Differential effects of warming on the complexity and stability of the microbial network in Phragmites australis and Spartina alterniflora wetlands in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, China.

The impact of climate warming on soil microbial communities can significantly influence the global carbon cycle. Coastal wetlands, in particular, are susceptible to changes in soil microbial community structure due to climate warming and the presence of invasive plant species. However, there is limited knowledge about how native and invasive plant wetland soil microbes differ in their response to warming. In this study, we investigated the temporal dynamics of soil microbes (prokaryotes and fungi) under experimental warming in two coastal wetlands dominated by native Phragmites australis (P. australis) and invasive Spartina alterniflora (S. alterniflora). Our research indicated that short-term warming had minimal effects on microbial abundance, diversity, and composition. However, it did accelerate the succession of soil microbial communities, with potentially greater impacts on fungi than prokaryotes. Furthermore, in the S. alterniflora wetland, experimental warming notably increased the complexity and connectivity of the microbial networks. While in the P. australis wetland, it decreased these factors. Analysis of robustness showed that experimental warming stabilized the co-occurrence network of the microbial community in the P. australis wetland, but destabilized it in the S. alterniflora wetland. Additionally, the functional prediction analysis using the Faprotax and FunGuild databases revealed that the S. alterniflora wetland had a higher proportion of saprotrophic fungi and prokaryotic OTUs involved in carbon degradation (p < 0.05). With warming treatments, there was an increasing trend in the proportion of prokaryotic OTUs involved in carbon degradation, particularly in the S. alterniflora wetland. Therefore, it is crucial to protect native P. australis wetlands from S. alterniflora invasion to mitigate carbon emissions and preserve the health of coastal wetland ecosystems under future climate warming in China.

Global dataset of soil organic carbon in tidal marshes.

Tidal marshes store large amounts of organic carbon in their soils. Field data quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks provide an important resource for researchers, natural resource managers, and policy-makers working towards the protection, restoration, and valuation of these ecosystems. We collated a global dataset of tidal marsh soil organic carbon (MarSOC) from 99 studies that includes location, soil depth, site name, dry bulk density, SOC, and/or soil organic matter (SOM). The MarSOC dataset includes 17,454 data points from 2,329 unique locations, and 29 countries. We generated a general transfer function for the conversion of SOM to SOC. Using this data we estimated a median (± median absolute deviation) value of 79.2 ± 38.1 Mg SOC ha-1 in the top 30 cm and 231 ± 134 Mg SOC ha-1 in the top 1 m of tidal marsh soils globally. This data can serve as a basis for future work, and may contribute to incorporation of tidal marsh ecosystems into climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and policies.

Spatial distribution and sources of heavy metals in the sediment and soils of the Yancheng coastal ecosystem and associated ecological risks.

Studies of heavy metal pollution are essential for the protection of coastal environments. In this study, positive matrix factorization (PMF) and a GeoDetector model were used to evaluate the sources of heavy metal contamination and associated ecological risks along the Yancheng Coastal Wetland. The distribution of heavy metals was shown to be greatly affected by clay content, except for Cr in shoal. Components from 6.5 to 9φ have the strongest ability to absorb heavy metals, where the effects of Cd and Zn sequestration in the wetlands were most apparent. The abilities of various wetland environments to sequester heavy metals were shown to be Spartina alterniflora wetland > woodland > Phragmites australis wetland > aquaculture pond > shoal > paddy > meadow > dry land. The sources of the heavy metals included parent soil material (59%), agriculture (15%), and industrial pollutants (26%). According to the single-factor pollution index, there was no evidence of pollution except Cr and Pb. In general, the heavy metal pollution was insignificant. The order of pollution loading index was shoal > paddy field > dry land > Spartina Alterniflora wetland > aquaculture ponds > woodland > meadow > Phragmites australis wetland. The ecological harm of heavy metal exposure was slight except for Cd and Hg, where vehicle emissions appeared to be the main cause of heavy metal pollution.

Interactive effects of CO2 , temperature, irradiance, and nutrient limitation on the growth and physiology of the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus (Cyanophyceae).

The marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus was grown in a continuous culture system to study the interactive effects of temperature, irradiance, nutrient limitation, and the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) on its growth and physiological characteristics. Cells were grown on a 14:10 h light:dark cycle at all combinations of low and high irradiance (50 and 300 µmol photons ⋅ m-2 ⋅ s-1 , respectively), low and high pCO2 (400 and 1000 ppmv, respectively), nutrient limitation (nitrate-limited and nutrient-replete conditions), and temperatures of 20-45°C in 5°C increments. The maximum growth rate was ~4.5 · d-1 at 30-35°C. Under nutrient-replete conditions, growth rates at most temperatures and irradiances were about 8% slower at a pCO2 of 1000 ppmv versus 400 ppmv. The single exception was 45°C and high irradiance. Under those conditions, growth rates were ~45% higher at 1000 ppmv. Cellular carbon:nitrogen ratios were independent of temperature at a fixed relative growth rate but higher at high irradiance than at low irradiance. Initial slopes of photosynthesis-irradiance curves were higher at all temperatures under nutrient-replete versus nitrate-limited conditions; they were similar at all temperatures under high and low irradiance, except at 20°C, when they were suppressed at high irradiance. A model of phytoplankton growth in which cellular carbon was allocated to structure, storage, or the light or dark reactions of photosynthesis accounted for the general patterns of cell composition and growth rate. Allocation of carbon to the light reactions of photosynthesis was consistently higher at low versus high light and under nutrient-replete versus nitrate-limited conditions.

Contrasting Community Assembly Mechanisms Underlie Similar Biogeographic Patterns of Surface Microbiota in the Tropical North Pacific Ocean.

Marine microbiota are critical components of global biogeochemical cycles. However, the biogeographic patterns and ecological processes that structure them remain poorly understood, especially in the oligotrophic ocean. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing of 16S and 18S rRNA genes to investigate the distribution patterns of bacterial and microeukaryotic communities and their assembly mechanisms in the surface waters of the tropical North Pacific Ocean. The fact that both the bacterial and the microeukaryotic communities showed similar distribution patterns (i.e., similar distance-decay patterns) and were clustered according to their geographic origin (i.e., the western tropical North Pacific and central tropical North Pacific) suggested that there was a significant biogeographic pattern of microbiota in the North Pacific Ocean. Indices of alpha diversity such as species richness, phylogenetic diversity, and the Shannon diversity index also differed significantly between regions. The correlations were generally similar between spatial and environmental variables and the alpha and beta diversities of bacteria and microeukaryotes across the entire region. The relative importance of ecological processes differed between bacteria and microeukaryotes: ecological drift was the principal mechanism that accounted for the structure of bacterial communities; heterogeneous selection, dispersal limitation, and ecological drift collectively explained much of the turnover of the microeukaryote communities. IMPORTANCE Bacteria and microeukaryotes are extremely diverse groups in the ocean, where they regulate elemental cycling and energy flow. Studies of marine microbial ecology have benefited greatly from the rapid progress that has been made in genomic sequencing and theoretical microbial ecology. However, the spatial distribution of marine bacteria and microeukaryotes and the nature of the assembly mechanisms that determine their distribution patterns in oligotrophic marine waters are poorly understood. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing methods to identify the distribution patterns and ecological processes of bacteria and microeukaryotes in an oligotrophic, tropical ocean. Our study showed that contrasting community assembly mechanisms underlaid similar biogeographic patterns of surface bacterial and microeukaryotic communities in the tropical North Pacific Ocean.

Blackfordia virginica blooms shift the trophic structure to smaller size plankton in subtropical shallow waters.

The hydromedusa Blackfordia virginica is an invasive species that has disrupted coastal marine food webs throughout the world. Here, we report the response of plankton community to B. virginica blooms in a subtropical lagoon in China. Chlorophyll-a concentrations increased after the peak of B. virginica abundance, which was coincident with high concentrations of ammonium. An increase of the biomass and composition of pico- and nano-phytoplankton during the bloom resulted from bottom-up effects due to the nutrients excreted by B. virginica. The average size and grazing rates of microzooplankton concurrently decreased. The negative correlation between the abundances of B. virginica and microzooplankton was accurately simulated by a generalized linear model and redundancy analysis. This study provided empirical evidence of the impacts of the B. virginica bloom on the food web and the mechanisms responsible for those effects. These impacts may lead to serious ecological and environmental consequences for the lagoonal ecosystem.

Interactive Effects of CO2 , Temperature, Irradiance, and Nutrient Limitation on the Growth and Physiology of the Marine Diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana (Coscinodiscophyceae).

The marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana was grown in continuous culture systems to study the interactive effects of temperature, irradiance, nutrient limitation, and the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2 ) on its growth and physiological characteristics. The cells were able to grow at all combinations of low and high irradiance (50 and 300 µmol photons · m-2  · s-1 , respectively, of visible light), low and high pCO2 (400 and 1,000 µatm, respectively), nutrient limitation (nitrate-limited and nutrient-replete conditions), and temperatures of 10-32°C. Under nutrient-replete conditions, there was no adverse effect of high pCO2 on growth rates at temperatures of 10-25°C. The response of the cells to high pCO2 was similar at low and high irradiance. At supraoptimal temperatures of 30°C or higher, high pCO2 depressed growth rates at both low and high irradiance. Under nitrate-limited conditions, cells were grown at 38 ± 2.4% of their nutrient-saturated rates at the same temperature, irradiance, and pCO2 . Dark respiration rates consistently removed a higher percentage of production under nitrate-limited versus nutrient-replete conditions. The percentages of production lost to dark respiration were positively correlated with temperature under nitrate-limited conditions, but there was no analogous correlation under nutrient-replete conditions. The results suggest that warmer temperatures and associated more intense thermal stratification of ocean surface waters could lower net photosynthetic rates if the stratification leads to a reduction in the relative growth rates of marine phytoplankton, and at truly supraoptimal temperatures there would likely be a synergistic interaction between the stresses from temperature and high pCO2 (lower pH).

Patterns of Relative and Quantitative Abundances of Marine Bacteria in Surface Waters of the Subtropical Northwest Pacific Ocean Estimated With High-Throughput Quantification Sequencing.

Bacteria play a pivotal role in shaping ecosystems and contributing to elemental cycling and energy flow in the oceans. However, few studies have focused on bacteria at a trans-basin scale, and studies across the subtropical Northwest Pacific Ocean (NWPO), one of the largest biomes on Earth, have been especially lacking. Although the recently developed high-throughput quantitative sequencing methodology can simultaneously provide information on relative abundance, quantitative abundance, and taxonomic affiliations, it has not been thoroughly evaluated. We collected surface seawater samples for high-throughput, quantitative sequencing of 16S rRNA genes on a transect across the subtropical NWPO to elucidate the distribution of bacterial taxa, patterns of their community structure, and the factors that are potentially important regulators of that structure. We used the quantitative and relative abundances of bacterial taxa to test hypotheses related to their ecology. Total 16S rRNA gene copies ranged from 1.86 × 108 to 1.14 × 109 copies L-1. Bacterial communities were distributed in distinct geographical patterns with spatially adjacent stations clustered together. Spatial considerations may be more important determinants of bacterial community structures than measured environmental variables. The quantitative and relative abundances of bacterial communities exhibited similar distribution patterns and potentially important determinants at the whole-community level, but inner-community connections and correlations with variables differed at subgroup levels. This study advanced understanding of the community structure and distribution patterns of marine bacteria as well as some potentially important determinants thereof in a subtropical oligotrophic ocean system. Results highlighted the importance of considering both the quantitative and relative abundances of members of marine bacterial communities.

Responses of marine phytoplankton communities to environmental changes: New insights from a niche classification scheme.

Predicting changes of phytoplankton communities in response to global warming is one of the challenges of ecological forecasting. One of the constraints is the paucity of general principles applicable to community ecology. Based on a synecological analysis of a decadal-scale database, we created a niche habitat classification scheme relating nine phytoplankton groups to fifteen statistically refined realized niches comprised of three niche dimensions: temperature, irradiance, and nitrate concentrations. The niche scheme assigned the nine phytoplankton groups to three types of niches: a cold type, a warm type, and a type associated with high irradiance and high nitrate concentrations. The fact that phytoplankton groups in cold niches were governed by irradiance and those in warm niches by nitrate is consistent with general ecological theories, but the fact that diatoms were the only dominant group in high-irradiance, high-nitrate niches challenges the idea based on autecological studies that diatoms are generally better adapted to low-irradiance, high-nutrient conditions. When combined with an irradiance model, the niche scheme revealed that photoinhibition of Prochlorococcus, which is predicted from autecological studies, is a function of temperature. We used the niche scheme to predict the responses of phytoplankton communities to environmental changes due to seawater warming and eutrophication. The results of the study suggest that a synecological analysis of large databases from field studies facilitates identification of general principles of community ecology that can be used to forecast responses of biological communities to environmental changes.

The concentration distribution and pollution assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments of the Bohai Bay, China.

Three hundred five surface sediment samples from the Bohai Bay in northeastern China were examined for grain size, organic carbon (Corg) concentration, and concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, As, Cr, Cd, and Hg). Average metal concentrations were 33 mg/kg (Cu), 27 mg/kg (Pb), 95 mg/kg (Zn), 75 mg/kg (Cr), 0.3 mg/kg (Cd), 13 mg/kg (As), and 72 µg/kg (Hg). In most cases, these concentrations were lower than the China Marine Sediment Quality criteria. Enrichment factors, however, suggested moderate to strong Cd and Hg contamination of the Bohai Bay. The fact that 68.6% of Pollution Load Index (PLI) values exceeded 2 demonstrated strong pollution of the Bohai Bay, Hg contributed the most to the PLI.

Elemental Composition, Phosphorous Uptake, and Characteristics of Growth of a SAR11 Strain in Batch and Continuous Culture.

In this study, a strain of SAR11 subgroup IIIa (termed HIMB114) was grown in seawater-based batch and continuous culture in order to quantify cellular features and metabolism relevant to SAR11 ecology. We report some of the first direct measurements of cellular elemental quotas for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for SAR11, grown in batch culture: 1.4 ± 0.9 fg N and 0.44 ± 0.01 fg P, respectively, that were consistent with the small size of HIMB114 cells (average volume of 0.09 µm3). However, the mean carbon (C) cellular quota of 50 ± 47 fg C was anomalously high, but variable. The rates of phosphate (PO4 3-) uptake measured from both batch and continuous cultures were exceptionally slow: in chemostats growing at 0.3 day-1, HIMB114 took up 1.1 ± 0.3 amol P cell-1 day-1, suggesting that <30% of the cellular P requirement of HIMB114 was met by PO4 3- assimilation. The mean rate of leucine incorporation, a measure of bacterial production, during late-log-phase growth of batch HIMB114 cultures was 0.042 ± 0.02 amol Leu cell-1 h-1 While only weakly correlated with changes in specific growth rates, the onset of stationary phase resulted in decreases in cell-specific leucine incorporation that were proportional to changes in growth rate. The rates of cellular production, respiratory oxygen consumption, and changes in total organic C concentrations constrained cellular growth efficiencies to 13% ± 4%. Hence, despite a small genome and diminutively sized cells, SAR11 strain HIMB114 appears to grow at efficiencies similar to those of naturally occurring bacterioplankton communities.IMPORTANCE While SAR11 bacteria contribute a significant fraction to the total picoplankton biomass in the ocean and likely are major players in organic C and nutrient cycling, the cellular characteristics and metabolic features of most lineages have either only been hypothesized from genomes or otherwise not measured in controlled laboratory experimentation. The dearth of data on even the most basic characteristics for what is arguably the most abundant heterotroph in seawater has limited the specific consideration of SAR11 in ocean ecosystem modeling efforts. In this study, we provide measures of cellular P, N, and C, aerobic respiration, and bacterial production for a SAR11 strain growing in natural seawater medium that can be used to directly relate these features of SAR11 to biogeochemical cycling in the oceans. Through the development of a chemostat system to measure nutrient uptake during steady-state growth, we have also documented inorganic P uptake rates that allude to the importance of organic phosphorous to meet cellular P demands, even in the presence of nonlimiting PO4 3- concentrations.

Coupling carbon and energy fluxes in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

The major biogeochemical cycles of marine ecosystems are driven by solar energy. Energy that is initially captured through photosynthesis is transformed and transported to great ocean depths via complex, yet poorly understood, energy flow networks. Herein we show that the chemical composition and specific energy (Joules per unit mass or organic carbon) of sinking particulate matter collected in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre reveal dramatic changes in the upper 500 m of the water column as particles sink and age. In contrast to these upper water column processes, particles reaching the deep sea (4000 m) are energy-replete with organic carbon-specific energy values similar to surface phytoplankton. These enigmatic results suggest that the particles collected in the abyssal zone must be transported by rapid sinking processes. These fast-sinking particles control the pace of deep-sea benthic communities that live a feast-or-famine existence in an otherwise energy-depleted habitat.

Mercury and selenium levels, and Se:Hg molar ratios in freshwater fish from South Louisiana.

Ample historical evidence has demonstrated the neurotoxicity of organic Hg. However, several studies have suggested that Se effectively sequesters MeHg. The affinity of Hg is up to ≈106 times higher for Se molecules than for comparable sulfur molecules, most of which are components of brain enzymes. The neurotoxicity of MeHg is associated with its binding to Se and the resultant interference with selenoenzymes (Ralston & Raymond, Global Advances in Selenium Research from Theory to Application, 2016). Therefore, having ample Se reserves is an effective way to mitigate MeHg's toxicity. When the molar ratios of Se to Hg in fish exceed 1.0, ingestion of the fish is unlikely to deplete Se reserves. The goal of this study was to determine the Hg and Se levels, and the Se:Hg molar ratios in freshwater fish from south Louisiana and the implications of those ratios with respect to fish consumption and Hg advisories. Five waterbodies were surveyed (University lake, Calcasieu lake, Toledo Bend, the Atchafalaya River and Henderson Lake). The sampled species included black drum (Pogonias cromis), catfish sp., largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and bluegill (Eupomotis macrochirus). All fish were assayed for total Hg and Se. The average Hg concentration was 0.001 µmol g-1 (0.21 ppm), and all concentrations were below the 1 ppm US FDA action level (from 3.1 × 10-5 to 0.003 µmol g-1). Se concentrations exceeded Hg concentrations in most cases. The average Se concentration was 0.003 µmol g-1 (0.27 ppm), all concentrations were around or less than 1.0 ppm (from 3.7 × 10-4 to 0.017 µmol g-1). Hence, the Se:Hg molar ratios were >1 in all fish except largemouth bass from Henderson Lake. In general, Se was detected in sufficient amounts to sequester Hg, but consumption of largemouth bass from Henderson Lake would pose no risk only if anglers followed the posted Hg advisory. For advisory purposes, perhaps, both Hg and Se levels and Se:Hg molar ratios should be considered. In general, the results indicated that risk assessment will require consideration of both the fish species and body of water, because both can influence Se and Hg concentrations and Se:Hg molar ratios.

Surface sediment properties and heavy metal contamination assessment in river sediments of the Pearl River Delta, China.

Concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn), grain sizes, and concentrations of organic carbon (Corg) were measured in 323 river sediment samples from the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Results showed that the heavy metal concentrations in the sediments ranged from 1.6-93 mg/kg for As, 0.04-9.3 mg/kg for Cd, 2-315 mg/kg for Cr, 1.1-352 mg/kg for Cu, 0.01-0.67 mg/kg for Hg, 11-221 mg/kg for Pb, and 11-1234 mg/kg for Zn. The highest values of As, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn appeared in the Beijiang River, whereas Cd was high in the Xijiang River. The overall sediment quality in the area with respect to metal concentrations generally met the primary standard criteria of China (Marine Sediment Quality), except for Cd and Cu. The spatial distributions of the heavy metals were influenced by both grain sizes and Corg concentrations. The Igeo geo-accumulation index indicated that there was no significant Cr, Cu, Hg, or Zn pollution, slight to moderate pollution by As and Pb, and moderate Cd pollution in the study area. Spatial distributions of an eco-toxicological index based on probable effect levels indicated that there was a 21% probability that the combination of the seven metals was exerting a toxic stress in the PRD river sediments.

Using a trait-based approach to optimize mixotrophic growth of the red microalga Porphyridium purpureum towards fatty acid production.

BACKGROUND: Organic carbon sources have been reported to simultaneously increase the growth and lipid accumulation in microalgae. However, there have been no studies of the mixotrophic growth of Porphyridium purpureum in organic carbon media. In this study, three organic carbon sources, glucose, sodium acetate, and glycerol were used as substrates for the mixotrophic growth of P. purpureum. Moreover, a novel trait-based approach combined with Generalized Additive Modeling was conducted to determine the dosage of each organic carbon source that optimized the concentration of cell biomass or fatty acid. RESULTS: A 0.50% (w/v) dosage of glucose was optimum for the enhancement of the cell growth of P. purpureum, whereas sodium acetate performed well in enhancing cell growth, arachidonic acid (ARA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) content, and glycerol was characterized by its best performance in promoting both cell growth and ARA/EPA ratio. The optimum dosages of sodium acetate and glycerol for the ARA concentration were 0.25% (w/v) and 0.38% (v/v), respectively. An ARA concentration of 211.47 mg L-1 was obtained at the optimum dosage of glycerol, which is the highest ever reported. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that a comprehensive consider of several traits offers an effective strategy to select an optimum dosage for economic and safe microalgae cultivation. This study represents the first attempt of mixotrophic growth of P. purpureum and proved that both biomass and ARA accumulation could be enhanced under supplements of organic carbon sources, which brightens the commercial cultivation of microalgae for ARA production.

Diel Patterns of Variable Fluorescence and Carbon Fixation of Picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus-Dominated Phytoplankton in the South China Sea Basin.

The various photosynthetic apparatus and light utilization strategies of phytoplankton are among the critical factors that regulate the distribution of phytoplankton and primary productivity in the ocean. Active chlorophyll fluorescence has been a powerful technique for assessing the nutritional status of phytoplankton by studying the dynamics of photosynthesis. Further studies of the energetic stoichiometry between light absorption and carbon fixation have enhanced understanding of the ways phytoplankton adapt to their niches. To explore the ecophysiology of a Prochlorococcus-dominated phytoplankton assemblage, we conducted studies of the diel patterns of variable fluorescence and carbon fixation by phytoplankton in the oligotrophic South China Sea (SCS) basin in June 2017. We found that phytoplankton photosynthetic performance at stations SEATS and SS1 were characterized by a nocturnal decrease, dawn maximum, and midday decrease of the maximum quantum yield of PSII ( Fv(') / Fm(') , which has been denoted as both Fv/Fm and Fv' / Fm' ) in the nutrient-depleted surface layer. That these diel patterns of Fv(') / Fm(') were similar to those in the tropical Pacific Ocean suggests macro-nutrient and potentially micro-nutrient stress. However, the fact that variations were larger in the central basin than at the basin's edge implied variability in the degree of nutrient limitation in the basin. The estimated molar ratio of gross O2 production to net production of carbon (GOP:NPC) of 4.9:1 was similar to ratios reported across the world's oceans. The narrow range of the GOP:NPC ratios is consistent with the assumption that there is a common strategy for photosynthetic energy allocation by phytoplankton. That photo-inactivated photosystems or nonphotochemical quenching rather than GOP accounted for most of the radiation absorbed by phytoplankton explains why the maximum quantum yield of carbon fixation was rather low in the oligotrophic SCS.

Relative Contributions of Halobacteriovorax and Bacteriophage to Bacterial Cell Death under Various Environmental Conditions.

The role of protists and bacteriophages in bacterial predation in the microbial food web has been well studied. There is mounting evidence that Bdellovibrio and like organisms (BALOs) also contribute to bacterial mortality and, in some cases, more so than bacteriophages. A full understanding of the ecologic function of the microbial food web requires recognition of all major predators and the magnitude of each predator's contribution. Here we investigated the contribution of Halobacteriovorax, one of the BALOs, and bacteriophages when incubated with their common prey, Vibrio vulnificus, in a seawater microcosm. We observed that Halobacteriovorax was the greatest responder to the prey, increasing 18-fold with a simultaneous 4.4-log-unit reduction of V. vulnificus at 40 h, whereas the bacteriophage population showed no significant increase. In subsequent experiments to formulate a medium that would support the predatory activities and replication of both predators, low-nutrient media favored the predation and replication of the Halobacteriovorax, whereas higher-nutrient media enhanced phage growth. The greatest prey reduction and replication of both Halobacteriovorax and phage were observed in media with moderate nutrient levels. Additional experiments show that the predatory activities of both predators were influenced by environmental conditions, specifically, temperature and salinity. The two predators combined exerted greater control on V. vulnificus, a synergism that may be exploited for practical applications to reduce bacterial populations. These findings suggest that along with bacteriophage and protists, Halobacteriovorax has the potential to have a prominent role in bacterial mortality and cycling of nutrients, two vital ecologic functions.IMPORTANCE Although much has been reported about the marine microbial food web and the role of micropredators, specifically viruses and protists, the contribution of Bdellovibrio-like predators has largely been ignored, posing a major gap in understanding food web processes. A complete scenario of the microbial food web cannot be developed until the roles of all major micropredators and the magnitude of their contributions to bacterial mortality, structuring of microbial communities, and cycling of nutrients are assessed. Here we show compelling evidence that Halobacteriovorax, a predatory bacterium, is a significant contributor to bacterial death and, in some cases, may rival viruses as agents of bacterial mortality. These results advance current understanding of the microbial loop and top-down control on the bacterial community.

Effects of increasing atmospheric CO2 on the marine phytoplankton and bacterial metabolism during a bloom: A coastal mesocosm study.

Increases of atmospheric CO2 concentrations due to human activity and associated effects on aquatic ecosystems are recognized as an environmental issue at a global scale. Growing attention is being paid to CO2 enrichment effects under multiple stresses or fluctuating environmental conditions in order to extrapolate from laboratory-scale experiments to natural systems. We carried out a mesocosm experiment in coastal water with an assemblage of three model phytoplankton species and their associated bacteria under the influence of elevated CO2 concentrations. Net community production and the metabolic characteristics of the phytoplankton and bacteria were monitored to elucidate how these organisms responded to CO2 enrichment during the course of the algal bloom. We found that CO2 enrichment (1000µatm) significantly enhanced gross primary production and the ratio of photosynthesis to chlorophyll a by approximately 38% and 39%, respectively, during the early stationary phase of the algal bloom. Although there were few effects on bulk bacterial production, a significant decrease of bulk bacterial respiration (up to 31%) at elevated CO2 resulted in an increase of bacterial growth efficiency. The implication is that an elevation of CO2 concentrations leads to a reduction of bacterial carbon demand and enhances carbon transfer efficiency through the microbial loop, with a greater proportion of fixed carbon being allocated to bacterial biomass and less being lost as CO2. The contemporaneous responses of phytoplankton and bacterial metabolism to CO2 enrichment increased net community production by about 45%, an increase that would have profound implications for the carbon cycle in coastal marine ecosystems.

Warming and eutrophication combine to restructure diatoms and dinoflagellates.

Temperature change and eutrophication are known to affect phytoplankton communities, but relatively little is known about the effects of interactions between simultaneous changes of temperature and nutrient loading in coastal ecosystems. Here we show that such interaction is key in driving diatom-dinoflagellate dynamics in the East China Sea. Diatoms and dinoflagellates responded differently to temperature, nutrient concentrations and ratios, and their interactions. Diatoms preferred lower temperature and higher nutrient concentrations, while dinoflagellates were less sensitive to temperature and nutrient concentrations, but tended to prevail at low phosphorus and high N:P ratio conditions. These different traits of diatoms and dinoflagellates resulted in the fact that both the effect of warming resulting in nutrients decline as a consequence of increasing stratification and the effect of increasing terrestrial nutrient input as a result of eutrophication might promote dinoflagellates over diatoms. We predict that conservative forecasts of environmental change by the year 2100 are likely to result in the decrease of diatoms in 60% and the increase of dinoflagellates in 70% of the surface water of the East China Sea, and project that mean diatoms should decrease by 19% while mean dinoflagellates should increase by 60% in the surface water of the coastal East China Sea. This analysis is based on a series of statistical niche models of the consequences of multiple environmental changes on diatom and dinoflagellate biomass in the East China Sea based on 2815 samples randomly collected from 23 cruises spanning 14 years (2002-2015). Our findings reveal that dinoflagellate blooms will be more frequent and intense, which will affect coastal ecosystem functioning.

Surface sediment properties and heavy metal pollution assessment in the Shallow Sea Wetland of the Liaodong Bay, China.

Liaodong Bay, a semi-enclosed bay located in northeastern China, is impacted by the discharges of five rivers. We analyzed 100 surface sediment samples from the Shallow Sea Wetland of Liaodong Bay for grain size and concentrations of organic carbon (Corg) and heavy metals. The ranges of the heavy metal concentrations were 2.32-17µg/g (As), 0.025-1.03µg/g (Cd), 18.9-131µg/g (Cr), 4.6-36.1µg/g (Cu), 0.012-0.29µg/g (Hg), 13.7-33.9µg/g (Pb), and 17.4-159µg/g (Zn). Pollution assessments revealed that some stations were moderately to highly polluted with As, Cd, and Hg. Severe pollution was apparent in the Xiaoling River estuary; lower concentrations of heavy metals were observed in other river mouths, where the sediments were more coarse. The distributions of the heavy metals were closely associated with Corg and grain size.