Cable bacteria regulate sedimentary phosphorus release in freshwater sediments.

Previous studies have demonstrated that e-SOx can regulate the sedimentary release of phosphorus (P) in brackish and marine sediments. When e-SOx is active, an iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) oxide rich layer is formed near the sediment surface, which prevents P release. When e-SOx becomes inactive, the metal oxide layer is reduced via sulfide-mediated dissolution, and P is subsequently released to the water column. Cable bacteria have been shown to also occur in freshwater sediments. In these sediments, sulfide production is limited, and the metal oxide layer would thus dissolve less efficiently, leaving the P trapped at the sediment surface. This lack of an efficient dissolution mechanism implies that e-SOx could play an important role in the regulation of P availability in eutrophied freshwater streams. To test this hypothesis, we incubated sediments from a eutrophic freshwater river to investigate the impact of cable bacteria on sedimentary cycling of Fe, Mn and P. High-resolution depth profiling of pH, O2 and ΣH2S complemented with FISH analysis and high-throughput gene sequencing showed that the development of e-SOx activity was closely linked to the enrichment of cable bacteria in incubated sediments. Cable bacteria activity caused a strong acidification in the suboxic zone, leading to the dissolution of Fe and Mn minerals and consequently a strong release of dissolved Fe2+ and Mn2+ to the porewater. Oxidation of these mobilized ions at the sediment surface led to the formation of a metal oxide layer that trapped dissolved P, as shown by the enrichment of P-bearing metal oxides in the top layer of the sediment and low phosphate in the pore and overlying water. After e-SOx activity declined, the metal oxide layer did not dissolve and P remained trapped at the surface. Overall, our results suggested cable bacteria can play an important role to counteract eutrophication in freshwater systems.

What drives the change of nitrogen and phosphorus loads in the Yellow River Basin during 2006-2017?

The Yellow River Basin (YRB) plays a very important role in China's economic and social development and ecological security. In particular, the ecosystem of the YRB is sensitive to climate change. However, the change of nutrient fluxes in this region during the past years and its main driving forces remain unclear. In this study, a hydrologic model R System for Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes (RSPARROW) was employed to simulate the spatio-temporal variations in the fluxes of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) during the period of 2006-2017. The results suggested that the TN and TP loads increased by 138% and 38% during 2006-2014, respectively, and decreased by 66% and 71% from 2015 to 2017, respectively. During the period of 2006-2017, the annual mean fluxes of TN and TP in the YRB were in the range of 3.9 to 591.6 kg/km2/year and 1.7 to 12.0 kg/km2/year, respectively. TN flux was low in the upstream area of the Yellow River, and presented a high level in the middle and lower reaches. However, the flux of TP in Gansu and Ningxia section was slightly higher than that in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Precipitation and point source are the key drivers for the inter-annual changes of TN loads in most regions of the YRB. While the inter-annual variations of TP loads in the whole basin are mainly driven by the point source. This study demonstrates the important impacts of climate change on nutrient loads in the YRB. Moreover, management measures should be taken to reduce pollution sources and thus provide solid basis for control of nitrogen and phosphorus in the YRB.