Comparison of organic matter composition in agricultural versus forest affected headwaters with special emphasis on organic nitrogen.

Agricultural management practices promote organic matter (OM) turnover and thus alter both the processing of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soils and presumably also the export of DOM to headwater streams, which intimately connect the terrestrial with the aquatic environment. Size-exclusion chromatography, in combination with absorbance and emission matrix fluorometry, was applied to assess how agricultural land use alters the amount and composition of DOM, as well as dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) forms in headwater streams, including temporal variations, in a temperate region of NE Germany. By comparing six agriculturally and six forest-impacted headwater streams, we demonstrated that agriculture promotes increased DOC and DON concentrations, entailing an even more pronounced effect on DON. The major part of DOC and DON in agricultural and forest reference streams is exported in the form of humic-like material with high molecular weight, which indicates terrestrial, i.e., allochthonous sources. As an obvious difference in agricultural streams, the contribution of DOC and particularly DON occurring in the form of nonhumic high-molecular-weight, presumably proteinous material is clearly elevated. Altogether, DOM in agricultural headwaters is mainly complex-soil-derived and aromatic material with a low C:N ratio, which is more microbial processed than its counterpart from forest reference catchments. Our results emphasize the importance of agricultural land use on DOM loss from soils and identify agricultural soils as important DOC and particularly DON sources to headwater streams.

Changes in pelagic bacteria communities due to leaf litter addition.

In many limnetic systems, the input of allochthonous organic matter, e.g., leaf litter, is a substantial source of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) for pelagic bacteria, especially in fall and winter when autochthonous DOC production is low. However, relatively little is known about community changes of pelagic lake bacteria due to leaf litter input which includes both the release of leaf leachates and microorganisms from the leaf litter into the surrounding water. Therefore, we have experimentally studied the effects of different types of leaf litter (Betula pendula, Fagus silvatica, and Pinus silvestris) on the pelagic bacterial community composition by adding leaves to different treatments of epilimnic water samples (unfiltered, 0.2 µm and 5.0 µm-pre-filtered) from humic Lake Grosse Fuchskuhle (Northeastern Germany). The addition of leaf litter led to a significant increase in DOC concentration in lake water, and each leaf litter type produced significantly different amounts of DOC (p = <0.001) as well as of specific DOC fractions (p = <0.001), except of polysaccharides. DGGE banding patterns varied over time, between types of leaf litter, and among treatments. Bacteria belonging to known bacterial phylotypes in the southwest basin of Lake Grosse Fuchskuhle were frequently found and even persisted after leaf litter additions. Upon leaf litter addition, α-proteobacteria (Azospirillum, Novosphingobium, and Sphingopyxis) as well as ß-proteobacteria (Curvibacter and Polynucleobacter) were enriched. Our results indicate that supply of leaf litter DOM shifted the bacterial community in the surrounding water towards specific phylotypes including species capable of assimilating the more recalcitrant DOC pools. Statistical analyses, however, show that DGGE banding patterns are not only affected by DOC pools but also by treatment. This indicates that biological factors such as source community and grazing may be also important for shifts in bacterial community structure following leaf litter input into different lakes.

Reduction in vegetative growth of the water mold Saprolegnia parasitica (Coker) by humic substance of different qualities.

Humic substances (HS) account for 50-80% of the dissolved organic matter in non-eutrophicated freshwater ecosystems. HS are not inert, but are taken up by and may interact with aquatic organisms. However, at present no information is available on the interaction of HS with fungi, for instance, the fish-pathogenous species Saprolegnia parasitica. To fill this gap, we tested effects of HS on S. parasitica growth in-vitro using 25-500mgL(-1) carbon of HS on GY-agar. We investigated 20 HS including natural organic matter (NOM) samples, two lignite derived HS, and one synthetic HS. The aim was (1) to find out, if there are inhibiting effects and (2) if potential effects can be explained by humic matter properties by structure activity relationships. The growth of S. parasitica was related to the growth on HS-free agar controls. Characterization of HS and NOMs included elemental analysis, high-pressure size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), UV/VIS, FTIR-, and EPR-spectroscopy in order to obtain information on elemental and structural composition including various metals, molecular weights of the HS fraction, aromaticity, free organic radicals, and functional groups. NOMs with high moieties of high-molecular carbohydrates supported the growth of S. parasitica, all other HS and NOMs reduced it. However, no inhibition of the development of the sporangia and primary zoospores was found. Therefore, the impact of the HS on S. parasitica has to be classified as fungistatic, rather than fungicidal. Synthetic and lignite-derived HS were among the most efficient HS sources. Growth inhibition was correlated (p<0.05) with the molecular weights of the HS-fraction, sUVa, COOH groups, C and H. Our results suggest that especially HS with higher molecular weights and aromaticity which contain a high number of organic radicals are the most efficient in reducing fungal growth. Furthermore, highly functionalized HS seem to be important for the observed effect. The development of internal oxidative stress could be a mechanism explaining the observed growth inhibition of S. parasitica.

Global effects of agriculture on fluvial dissolved organic matter.

Agricultural land covers approximately 40% of Earth's land surface and affects hydromorphological, biogeochemical and ecological characteristics of fluvial networks. In the northern temperate region, agriculture also strongly affects the amount and molecular composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM), which constitutes the main vector of carbon transport from soils to fluvial networks and to the sea, and is involved in a large variety of biogeochemical processes. Here, we provide first evidence about the wider occurrence of agricultural impacts on the concentration and composition of fluvial DOM across climate zones of the northern and southern hemispheres. Both extensive and intensive farming altered fluvial DOM towards a more microbial and less plant-derived composition. Moreover, intensive farming significantly increased dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) concentrations. The DOM composition change and DON concentration increase differed among climate zones and could be related to the intensity of current and historical nitrogen fertilizer use. As a result of agriculture intensification, increased DON concentrations and a more microbial-like DOM composition likely will enhance the reactivity of catchment DOM emissions, thereby fuelling the biogeochemical processing in fluvial networks, and resulting in higher ecosystem productivity and CO2 outgassing.

TRANSFORMATION AND ALLELOPATHY OF NATURAL DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON AND TANNIC ACID ARE AFFECTED BY SOLAR RADIATION AND BACTERIA(1).

The aim of this study was to test whether abiotic and biotic factors may affect allelopathic properties. Therefore, we investigated how solar radiation and bacteria influence allelopathic effects of the plant-derived, polyphenolic tannic acid (TA) on microalgae. Using a block design, lake water samples with and without TA were exposed to solar radiation or kept in darkness with or without bacteria for 3 weeks. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), specific size fractions of DOC analyzed by chromatography-organic carbon detection (LC-OCD), and concentrations of total phenolic compounds (TPC) were measured to follow the fate of TA in lake water with natural DOC exposed to photolytic and microbial degradation. DOC and TPC decreased in dark-incubated lake water with TA and bacteria indicating microbial degradation. In contrast, exposure to solar radiation of lake water with TA and bacteria did not decrease DOC. Chromatographic analyses documented an accumulation of DOC mean size fraction designated as humic substances (HS) in sunlit water samples with TA. The recalcitrance of the humic fraction indicates that photolytic degradation may contribute to a DOC less available for bacterial degradation. Subsequent growth tests with Desmodesmus armatus (Chodat) E. Hegewald showed low but reproducible difference in algal growth with lower algal growth rate cultured in photolytically and microbially degraded TA in lake water than cultured in respective dark treatments. This finding highlights the importance of photolytic processes and microbial degradation influencing allelopathic effects and may explain the high potential of allelochemicals for structuring the phytoplankton community composition in naturally illuminated surface waters.

Enrichment and cultivation of pelagic bacteria from a humic lake using phenol and humic matter additions.

Individual bacterial populations are known to respond differently toward substrate availability. To test how the availability of either pure phenol or natural humic matter (HM) selects for specific pelagic bacteria phylotypes from a humic lake (Lake Grosse Fuchskuhle, northeastern Germany), we used culture-dependent and -independent approaches. Using a batch approach, the bacterial community composition (BCC) differed depending on both the quantity and the quality of added substrates. Using a dilution-to-extinction approach, distinct BCC were detected by eliminating less abundant species. Most bacteria that were common in the lake were favored by phenol, and yet different subsets of the native BCC were enriched by HM. Specific bacterial groups with different growth requirements were consistently present, negatively influenced, or positively enriched following substrate additions. This study comprises the first explicit demonstration that bacteria such as Methylobacterium, Methylophilus, and Methylosinus spp. can be enriched on phenol or HM. Our isolation approaches led to the successful cultivation of a variety of native bacteria from the lake, such as Novosphingobium (Alphaproteobacteria) and Flexibacter (Bacteroidetes), or phenol-utilizing bacteria such as members of Actinobacteria or Burkholderia (Betaproteobacteria). Enrichment and cultivation on phenol and HM as substrates revealed highly specialized bacterial communities that resemble those found in many HM-rich lakes.

Different natural organic matter isolates cause similar stress response patterns in the freshwater amphipod, Gammarus pulex.

BACKGROUND, AIM, AND SCOPE: Dissolved humic substances (HSs) are exogenous stressors to aquatic plants and animals which activate a variety of transcriptional and biochemical reactions or block photosynthesis. While there are consistent indications which structures may lead to reduced photosynthetic activity, there is much less clear information available on which HS structures or building blocks act as stressors in animals. Consequently, this work was designed to comparatively study the impact of natural organic matter (NOMs) from different sources on major anti-stress mechanisms in one single animal. We utilized major antioxidant responses and relative expression levels of stress proteins (small HSPs and HSP70) and expected that different HSs provoke different response patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We tested the freshwater amphipod Gammarus pulex which was collected from several shallow creeks in Northern Germany. All specimens were maintained in aerated 5-L tanks with filtered water from their natural environment at 10 degrees C with prior acclimation. Animals were fed ad libitum with a commercial preparation once every second day. The exposure water was exchanged with the same frequency. NOMs were isolated from three different sources: two from small brown-water lakes in Northern Germany by reverse osmosis and the third one as an aqueous extract from a black layer of a Brazilian sandbar soil (State of Rio de Janeiro). The rationale was to apply NOMs of contrasting quality. Chemical fingerprint features of the NOMs were taken by high-performance size exclusion chromatography. As stress parameters in the animals, the activities of peroxidase and catalase were recorded quantitatively, and stress proteins, HSP70, as well as small alpha-crystalline HSPs were analyzed semiquantitatively. RESULTS: The three NOMs clearly differed in molecular masses, humic substance contents, the moieties of polysaccharides, and low-molecular-weight substances. With the exception of one short-term response, the peroxidase activity increased after 3 to 12 h exposure, whereas the catalase activity did not show any significant modulation. With one exception, the stress protein expression increased after 30 min exposure in a biphasic pattern, and the sHSPs responded less strongly than HSP70. DISCUSSION: Although the quality of the exposed NOMs differs significantly, a rather uniform response pattern appears in the animals. Obviously, the contrasting contents of HSs and polysaccharides did not affect the anti-stress response of the exposed gammarids which is in contrast to previous lifespan studies with Caenorhabditis elegans. Furthermore, all NOM sources led to increased contents of both HSP70 and sHSPs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first protein study to show that also small HSPs are expressed when the animals are exposed against humic material. CONCLUSIONS: Since the response patterns of the exposed gammarids, in contrast to the initial hypothesis, are rather uniform and since HSs are parts of life on Earth, we furthermore presume that they may have been a primordial exogenous trigger for the development of anti-stress systems in exposed organisms. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: Effect studies of chemical stresses on organisms should consider exposure to both natural triggers and xenobiotic compounds in low concentrations--in order to prospectively differentiate between these triggers and, subsequently, classify them.

Attenuating effects of natural organic matter on microcystin toxicity in zebra fish (Danio rerio) embryos -- benefits and costs of microcystin detoxication.

To contribute to the understanding of joined factors in the environment, impact of pure microcystins (-RR and -LF) on zebra fish (Danio rerio) embryos were investigated individually and in combination with a natural organic matter (NOM). The applied NOM was a reverse osmosis isolate from Lake Schwarzer See (i.e., Black Lake, BL-NOM). Teratogenic effects were evaluated through changes in embryonic development within 48 h of exposure. Detoxication activities were assessed by the activities of phase II biotransformation enzymes, soluble and microsomal glutathione S-transferase (s, mGST). Oxidative stress was assessed by determining both the production of hydrogen peroxide and by analyzing the activities of the antioxidative enzymes, guajacol peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and the glutathione restoring enzyme glutathione reductase (GR). Energetic costs were evaluated by determining contents of fat, carbohydrates, and proteins in both exposed and control embryos. BL-NOM attenuated toxic effects of MC-LF and MC-RR verified by less pronounced teratological effects within 24 h, in particular, as well as less rise in the activity of s-GST, when compared with embryos exposed to either pure toxins or in combination with organic matter. BL-NOM also diminished oxidative effects caused by MC-LF; however, it failed to attenuate oxidative stress caused by MC-RR. Content of lipids was significantly reduced in exposed embryos following a trend similar to that obtained with teratological and enzymatic assays confirming the attenuating effect of BL-NOM. Physiological responses to microcystins and NOM required energetic costs, which were compensated to the expense of the energy resources of the yolk, which in turn might affect the normal development of embryos.

Nature and abundance of organic radicals in natural organic matter: effect of pH and irradiation.

Dissolved natural organic matter (NOM) plays an essential role in freshwater geochemical and biochemical processes. A major property, its redox behavior, can be attributed to the chinone building blocks, which can form stable radicals. However, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) data indicating free radicals on solid NOM are sparse. Here we present EPR spectra of 23 NOM from European surface waters isolated by reverse osmosis. The organic radical concentrations of NOM ranged from 5 x 10(15) to 1.84 x 10(17) spins g(-1), and g values ranged from 2.0031 to 2.0045. Number and type of organic radicals in solid NOM are significantly influenced by the pH of raw water. EPR experiments indicate the presence of semiquinone-type radicals in coexistence with carbon-centered "aromatic" radicals, with the semiquinone-type radicals dominating at alkaline pH. Basically these processes are reversible. Organic radical concentrations in NOM adjusted to pH 6.5 before freeze-drying correlate with iron and aluminum contents. UV- and VIS-irradiation of solid NOM can lead to more than a 10-fold increase of the concentration of organic radicals. These radicals were long-lived and had the same g value as the original radical. Similar effects were not observed with isolated humic and fulvic acids, demonstrating the limited reflection of environmental properties of organic carbon by the classical isolation procedure.

Members of a readily enriched beta-proteobacterial clade are common in surface waters of a humic lake.

Humic lakes are systems often characterized by irregular high input of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the catchment. We hypothesized that specific bacterial groups which rapidly respond to changes in DOC availability might form large populations in such habitats. Seasonal changes of microbial community composition were studied in two compartments of an artificially divided bog lake with contrasting DOC inputs. These changes were compared to community shifts induced during short-term enrichment experiments. Inocula from the two compartments were diluted 1:10 into water from the more DOC-rich compartment, and inorganic nutrients were added to avoid microbial N and P limitation. The dilutions were incubated for a period of 2 weeks. The microbial assemblages were analyzed by cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and by fluorescence in situ hybridization with specific oligonucleotide probes. beta-Proteobacteria from a cosmopolitan freshwater lineage related to Polynucleobacter necessarius (beta II) were rapidly enriched in all treatments. In contrast, members of the class Actinobacteria did not respond to the enhanced availability of DOC by an immediate increase in growth rate, and their relative abundances declined during the incubations. In lake water members of the beta II clade seasonally constituted up to 50% of all microbes in the water column. Bacteria from this lineage annually formed a significantly higher fraction of the microbial community in the lake compartment with a higher allochthonous influx than in the other compartment. Actinobacteria represented a second numerically important bacterioplankton group, but without clear differences between the compartments. We suggest that the pelagic microbial community of the studied system harbors two major components with fundamentally different growth strategies.