic and stochastic processes across a large scale of drylands in northwestern China. The results showed that the non-heterocystous filamentous category dominated biocrusts in the arid ecosystem and exhibited strong tolerance against environmental fluctuations. Despite the significant distance-decay relationship of ß-diversity detected in all categories, both species composition and phylogenetic turnover rates of coccoid cyanobacteria were higher than non-heterocystous filamentous and heterocystous morphotypes. Moreover, the assembly of cyanobacteria was driven by different ecological processes that the entire community and non-heterocystous filamentous morphotype were governed by deterministic processes, while stochasticity prevailed in heterocystous and coccoid cyanobacteria. Nonetheless, aridity can modulate the balance between determinism and stochasticity and prompt a shifting threshold among morphotypes. Our findings provide a unique perspective to understanding the critical role of microbial morphology in community assembly and facilitate the prediction of biodiversity loss under climate change.

Integrated physiological and metabolomic analysis reveals new insights into toxicity pathways of paraquat to Microcystis aeruginosa.

Chemical pollutants, such as herbicides, released into the aquatic environment adversely affect the phytoplankton community structure. While majority of herbicides are specifically designed to target photosynthetic processes, they also can be toxic to phytoplankton; however, despite the photosynthetic toxicity, some herbicides can target multiple physiological processes. Therefore, a full picture of toxicity pathway of herbicide to phytoplankton is necessary. In the present study, the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa was exposed to two levels (17 µg L-1 (EC10) and 65 µg L-1 (EC50)) of paraquat for 72 h. The physiological and metabolic responses were analyzed to elucidate the toxicity pathway and establish the adverse outcome pathway of paraquat to M. aeruginosa. The results revealed that enhanced glycolysis (upregulation of pyruvic acid level) and tricarboxylic acid cycle (upregulation of the levels of malic acid, isocitric acid and citric acid) exposed to EC10 level of paraquat, which probably acted as a temporary strategy to maintain a healthy energy status in M. aeruginosa cells. Meanwhile, the expressions of glutathione and benzoic acid were enhanced to scavenge the excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). Additionally, the accumulation of pigments (chlorophyll a and carotenoid) might play a supplementary role in the acclimation to EC10 level paraquat treatment. In cells exposed to paraquat by EC50 level, the levels of SOD, CAT, glutathione and benzoic acid increased significantly; however, the ROS exceeded the tolerance level of antioxidant system in M. aeruginosa. The adverse effects were revealed by inhibition of chlorophyll a fluorescence, the decreases in several carbohydrates (e.g., glucose 1-phosphate, fructose and galactose) and total protein content. Consequently, paraquat-induced oxidative stress caused the growth inhibition of M. aeruginosa. These findings provide new insights into the mode of action of paraquat in M. aeruginosa.

Comparison of photosynthetic responses between haptophyte Phaeocystis globosa and diatom Skeletonema costatum under phosphorus limitation.

The diatom Skeletonema costatum and the haptophyte Phaeocystis globosa often form blooms in the coastal waters of the South China Sea. Skeletonema costatum commonly dominates in nutrient enrichment coastal waters, whereas P. globosa starts flourishing after the diatom blooms when phosphorus (P) is limited. Therefore, P limitation was proposed to be a critical factor affecting diatom-haptophyte transition. To elucidate the tolerance to P limitation in P. globosa compared with S. costatum, the effect of P limitation on their photosystem II (PSII) performance was investigated and their photosynthesis acclimation strategies in response to P limitation were evaluated. P limitation did not affect the growth of P. globosa over 7 days but decreased it for S. costatum. Correspondingly, the PSII activity of S. costatum was significantly inhibited by P limitation. The decline in PSII activity in S. costatum under P limitation was associated with the impairment of the oxygen-evolving complex (the donor side of PSII), the hindrance of electron transport from QA - to QB (the acceptor side of PSII), and the inhibition of electron transport to photosystem I (PSI). The 100% decrease in D1 protein level of S. costatum after P limitation for 6 days and PsbO protein level after 2 days of P limitation were attributed to its enhanced photoinhibition. In contrast, P. globosa maintained its photosynthetic activity with minor impairment of the function of PSII. With accelerated PSII repair and highly increased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), P. globosa can avoid serious PSII damage under P limitation. On the contrary, S. costatum decreased its D1 restoration under P limitation, and the maximum NPQ value in S. costatum was only one-sixth of that in P. globosa. The present work provides extensive evidence that a close interaction exists between the tolerance to P limitation and photosynthetic responses of S. costatum and P. globosa.

Dynamic Lone Pair Expression as Chemical Bonding Origin of Giant Phonon Anharmonicity in Thermoelectric InTe.

Loosely bonded ("rattling") atoms with s2 lone pair electrons are usually associated with strong anharmonicity and unexpectedly low thermal conductivity, yet their detailed correlation remains largely unknown. Here we resolve this correlation in thermoelectric InTe by combining chemical bonding analysis, inelastic X-ray and neutron scattering, and first principles phonon calculations. We successfully probe soft low-lying transverse phonons dominated by large In1+ z-axis motions, and their giant anharmonicity. We show that the highly anharmonic phonons arise from the dynamic lone pair expression with unstable occupied antibonding states induced by the covalency between delocalized In1+ 5s2 lone pair electrons and Te 5p states. This work pinpoints the microscopic origin of strong anharmonicity driven by rattling atoms with stereochemical lone pair activity, important for designing efficient materials for thermoelectric energy conversion.

Paraquat induces different programmed cell death patterns in Microcystis aeruginosa and Chlorella luteoviridis.

Although programmed cell death (PCD) has been reported in phytoplankton, knowledge of the characterization of the PCD pathway and cascade process in different phytoplankton species is still limited. In this study, PCD progression in cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and green algae Chlorella luteoviridis by paraquat-induced oxidative stress was monitored. The results showed that paraquat-induced PCD in the two species belonged to the caspase-dependent pathway. Dose- and time-dependent PCD characteristics in the two strains under paraquat included the increase in caspase-like activity, DNA fragmentation, and chromatin condensation. However, the signaling pathway and cascade events of PCD in M. aeruginosa and C. luteoviridis differed. In M. aeruginosa, the free Ca2+ concentration was rapidly increased at 8 h, followed by a significant elevation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level at 24 h, and eventual cell death. In C. luteoviridis, the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, revealed by the depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential at 1 h and increase in the ROS level and caspase-like activity at 8 h, might contribute to cell death. In addition, the dynamics of ROS levels and metacaspase activity were synchronized, suggesting that paraquat-triggered PCD was ROS-mediated in both M. aeruginosa and C. luteoviridis. These results provide insights into PCD patterns in prokaryotic cyanobacteria and eukaryotic green algae under similar stress.

New insights into the production of fucoxanthin by mixotrophic cultivation of Ochromonas and Microcystis aeruginosa.

Fucoxanthin (Fx) has attracted great interest due to its remarkable biological activities such as antioxidant and anti-obesity, and its increasing demands in biopharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. However, its commercial production is limited by low yield and high cost. In this study, we isolated and identified a species of golden algae (Ochromonas sp.) capable of engulfing Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) and accumulating Fx. After 72 h mixotrophic cultivation of Ochromonas sp. and M. aeruginosa, the algal culture changed from green to yellow-brown, and the content of Fx and the daily production rate were up to 11.58 mg g-1, and 1.315 mg L-1 d-1, respectively. The utilization rate of M. aeruginosa was 527.27 fg cell-1. This study will not only provide a new thought to produce Fx in an efficient, low-cost, and sustainable way but an innovative method for the control and treatment of harmful cyanobacterial blooms from eutrophic freshwaters as well.

Phylogenomics Uncovers Evolutionary Trajectory of Nitrogen Fixation in Cyanobacteria.

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) by cyanobacteria is of significant importance for the Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle but is restricted to a few genera that do not form monophyletic group. To explore the evolutionary trajectory of BNF and investigate the driving forces of its evolution, we analyze 650 cyanobacterial genomes and compile the database of diazotrophic cyanobacteria based on the presence of nitrogen fixation gene clusters (NFGCs). We report that 266 of 650 examined genomes are NFGC-carrying members, and these potentially diazotrophic cyanobacteria are unevenly distributed across the phylogeny of Cyanobacteria, that multiple independent losses shaped the scattered distribution. Among the diazotrophic cyanobacteria, two types of NFGC exist, with one being ancestral and abundant, which have descended from diazotrophic ancestors, and the other being anaerobe-like and sparse, possibly being acquired from anaerobic microbes through horizontal gene transfer. Interestingly, we illustrate that the origin of BNF in Cyanobacteria coincide with two major evolutionary events. One is the origin of multicellularity of cyanobacteria, and the other is concurrent genetic innovations with massive gene gains and expansions, implicating their key roles in triggering the evolutionary transition from nondiazotrophic to diazotrophic cyanobacteria. Additionally, we reveal that genes involved in accelerating respiratory electron transport (coxABC), anoxygenic photosynthetic electron transport (sqr), as well as anaerobic metabolisms (pfor, hemN, nrdG, adhE) are enriched in diazotrophic cyanobacteria, representing adaptive genetic signatures that underpin the diazotrophic lifestyle. Collectively, our study suggests that multicellularity, together with concurrent genetic adaptations contribute to the evolution of diazotrophic cyanobacteria.

Revealing Physiochemical Factors and Zooplankton Influencing Microcystis Bloom Toxicity in a Large-Shallow Lake Using Bayesian Machine Learning.

Toxic cyanobacterial blooms have become a severe global hazard to human and environmental health. Most studies have focused on the relationships between cyanobacterial composition and cyanotoxins production. Yet, little is known about the environmental conditions influencing the hazard of cyanotoxins. Here, we analysed a unique 22 sites dataset comprising monthly observations of water quality, cyanobacterial genera, zooplankton assemblages, and microcystins (MCs) quota and concentrations in a large-shallow lake. Missing values of MCs were imputed using a non-negative latent factor (NLF) analysis, and the results achieved a promising accuracy. Furthermore, we used the Bayesian additive regression tree (BART) to quantify how Microcystis bloom toxicity responds to relevant physicochemical characteristics and zooplankton assemblages. As expected, the BART model achieved better performance in Microcystis biomass and MCs concentration predictions than some comparative models, including random forest and multiple linear regression. The importance analysis via BART illustrated that the shade index was overall the best predictor of MCs concentrations, implying the predominant effects of light limitations on the MCs content of Microcystis. Variables of greatest significance to the toxicity of Microcystis also included pH and dissolved inorganic nitrogen. However, total phosphorus was found to be a strong predictor of the biomass of total Microcystis and toxic M. aeruginosa. Together with the partial dependence plot, results revealed the positive correlations between protozoa and Microcystis biomass. In contrast, copepods biomass may regulate the MC quota and concentrations. Overall, our observations arouse universal demands for machine-learning strategies to represent nonlinear relationships between harmful algal blooms and environmental covariates.

Insight into the Strategies for Improving the Thermal Stability of Efficient N-Type Mg3Sb2-Based Thermoelectric Materials.

N-type Mg3(Sb,Bi)2 compounds have recently been demonstrated as promising low-cost efficient thermoelectric materials in low and intermediate temperature ranges; however, the thermal stability of this type of material still poses a great challenge for practical applications. In this work, we conduct a systematic investigation of the thermal stability of several high-performing n-type Mg3(Sb,Bi)2-based thermoelectric materials in both bulk and powdered forms using X-ray and neutron diffraction. It is found that the bulk sample exhibits a much slower degradation rate based on the evolution of the secondary Bi/Sb phase in comparison with the powdered sample, revealing a clear kinetic effect. Moreover, the surface of the bulk sample will gradually become Mg-poor or Bi-rich even at room temperature when exposed to air for a long time, highlighting the importance of surface encapsulation for applications. An underlying mechanism based on the Mg loss/migration is proposed to account for the property degradation. Importantly, to address the property degradation, we discuss possible solutions and propose Mg-vapor annealing as an effective approach to enhance thermal stability by suppressing the Mg loss/migration through saturating grains and grain boundaries with elemental Mg. We expect a combination of the Mg-vapor annealing and surface coating to further improve the long-term thermal stability. This work sheds light on the strategies for enhancing the long-term stability of n-type Mg3Sb2-based thermoelectrics for practical applications.

Water depth and land-use intensity indirectly determine phytoplankton functional diversity and further regulate resource use efficiency at a multi-lake scale.

Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships under multiple pressures have recently been the subject of broad studies. For the key primary producer in aquatic ecosystems, phytoplankton, several studies have focused on trait-based functional diversity (FD) and the related functioning (e.g., resource use efficiency, RUE), and their linkages. However, investigations of the effects of environmental factors at different levels (e.g., land use, lake morphometry, climate and nutrients) on FD and RUE are sparse. We developed a data-driven-model framework to simultaneously elucidate the effects of multiple drivers on FD (functional diversity based on dendrograms, FDc and functional richness, FRic) and RUE (of nitrogen and phosphorus) of phytoplankton based on data from 68 Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau lakes, Southwest China. We found that the concentration of total phosphorus, which is mainly affected by land-use intensity and influenced by water depth, was the primary (positive) driver of changes in both FDc and FRic, while RUE was mainly explained by phytoplankton FD (i.e., FRic). These results indicate that water depth and land-use intensity influence indirectly phytoplankton FD and further regulate RUE. Moreover, nonlinear correlations of RUE with FRic were found, which may be caused by interspecific competition and niche differentiation of the phytoplankton community related to nutrient levels. Our finding may help managers to set trade-off targets between FD and RUE in lake ecosystems except for extremely polluted ones, in which the thresholds derived from the Bayesian network, of total phosphorus, total nitrogen and land-use intensity were approximately 0.04 mg/L, 0.50 mg/L and 244 (unitless), respectively. The probability of meeting the RUE objectives was lower in shallow lakes than in deep lakes, but for FRic the opposite was observed.

The widespread capability of methylphosphonate utilization in filamentous cyanobacteria and its ecological significance.

Aquatic ecosystems comprise almost half of total global methane emissions. Recent evidence indicates that a few strains of cyanobacteria, the predominant primary producers in bodies of water, can produce methane under oxic conditions with methylphosphonate serving as substrate. In this work, we have screened the published 2 568 cyanobacterial genomes for genetic elements encoding phosphonate-metabolizing enzymes. We show that phosphonate degradation (phn) gene clusters are widely distributed in filamentous cyanobacteria, including several bloom-forming genera. Algal growth experiments revealed that methylphosphonate is an alternative phosphorous source for four of five tested strains carrying phn clusters, and can sustain cellular metabolic homeostasis of strains under phosphorus stress. Liberation of methane by cyanobacteria in the presence of methylphosphonate occurred mostly during the light period of a 12 h/12 h diurnal cycle and was suppressed in the presence of orthophosphate, features that are consistent with observations in natural aquatic systems under oxic conditions. The results presented here demonstrate a genetic basis for ubiquitous methane emission via cyanobacterial methylphosphonate mineralization, while contributing to the phosphorus redox cycle.

Non-targeted metabolomic profiling of filamentous cyanobacteria Aphanizomenon flos-aquae exposed to a concentrated culture filtrate of Microcystis aeruginosa.

Microcystis and Aphanizomenon are two toxic cyanobacteria genera, which frequently cause blooms in freshwater lakes. In some cases, succession of these two genera was observed in natural water bodies. Among the diverse factors contributing to such succession of dominant cyanobacterial genera, an allelopathic effect was proposed to be involved after the growth inhibitory effect of several Microcystis species on A. flos-aquae was investigated. However, the response of target species exposed to Microcystis are poorly described. In the present study, we used two toxic cyanobacteria strains, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (Aph1395) and Microcystis aeruginosa strain 905 (Ma905) as research subjects. Aph1395 was inhibited with a necessarily concentrated culture filtrate of Ma905 (MA905-SPE), and the response of the inhibited Aph1395 cells was explored via non-targeted metabolomic profiling. In total, 3735 features were significantly different in the Aph1395 treated with Ma905-SPE vs. those treated with BG11 medium. Among them, the annotations of 146 differential features were considered to be confident via MS/MS spectrum matching analysis. Based on the reported physiological functions of the annotated differential features, we proposed a putative model that in the growth-inhibited Aph1395, a suite of increased or decreased features with activities in apoptosis, growth inhibition, and stress response processes contributed to, or defended against, the allelopathic effect caused by Ma905. Our findings provide insights into the interaction between the bloom forming cyanobacterial species that share the same ecological environment.

Widespread Distribution and Adaptive Degradation of Microcystin Degrader (mlr-Genotype) in Lake Taihu, China.

Microbial degradation is an important route for removing environmental microcystins (MCs). Here, we investigated the ecological distribution of microcystin degraders (mlr-genotype), and the relationship between the substrate specificity of the microcystin degrader and the profile of microcystin congener production in the habitat. We showed that microcystin degraders were widely distributed and closely associated with Microcystis abundance in Lake Taihu, China. We characterized an indigenous degrader, Sphingopyxis N5 in the northern Lake Taihu, and it metabolized six microcystin congeners in increasing order (RR > LR > YR > LA > LF and LW). Such a substrate-specificity pattern was congruent to the order of the dominance levels of these congeners in northern Lake Taihu. Furthermore, a meta-analysis on global microcystin degraders revealed that the substrate-specificity patterns varied geographically, but generally matched the profiles of microcystin congener production in the degrader habitats, and the indigenous degrader typically metabolized well the dominant MC congeners, but not the rare congeners in the habitat. This highlighted the phenotypic congruence between microcystin production and degradation in natural environments. We theorize that such congruence resulted from the metabolic adaptation of the indigenous degrader to the local microcystin congeners. Under the nutrient microcystin selection, the degraders might have evolved to better exploit the locally dominant congeners. This study provided the novel insight into the ecological distribution and adaptive degradation of microcystin degraders.

Direct observation of one-dimensional disordered diffusion channel in a chain-like thermoelectric with ultralow thermal conductivity.

Structural disorder, highly effective in reducing thermal conductivity, is important in technological applications such as thermal barrier coatings and thermoelectrics. In particular, interstitial, disordered, diffusive atoms are common in complex crystal structures with ultralow thermal conductivity, but are rarely found in simple crystalline solids. Combining single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction, the maximum entropy method, diffuse scattering, and theoretical calculations, here we report the direct observation of one-dimensional disordered In1+ chains in a simple chain-like thermoelectric InTe, which contains a significant In1+ vacancy along with interstitial indium sites. Intriguingly, the disordered In1+ chains undergo a static-dynamic transition with increasing temperature to form a one-dimensional diffusion channel, which is attributed to a low In1+-ion migration energy barrier along the c direction, a general feature in many other TlSe-type compounds. Our work provides a basis towards understanding ultralow thermal conductivity with weak temperature dependence in TlSe-type chain-like materials.