Changes in bacterial community metabolism and composition during the degradation of dissolved organic matter from the jellyfish Aurelia aurita in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon.

Spatial increases and temporal shifts in outbreaks of gelatinous plankton have been observed over the past several decades in many estuarine and coastal ecosystems. The effects of these blooms on marine ecosystem functioning and particularly on the dynamics of the heterotrophic bacteria are still unclear. The response of the bacterial community from a Mediterranean coastal lagoon to the addition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the jellyfish Aurelia aurita, corresponding to an enrichment of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by 1.4, was assessed for 22 days in microcosms (8 l). The high bioavailability of this material led to (i) a rapid mineralization of the DOC and dissolved organic nitrogen from the jellyfish and (ii) the accumulation of high concentrations of ammonium and orthophosphate in the water column. DOM from jellyfish greatly stimulated heterotrophic prokaryotic production and respiration rates during the first 2 days; then, these activities showed a continuous decay until reaching those measured in the control microcosms (lagoon water only) at the end of the experiment. Bacterial growth efficiency remained below 20%, indicating that most of the DOM was respired and a minor part was channeled to biomass production. Changes in bacterial diversity were assessed by tag pyrosequencing of partial bacterial 16S rRNA genes, DNA fingerprints, and a cultivation approach. While bacterial diversity in control microcosms showed little changes during the experiment, the addition of DOM from the jellyfish induced a rapid growth of Pseudoalteromonas and Vibrio species that were isolated. After 9 days, the bacterial community was dominated by Bacteroidetes, which appeared more adapted to metabolize high-molecular-weight DOM. At the end of the experiment, the bacterial community shifted toward a higher proportion of Alphaproteobacteria. Resilience of the bacterial community after the addition of DOM from the jellyfish was higher for metabolic functions than diversity, suggesting that jellyfish blooms can induce durable changes in the bacterial community structure in coastal lagoons.

Biostimulation as an attractive technique to reduce phenanthrene toxicity for meiofauna and bacteria in lagoon sediment.

A microcosm experiment was setup to examine (1) the effect of phenanthrene contamination on meiofauna and bacteria communities and (2) the effects of different bioremediation strategies on phenanthrene degradation and on the community structure of free-living marine nematodes. Sediments from Bizerte lagoon were contaminated with (100 mg kg(-1)) phenanthrene and effects were examined after 20 days. Biostimulation (addition of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer or mineral salt medium) and bioaugmentation (inoculation of a hydrocarbonoclastic bacterium) were used as bioremediation treatments. Bacterial biomass was estimated using flow cytometry. Meiofauna was counted and identified at the higher taxon level using a stereomicroscope. Nematodes, comprising approximately two thirds of total meiofauna abundance, were identified to genus or species. Phenanthrene contamination had a severe impact on bacteria and meiofauna abundances with a strong decrease of nematodes with a complete disappearance of polychaetes and copepods. Bioremediation counter balanced the toxic effects of phenanthrene since meiofauna and bacteria abundances were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than those observed in phenanthrene contamination. Up to 98 % of phenanthrene removal was observed. In response to phenanthrene contamination, the nematode species had different behavior: Daptonema fallax was eliminated in contaminated microcosms, suggesting that it is an intolerant species to phenanthrene; Neochromadora peocilosoma, Spirinia parasitifera, and Odontophora n. sp., which significantly (p < 0.05) increased in contaminated microcosms, could be considered as "opportunistic" species to phenanthrene whereas Anticoma acuminata and Calomicrolaimus honestus increased in the treatment combining biostimulation and bioaugmentation. Phenanthrene had a significant effect on meiofaunal and bacterial abundances (p < 0.05), with a strong reduction of density and change in the nematode communities. Biostimulation using mineral salt medium strongly enhanced phenanthrene removal, leading to a decrease of its toxicity. This finding opens exciting axes for the future use of biostimulation to reduce toxic effects of PAHs for meiofauna and bacteria in lagoon sediment.

Mangrove microbial diversity and the impact of trophic contamination.

Mangroves are threatened ecosystems that provide numerous ecosystem services, especially through their wide biodiversity, and their bioremediation capacity is a challenging question in tropical areas. In a mangrove in Mayotte, we studied the potential role of microbial biofilm communities in removing nutrient loads from pre-treated wastewater. Microbial community samples were collected from tree roots, sediments, water, and from a colonization device, and their structure and dynamics were compared in two areas: one exposed to sewage and the other not. The samples from the colonization devices accurately reflected the natural communities in terms of diversity. Communities in the zone exposed to sewage were characterized by more green algae and diatoms, higher bacteria densities, as well as different compositions. In the area exposed to sewage, the higher cell densities associated with specific diversity patterns highlighted adapted communities that may play a significant role in the fate of nutrients.