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Osborne C, Gilbert-Parkes S, Spiers G, Lamit LJ, Lilleskov EA, Basiliko N, Watmough S. Global Patterns of Metal and Other Element Enrichment in Bog and Fen Peatlands. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2024; 86:125-139. [PMID: 38340164 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-024-01051-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Peatlands are found on all continents, covering 3% of the global land area. However, the spatial extent and causes of metal enrichment in peatlands is understudied and no attempt has been made to evaluate global patterns of metal enrichment in bog and fen peatlands, despite that certain metals and rare earth elements (REE) arise from anthropogenic sources. We analyzed 368 peat cores sampled in 16 countries across five continents and measured metal and other element concentrations at three depths down to 70 cm as well as estimated cumulative atmospheric S deposition (1850-2009) for each site. Sites were assigned to one of three distinct broadly recognized peatland categories (bog, poor fen, and intermediate-to-moderately rich fen) that varied primarily along a pH gradient. Metal concentrations differed among peatland types, with intermediate-to-moderately rich fens demonstrating the highest concentrations of most metals. Median enrichment factors (EFs; a metric comparing natural and anthropogenic metal deposition) for individual metals were similar among bogs and fens (all groups), with metals likely to be influenced by anthropogenic sources (As, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Sb) demonstrating median enrichment factors (EFs) > 1.5. Additionally, mean EFs were substantially higher than median values, and the positive correlation (< 0.40) with estimated cumulative atmospheric S deposition, confirmed some level of anthropogenic influence of all pollutant metals except for Hg that was unrelated to S deposition. Contrary to expectations, high EFs were not restricted to pollutant metals, with Mn, K and Rb all exhibiting elevated median EFs that were in the same range as pollutant metals likely due to peatland biogeochemical processes leading to enrichment of these nutrients in surface soil horizons. The global patterns of metal enrichment in bogs and fens identified in this study underscore the importance of these peatlands as environmental archives of metal deposition, but also illustrates that biogeochemical processes can enrich metals in surface peat and EFs alone do not necessarily indicate atmospheric contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chetwynd Osborne
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Spencer Gilbert-Parkes
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, K9L 0G2, Canada
| | | | | | - Erik A Lilleskov
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Houghton, MI, USA
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Shaun Watmough
- School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, K9L 0G2, Canada.
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Levasseur PA, Aherne J, Basiliko N, Emilson EJS, Preston MD, Sager EPS, Watmough SA. Soil carbon pools and fluxes following the regreening of a mining and smelting degraded landscape. Sci Total Environ 2023; 904:166734. [PMID: 37673266 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Increasing forest cover by regreening mining and smelting degraded landscapes provides an opportunity for global carbon (C) sequestration, however, the reported effects of regreening on soil C processes are mixed. One of the world's largest regreening programs is in the City of Greater Sudbury, Canada and has been ongoing since 1978. Prior to regreening, soils in the City of Greater Sudbury area were highly eroded, acidic, rich in metals, and poor in nutrients. This study used a chronosequence approach to investigate how forest soil C pools and fluxes have changed with stand age in highly "eroded" sites with minimal soil cover (n = 6) and "stable" sites covered by soil (n = 6). Encouragingly, the relationship between stand age and soil C processes (litterfall, litter decomposition, soil respiration, fine root growth) at both stable and eroded sites were comparable to observations reported for jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) plantations that have not been subject to over a century of industrial impacts. There was a strong "home-field advantage" for local decomposers, where litter decomposition rates were higher using a site-specific pine litter compared with a common pine litter. Higher soil respiration at eroded sites was linked to higher soil temperature, likely because of a more open tree canopy. Forest floor C pools increased with stand age while mineral soil C and aggregate C concentrations decreased with stand age. This loss of soil C is small relative to the substantial increases in aboveground tree and forest floor C pools, leading to a sizeable increase in total ecosystem C pools following regreening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick A Levasseur
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada.
| | - Julian Aherne
- Trent School of the Environment, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Rd., Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Erik J S Emilson
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, 1219 Queen St. East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Michael D Preston
- Faculty of Environment, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Eric P S Sager
- Trent School of the Environment, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Shaun A Watmough
- Trent School of the Environment, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada
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Seward J, Bräuer S, Beckett P, Roy-Léveillée P, Emilson E, Watmough S, Basiliko N. Recovery of Smelter-Impacted Peat and Sphagnum Moss: a Microbial Perspective. Microb Ecol 2023; 86:2894-2903. [PMID: 37632540 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02289-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Peatlands store approximately one-half of terrestrial soil carbon and one-tenth of non-glacial freshwater. Some of these important ecosystems are located near heavy metal emitting smelters. To improve the understanding of smelter impacts and potential recovery after initial pollution controls in the 1970s (roughly 50 years of potential recovery), we sampled peatlands along a distance gradient of 134 km from a smelter in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, an area with over a century of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) mining activity. This work is aimed at evaluating potential shifts in bacterial and archaeal community structures in Sphagnum moss and its underlying peat within smelter-impacted poor fens. In peat, total Ni and Cu concentrations were higher (0.062-0.067 and 0.110-0.208 mg/g, respectively) at sites close to the smelter and exponentially dropped with distance from the smelter. This exponential decrease in Ni concentrations was also observed in Sphagnum. 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing showed that peat and Sphagnum moss host distinct microbiomes with peat accommodating a more diverse community structure. The microbiomes of Sphagnum were dominated by Proteobacteria (62.5%), followed by Acidobacteria (11.9%), with no observable trends with distance from the smelter. Dominance of Acidobacteria (32.4%) and Proteobacteria (29.6%) in peat was reported across all sites. No drift in taxonomy was seen across the distance gradient or from the reference sites, suggesting a potential microbiome recovery toward that of the reference peatlands microbiomes after decades of pollution controls. These results advance the understanding of peat and Sphagnum moss microbiomes, as well as depict the sensitivities and the resilience of peatland ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Seward
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the School of Natural Sciences, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada.
| | - Suzanna Bräuer
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, 572 Rivers Street, Boone, NC, 28608, USA
| | - Peter Beckett
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the School of Natural Sciences, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Pascale Roy-Léveillée
- Department of Geography, Université Laval, Pavillon Abitibi-Price, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Erik Emilson
- Natural Resources Canada, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, 1219 Queen St. East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Shaun Watmough
- School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Rd., Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada
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Munford KE, Gilbert-Parkes S, Mykytczuk NCS, Basiliko N, Yakimovich KM, Poulain A, Watmough SA. How arsenic contamination influences downslope wetland plant and microbial community structure and function. Sci Total Environ 2023; 876:162839. [PMID: 36921856 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Mine tailings are prevalent worldwide and can adversely impact adjacent ecosystems, including wetlands. This study investigated the impact of gold (Au) mine tailings contamination on peatland soil and pore water geochemistry, vegetation and microbial communities, and microbial carbon (C) cycling. Maximum arsenic (As) concentrations in peat and pore water reached 20,137 mg kg-1 and 16,730 μg L-1, respectively, but decreased by two orders of magnitude along a 128 m gradient extending from the tailings into the wetland. Carbon and other macronutrient (N, P, K) concentrations in peat and pore water significantly increased with distance from contamination. Relative percent cover and species richness of vascular and non-vascular plants significantly increased with distance into the wetland, with higher non-vascular richness being found at intermediate distances before transitioning to a vascular plant dominated community. Bacterial and archaeal community composition exhibited a decreased proportion of members of the phylum Acidobacteria (notably of the order Acidobacteriales) and increased diversity and richness of methanogens across a larger range of orders farther from the tailings source, an indication of microbial C-cycling potential. Consistent with changes in microbial communities, in vitro microbial CH4 production potential significantly increased with distance from the contaminant source. This study demonstrates both the profound negative impact that metalliferous tailings contamination can have on above and belowground communities in peatlands, and the value of wetland preservation and restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimber E Munford
- Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada.
| | | | - Nadia C S Mykytczuk
- School of the Environment, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- School of Natural Sciences and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Kurt M Yakimovich
- School of Natural Sciences and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Alexandre Poulain
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Shaun A Watmough
- School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
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Watmough S, Gilbert-Parkes S, Basiliko N, Lamit LJ, Lilleskov EA, Andersen R, del Aguila-Pasquel J, Artz RE, Benscoter BW, Borken W, Bragazza L, Brandt SM, Bräuer SL, Carson MA, Chen X, Chimner RA, Clarkson BR, Cobb AR, Enriquez AS, Farmer J, Grover SP, Harvey CF, Harris LI, Hazard C, Hoyt AM, Hribljan J, Jauhiainen J, Juutinen S, Kane ES, Knorr KH, Kolka R, Könönen M, Laine AM, Larmola T, Levasseur PA, McCalley CK, McLaughlin J, Moore TR, Mykytczuk N, Normand AE, Rich V, Robinson B, Rupp DL, Rutherford J, Schadt CW, Smith DS, Spiers G, Tedersoo L, Thu PQ, Trettin CC, Tuittila ES, Turetsky M, Urbanová Z, Varner RK, Waldrop MP, Wang M, Wang Z, Warren M, Wiedermann MM, Williams ST, Yavitt JB, Yu ZG, Zahn G. Variation in carbon and nitrogen concentrations among peatland categories at the global scale. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0275149. [PMID: 36417456 PMCID: PMC9683585 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Peatlands account for 15 to 30% of the world's soil carbon (C) stock and are important controls over global nitrogen (N) cycles. However, C and N concentrations are known to vary among peatlands contributing to the uncertainty of global C inventories, but there are few global studies that relate peatland classification to peat chemistry. We analyzed 436 peat cores sampled in 24 countries across six continents and measured C, N, and organic matter (OM) content at three depths down to 70 cm. Sites were distinguished between northern (387) and tropical (49) peatlands and assigned to one of six distinct broadly recognized peatland categories that vary primarily along a pH gradient. Peat C and N concentrations, OM content, and C:N ratios differed significantly among peatland categories, but few differences in chemistry with depth were found within each category. Across all peatlands C and N concentrations in the 10-20 cm layer, were 440 ± 85.1 g kg-1 and 13.9 ± 7.4 g kg-1, with an average C:N ratio of 30.1 ± 20.8. Among peatland categories, median C concentrations were highest in bogs, poor fens and tropical swamps (446-532 g kg-1) and lowest in intermediate and extremely rich fens (375-414 g kg-1). The C:OM ratio in peat was similar across most peatland categories, except in deeper samples from ombrotrophic tropical peat swamps that were higher than other peatlands categories. Peat N concentrations and C:N ratios varied approximately two-fold among peatland categories and N concentrations tended to be higher (and C:N lower) in intermediate fens compared with other peatland types. This study reports on a unique data set and demonstrates that differences in peat C and OM concentrations among broadly classified peatland categories are predictable, which can aid future studies that use land cover assessments to refine global peatland C and N stocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun Watmough
- Trent University, School of the Environment, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - Louis J. Lamit
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, United States of America
| | - Erik A. Lilleskov
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Houghton, MI, United States of America
| | - Roxanne Andersen
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle St., United Kingdom
| | | | - Rebekka E. Artz
- Ecological Sciences, James Hutton Institute, Castle St., Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Brian W. Benscoter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States of America
| | - Werner Borken
- University Bayreuth, Soil Ecology, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Luca Bragazza
- Department of Life Science and Biotechnologies, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Stefani M. Brandt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arcata, CA, United States of America
| | - Suzanna L. Bräuer
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, United States of America
| | - Michael A. Carson
- Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xin Chen
- Zhejiang University, College of Life Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Rodney A. Chimner
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, United States of America
| | | | - Alexander R. Cobb
- Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Andrea S. Enriquez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias (CONICET-INTA), Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Jenny Farmer
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, United Kingdom
| | - Samantha P. Grover
- RMIT University, Applied Chemistry and Environmental Science, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Charles F. Harvey
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lorna I. Harris
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Christina Hazard
- École Centrale de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Environmental Microbial Genomics, Laboratoire Ampère, Ecully, France
| | - Alison M. Hoyt
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - John Hribljan
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE, United States of America
| | - Jyrki Jauhiainen
- University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sari Juutinen
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Evan S. Kane
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, United States of America
| | - Klaus-Holger Knorr
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, Ecohydrology & Biogeochemistry Group, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Randy Kolka
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America
| | - Mari Könönen
- University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Tuula Larmola
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Carmody K. McCalley
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Jim McLaughlin
- Ontario Forest Research Institute, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, United States of America
| | - Tim R. Moore
- Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Nadia Mykytczuk
- Laurentian University, School of the Environment and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anna E. Normand
- University of Florida, Soil and Water Sciences, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Virginia Rich
- Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Bryce Robinson
- Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - Danielle L. Rupp
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, United States of America
| | - Jasmine Rutherford
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, W.A., Australia
| | - Christopher W. Schadt
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America
| | - Dave S. Smith
- Department of Biology, California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA, United States of America
| | - Graeme Spiers
- Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - Leho Tedersoo
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Pham Q. Thu
- Forest Protection Research Centre, Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences, Hanoi City, Vietnam
| | - Carl C. Trettin
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Cordesville, SC, United States of America
| | | | - Merritt Turetsky
- INSTAAR, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States of America
| | - Zuzana Urbanová
- Department of Ecosystem Biology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Ruth K. Varner
- Department of Earth Science and Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States of America
| | - Mark P. Waldrop
- Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, USGS Menlo Park, Menlo Park, CA, United States of America
| | - Meng Wang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Institute for Peat and Mire Research, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Zheng Wang
- College of Forestry, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, Hebei, China
| | - Matt Warren
- Earth Innovation Institute, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Magdalena M. Wiedermann
- Departments of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Shanay T. Williams
- Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Joseph B. Yavitt
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Zhi-Guo Yu
- Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing, China
| | - Geoff Zahn
- Utah Valley University, Orem, UT, United States of America
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Desjardins SM, Laamanen CA, Basiliko N, Senhorinho GNA, Scott JA. Dark stress for improved lipid quantity and quality in bioprospected acid-tolerant green microalgae. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2022; 369:6615457. [PMID: 35746875 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnac057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The cost of microalgae cultivation is one of the largest limitations to achieving sustainable, large-scale microalgae production of commercially desirable lipids. Utilizing CO2 as a 'free' carbon source from waste industrial flue gas emissions can offer wide-ranging cost savings. However, these gas streams typically create acidic environments, in which most microalgae cannot survive due to the concentration of CO2 and the presence of other acidic gasses such as NO2 and SO2. To address this situation, we investigated growth of a mixed acid-tolerant green microalgal culture (91% dominated by a single Coccomyxa sp. taxon) bioprospected at pH 2.8 from an acid mine drainage impacted water body. The culture was grown at pH 2.5 and fed with a simulated flue gas containing 6% CO2 and 94% N2. On reaching the end of the exponential growth phase, the culture was exposed to either continued light-dark cycle conditions or continual dark conditions. After three days in the dark, the biomass consisted of 28% of lipids, which was 42% higher than at the end of the exponential phase and 55% higher than the maximum lipid content achieved under light/dark conditions. The stress caused by being continually in the dark also favoured the production of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs; 19.47% and 21.04%, respectively, after 7 days) compared to 7-days of light-dark treatment (1.94% and 9.53%, respectively) and showed an increase in nitrogen content (C:N ratio of 6.4) compared to light-dark treatment (C:N ratio of 11.9). The results of the research indicate that use of acid tolerant microalgae overcomes issues using flue gasses that will create an acidic environment and that applying dark stress is a low-cost stressor stimulates production of desirable dietary lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina M Desjardins
- School of Engineering, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Corey A Laamanen
- School of Engineering, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Biology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Gerusa N A Senhorinho
- School of Engineering, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - John A Scott
- School of Engineering, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
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Gauthier M, Senhorinho G, Basiliko N, Desjardins S, Scott J. Green Photosynthetic Microalgae from Low pH Environments Associated with Mining as a Potential Source of Antioxidants. Ind Biotechnol (New Rochelle N Y) 2022. [DOI: 10.1089/ind.2022.0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- M.R. Gauthier
- School of Engineering, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - G.N.A. Senhorinho
- School of Engineering, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - N. Basiliko
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - S. Desjardins
- School of Engineering, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - J.A. Scott
- School of Engineering, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
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Smenderovac E, Emilson C, Porter T, Morris D, Hazlett P, Diochon A, Basiliko N, Bélanger N, Markham J, Rutherford PM, van Rees K, Jones T, Venier L. Forest soil biotic communities show few responses to wood ash applications at multiple sites across Canada. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4171. [PMID: 35264620 PMCID: PMC8907164 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07670-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
There is interest in utilizing wood ash as an amendment in forestry operations as a mechanism to return nutrients to soils that are removed during harvesting, with the added benefit of diverting this bioenergy waste material from landfill sites. Existing studies have not arrived at a consensus on what the effects of wood ash amendments are on soil biota. We collected forest soil samples from studies in managed forests across Canada that were amended with wood ash to evaluate the effects on arthropod, bacterial and fungal communities using metabarcoding of F230, 16S, 18S and ITS2 sequences as well as enzyme analyses to assess its effects on soil biotic function. Ash amendment did not result in consistent effects across sites, and those effects that were detected were small. Overall, this study suggests that ash amendment applied to managed forest systems in amounts (up to 20 Mg ha-1) applied across the 8 study sties had little to no detectable effects on soil biotic community structure or function. When effects were detected, they were small, and site-specific. These non-results support the application of wood ash to harvested forest sites to replace macronutrients (e.g., calcium) removed by logging operations, thereby diverting it from landfill sites, and potentially increasing stand productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Smenderovac
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Natural Resources Canada, P6A 2E5, Canada.
| | - Caroline Emilson
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Natural Resources Canada, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Teresita Porter
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Natural Resources Canada, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Dave Morris
- Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, Thunder Bay, P7E 2V6, Canada
| | - Paul Hazlett
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Natural Resources Canada, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | | | | | | | - John Markham
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | | | - Ken van Rees
- University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, S7N 5B5, Canada
| | - Trevor Jones
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Natural Resources Canada, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Lisa Venier
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Natural Resources Canada, P6A 2E5, Canada
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9
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Chan-Yam K, Meyer T, Scott JA, Basiliko N. Methane production potential of pulp mill sludges: microbial community and substrate constraints. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2022; 368:6498120. [PMID: 34994385 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnab161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sludges from pulp and paper mills represent a major ecological and environmental cost, and anaerobic digestion represents a method of waste reduction and energy recovery for these mills. This study compared methane production potential and microbial communities across 11 primary and biosludges from 5 pulp and paper mills using various mill processes. We measured methane production from sludges in anaerobic batch reactor experiments over 64d. Sludges were incubated with and without added substrate to test for organic substrate limitation versus inhibition of methanogens. Initial microbial communities and changes to community composition were determined using Illumina MiSeq for metabarcoding of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes. Mean methane production potential varied greatly between sludges (0.002-79 mL CH4 g-1 TS). Among primary sludges, kraft mill sludge produced more methane than other mill types. For these other mills, biosludge produced more methane than primary sludge, which had evidence of methanogen inhibition. Microbial communities and diversity were influenced by the initial community composition, and high methane production was only seen in sludges with high diversity. A number of sludges innately produced substantial methane and may be targets for further modelling and larger-scale testing of anaerobic digestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Chan-Yam
- Laurentian University Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Canada
| | - Torsten Meyer
- Laurentian University Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Canada
| | - J Ashley Scott
- Laurentian University Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Canada.,Laurentian University Bharti School of Engineering, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Laurentian University Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Canada.,Laurentian University Bharti School of Engineering, Canada
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10
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Bear SE, Seward JD, Lamit LJ, Basiliko N, Moore T, Lilleskov E, Yavitt JB, Schadt CW, Smith DS, Mclaughlin J, Siljanen H, Mykytczuk N, Williams S, Roulet N, Harris L, Carson MA, Watmough S, Bräuer SL. Beyond the usual suspects: methanogenic communities in eastern North American peatlands are also influenced by nickel and copper concentrations. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2021; 368:6455310. [PMID: 34875049 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnab151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Peatlands both accumulate carbon and release methane, but their broad range in environmental conditions means that the diversity of microorganisms responsible for carbon cycling is still uncertain. Here, we describe a community analysis of methanogenic archaea responsible for methane production in 17 peatlands from 36 to 53 N latitude across the eastern half of North America, including three metal-contaminated sites. Methanogenic community structure was analysed through Illumina amplicon sequencing of the mcrA gene. Whether metal-contaminated sites were included or not, metal concentrations in peat were a primary driver of methanogenic community composition, particularly nickel, a trace element required in the F430 cofactor in methyl-coenzyme M reductase that is also toxic at high concentrations. Copper was also a strong predictor, likely due to inhibition at toxic levels and/or to cooccurrence with nickel, since copper enzymes are not known to be present in anaerobic archaea. The methanogenic groups Methanocellales and Methanosarcinales were prevalent in peatlands with low nickel concentrations, while Methanomicrobiales and Methanomassiliicoccales were abundant in peatlands with higher nickel concentrations. Results suggest that peat-associated trace metals are predictors of methanogenic communities in peatlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney E Bear
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, 572 Rivers Street, Boone, NC 28608, USA
| | - James D Seward
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the Department of Biology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd., Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Louis Jamie Lamit
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University and Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 114 Life Sciences Complex Syracuse, NY, USA 13244-1100
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the Department of Biology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd., Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Tim Moore
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B9, Canada
| | - Erik Lilleskov
- US Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 410 MacInnes Drive Houghton, MI, USA 49931-1199
| | - Joseph B Yavitt
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, 16 Fernow Hall Ithaca, NY, USA 14853
| | - Christopher W Schadt
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road Oak Ridge, TN, USA 37831-6038
| | - Dave Solance Smith
- Department of Biology, California State University San Bernardino, 5500 University Parkway San Bernardino, CA, USA 92407
| | - Jim Mclaughlin
- Canada Department of Soil Science, Ontario Forest Research Institute, 1235 Queen St E Sault Ste Marie, ON, CAN P6A 2E
| | - Henri Siljanen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Biogeochemistry Research Group, University of Eastern Finland, P.O.Box 1627 Kuopio, FI 70211, Finland
| | - Nadia Mykytczuk
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the Department of Biology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd., Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Shanay Williams
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the Department of Biology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd., Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada.,Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Agriculture Building 51 Campus Drive Saskatoon SK S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Nigel Roulet
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B9, Canada
| | - Lorna Harris
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 751 General Services Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada
| | - Michael A Carson
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the Department of Biology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd., Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada.,University of Alberta, University of Alberta 116 St. and 85 Ave., Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2R3
| | - Shaun Watmough
- School of the Environment, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive Peterborough, ON, CAN K9J 7B8
| | - Suzanna L Bräuer
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, 572 Rivers Street, Boone, NC 28608, USA
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11
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Byun E, Rezanezhad F, Fairbairn L, Slowinski S, Basiliko N, Price JS, Quinton WL, Roy-Léveillée P, Webster K, Van Cappellen P. Temperature, moisture and freeze-thaw controls on CO 2 production in soil incubations from northern peatlands. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23219. [PMID: 34853354 PMCID: PMC8636591 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02606-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Peat accumulation in high latitude wetlands represents a natural long-term carbon sink, resulting from the cumulative excess of growing season net ecosystem production over non-growing season (NGS) net mineralization in soils. With high latitudes experiencing warming at a faster pace than the global average, especially during the NGS, a major concern is that enhanced mineralization of soil organic carbon will steadily increase CO2 emissions from northern peatlands. In this study, we conducted laboratory incubations with soils from boreal and temperate peatlands across Canada. Peat soils were pretreated for different soil moisture levels, and CO2 production rates were measured at 12 sequential temperatures, covering a range from - 10 to + 35 °C including one freeze-thaw event. On average, the CO2 production rates in the boreal peat samples increased more sharply with temperature than in the temperate peat samples. For same temperature, optimum soil moisture levels for CO2 production were higher in the peat samples from more flooded sites. However, standard reaction kinetics (e.g., Q10 temperature coefficient and Arrhenius equation) failed to account for the apparent lack of temperature dependence of CO2 production rates measured below 0 °C, and a sudden increase after a freezing event. Thus, we caution against using the simple kinetic expressions to represent the CO2 emissions from northern peatlands, especially regarding the long NGS period with multiple soil freeze and thaw events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunji Byun
- Ecohydrology Research Group, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
| | - Fereidoun Rezanezhad
- Ecohydrology Research Group, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
| | - Linden Fairbairn
- Ecohydrology Research Group, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephanie Slowinski
- Ecohydrology Research Group, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Biology and Vale Living With Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Jonathan S Price
- Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - William L Quinton
- Cold Regions Research Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Pascale Roy-Léveillée
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Kara Webster
- Canadian Forest Service Great Lakes Forestry Centre - Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste Marie, ON, Canada
| | - Philippe Van Cappellen
- Ecohydrology Research Group, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
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12
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Munford KE, Asemaninejad A, Basiliko N, Mykytczuk NCS, Glasauer S, McGarry S, Watmough SA. Native plants facilitate vegetation succession on amended and unamended mine tailings. Int J Phytoremediation 2021; 24:963-974. [PMID: 34647850 DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2021.1987382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Facilitating the establishment of native pioneer plant species on mine tailings with inherent metal and/or acid tolerance is important to speed up natural succession at minimal cost, especially in remote areas where phytoremediation can be labor intensive. We investigated vegetation community dynamics after ∼48 years of succession along two legacy Ni-Cu mine tailings and waste rock deposits in the Sudbury Basin, Ontario, Canada with and without various site amendments (i.e. liming and fertilization) and planting. Metal/acid tolerant pioneer plants (Betula papyrifera, Populus tremuloides, Pohlia nutans) appeared to facilitate the establishment of less tolerant species. Conifers and nitrogen-fixers less tolerant to site conditions were planted at the fully amended (limed, fertilized, planted) mine tailings site in the 1970s, but conifers were not propagating at the site or facilitating understory succession. The planted nitrogen-fixing leguminous species Lotus corniculatus was, however, associated with increased diversity. These findings have implications for long-term reclamation strategies in acidic mine waste deposits utilizing native species, as primary colonizing tree species are only recently emerging as candidates for phytoremediation. Novelty statement The potential for native species to act as facilitators for vegetation colonization has rarely been investigated on tailings, despite wide use in remediation of less toxic sites. This study provides a retrospective of over 40 years of plant growth following initial treatment of toxic tailings. We observed that regardless of tailings geochemical conditions, acid/metal tolerant pioneer plants were facilitating ecological succession on acidic Ni-Cu mine tailings sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimber E Munford
- Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | | | - Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | | | - Susan Glasauer
- School of Environmental Sciences, Guelph University, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | | | - Shaun A Watmough
- School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
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13
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Asemaninejad A, Langley S, Mackinnon T, Spiers G, Beckett P, Mykytczuk N, Basiliko N. Blended municipal compost and biosolids materials for mine reclamation: Long-term field studies to explore metal mobility, soil fertility and microbial communities. Sci Total Environ 2021; 760:143393. [PMID: 33213923 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Application of stable soil amendments is often the key to successful phytostabilization and rehabilitation of mine tailings, and microbial guilds are primary drivers of many geochemical processes promoted by these amendments. Field studies were set up at a tailings management area near Sudbury, Ontario to examine performance of blends of lime stabilized municipal biosolids and compost at nine different rates over thick (1 m) municipal compost covers planted with agricultural crops. Based on biogeochemical variability of the substrates four and ten years after application of the initial compost cover, the experimental plots could be classified into three categories: "Low" rate (0-100 t ha-1 biosolids), "Medium" rate (200-800 t ha-1), and "High" rate (1600-3200 t ha-1) treatments. The addition of biosolids materials to the thick compost cover at rates higher than 100 t ha-1 significantly reduced C:N ratio of the substrates, available phosphorus, and some of the nutrient cations, while notably increasing inorganic carbon and the potential solubility of Ni and Cu. This suggests that increasing biosolids application rates may not equivalently ameliorate soil quality and geochemical stability. Correspondingly, microbial communities were altered by biosolids additions, further intensifying the negative impacts of biosolids on long-term efficiency of the initial compost cover. Abundance of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignocellulose decomposers (as key drivers of mineralization and humification) was significantly reduced by "Medium" and "High" rate treatments. Most DNA sequences with high affinity to denitrifiers were detected in "High" rate treatments where geochemical conditions were optimal for higher microbial denitrification activities. These findings have implications for improving the long-term efficiency of reclamation and environmental management programs in mine tailings of northern temperate climates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asma Asemaninejad
- Natural Resources Canada, CanmetMINING, 555 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G1, Canada.
| | - Sean Langley
- Natural Resources Canada, CanmetMINING, 555 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G1, Canada
| | - Ted Mackinnon
- Natural Resources Canada, CanmetMINING, 555 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G1, Canada
| | - Graeme Spiers
- Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada; Laurentian University School of the Environment, Canada
| | - Peter Beckett
- Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada; Laurentian University Department of Biology, Canada
| | - Nadia Mykytczuk
- Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada; Laurentian University School of the Environment, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada; Laurentian University Department of Biology, Canada
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14
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Desjardins SM, Laamanen CA, Basiliko N, Scott JA. Selection and re-acclimation of bioprospected acid-tolerant green microalgae suitable for growth at low pH. Extremophiles 2021; 25:129-141. [PMID: 33475805 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-021-01216-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
For mass culture of photosynthetic green microalgae, industrial flue gases can represent a low-cost resource of CO2. However, flue gases are often avoided, because they often also contain high levels of SO2 and/or NO2, which cause significant acidification of media to below pH 3 due to production of sulfuric and nitric acid. This creates an unsuitable environment for the neutrophilic microalgae commonly used in large-scale commercial production. To address this issue, we have looked at selecting acid-tolerant microalgae via growth at pH 2.5 carried out with samples bioprospected from an active smelter site. Of the eight wild samples collected, one consisting mainly of Coccomyxa sp. grew at pH 2.5 and achieved a density of 640 mg L-1. Furthermore, three previously bioprospected green microalgae from acidic waters (pH 3-4.5) near abandoned mine sites were also re-acclimated down to their in-situ pH environment after approximately 4 years spent at neutral pH. Of those three, an axenic culture of Coccomyxa sp. was the most successful at re-acclimating and achieved the highest density of 293.1 mg L-1 and maximum daily productivity of 38.8 mg L-1 day-1 at pH 3. Re-acclimation of acid-tolerant species is, therefore, achievable when directly placed at their original pH, but gradual reduction in pH is recommended to give the cells time to acclimate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Marie Desjardins
- Bharti School of Engineering, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Vale Living With Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | | | - Nathan Basiliko
- Bharti School of Engineering, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Vale Living With Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - John Ashley Scott
- Bharti School of Engineering, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada. .,Vale Living With Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada. .,Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.
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15
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L. Bräuer S, Basiliko N, M. P. Siljanen H, H. Zinder S. Methanogenic archaea in peatlands. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2020; 367:5928548. [DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnaa172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Methane emission feedbacks in wetlands are predicted to influence global climate under climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. Herein, we review the taxonomy and physiological ecology of the microorganisms responsible for methane production in peatlands. Common in peat soils are five of the eight described orders of methanogens spanning three phyla (Euryarchaeota, Halobacterota and Thermoplasmatota). The phylogenetic affiliation of sequences found in peat suggest that members of the thus-far-uncultivated group Candidatus Bathyarchaeota (representing a fourth phylum) may be involved in methane cycling, either anaerobic oxidation of methane and/or methanogenesis, as at least a few organisms within this group contain the essential gene, mcrA, according to metagenomic data. Methanogens in peatlands are notoriously challenging to enrich and isolate; thus, much remains unknown about their physiology and how methanogen communities will respond to environmental changes. Consistent patterns of changes in methanogen communities have been reported across studies in permafrost peatland thaw where the resulting degraded feature is thermokarst. However much remains to be understood regarding methanogen community feedbacks to altered hydrology and warming in other contexts, enhanced atmospheric pollution (N, S and metals) loading and direct anthropogenic disturbances to peatlands like drainage, horticultural peat extraction, forestry and agriculture, as well as post-disturbance reclamation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanna L. Bräuer
- Appalachian State University, Department of Biology, ASU Box 32027, 572 Rivers Street, Boone, NC 28608-2027 USA
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Laurentian University, Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Henri M. P. Siljanen
- Eastern Finland University, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Biogeochemistry Research Group, Snellmania Room 4042, Yliopistonranta 1, Kuopio, 70210, Finland
| | - Stephen H. Zinder
- Cornell University, Department of Microbiology, 272 Wing Hall, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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16
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Seward J, Carson MA, Lamit LJ, Basiliko N, Yavitt JB, Lilleskov E, Schadt CW, Smith DS, Mclaughlin J, Mykytczuk N, Willims-Johnson S, Roulet N, Moore T, Harris L, Bräuer S. Peatland Microbial Community Composition Is Driven by a Natural Climate Gradient. Microb Ecol 2020; 80:593-602. [PMID: 32388577 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01510-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Peatlands are important players in climate change-biosphere feedbacks via long-term net carbon (C) accumulation in soil organic matter and as potential net C sources including the potent greenhouse gas methane (CH4). Interactions of climate, site-hydrology, plant community, and groundwater chemical factors influence peatland development and functioning, including C dioxide (CO2) and CH4 fluxes, but the role of microbial community composition is not well understood. To assess microbial functional and taxonomic dissimilarities, we used high throughput sequencing of the small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) to determine bacterial and archaeal community composition in soils from twenty North American peatlands. Targeted DNA metabarcoding showed that although Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the dominant phyla on average, intermediate and rich fens hosted greater diversity and taxonomic richness, as well as an array of candidate phyla when compared with acidic and nutrient-poor poor fens and bogs. Moreover, pH was revealed to be the strongest predictor of microbial community structure across sites. Predictive metagenome content (PICRUSt) showed increases in specific genes, such as purine/pyrimidine and amino-acid metabolism in mid-latitude peatlands from 38 to 45° N, suggesting a shift toward utilization of microbial biomass over utilization of initial plant biomass in these microbial communities. Overall, there appears to be noticeable differences in community structure between peatland classes, as well as differences in microbial metabolic activity between latitudes. These findings are in line with a predicted increase in the decomposition and accelerated C turnover, and suggest that peatlands north of 37° latitude may be particularly vulnerable to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Seward
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, 572 Rivers Street, Boone, NC, 28608-2026, USA.
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the Department of Biology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd., Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada.
| | - Michael A Carson
- Department of Renewable Resources, Earth Sciences Building, University of Alberta, 116 St. and 85 Ave., Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - L J Lamit
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the Department of Biology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd., Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Joseph B Yavitt
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Erik Lilleskov
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 410 MacInnes Dr, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA
| | - Christopher W Schadt
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830-6038, USA
| | - Dave Solance Smith
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, 92407, USA
| | - Jim Mclaughlin
- Ontario Forest Research Institute, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
| | - Nadia Mykytczuk
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the Department of Biology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd., Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Shanay Willims-Johnson
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the Department of Biology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd., Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Nigel Roulet
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, QC, H3A 0B9, Canada
| | - Tim Moore
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, QC, H3A 0B9, Canada
| | - Lorna Harris
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, QC, H3A 0B9, Canada
| | - Suzanna Bräuer
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, 572 Rivers Street, Boone, NC, 28608-2026, USA
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17
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Munford KE, Watmough SA, Rivest M, Poulain A, Basiliko N, Mykytczuk NCS. Edaphic factors influencing vegetation colonization and encroachment on arsenical gold mine tailings near Sudbury, Ontario. Environ Pollut 2020; 264:114680. [PMID: 32416423 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Mine tailings are found worldwide and can have significant impacts on ecosystem and human health. In this study, natural vegetation patterns on arsenical (As) gold (Au) mine tailings located in Sudbury, Ontario were assessed using transects located at the edge of the tailings and on the tailings. Vegetation communities were significantly different between the edge and open tailings areas of the site. Arsenic concentrations in both areas were extremely variable (from 285-17,567 mg/kg) but were not significantly correlated with vegetation diversity at the site. Nutrients (carbon (C), phosphorus (P)) and organic matter concentrations were associated with higher diversity and with the presence of climax vegetation on the tailings, but there were no significant relationships between tailings chemistry and vegetation indices on the edge. Encroachment onto the tailings from the edge occurred in conventional succession patterns, with a clear gradient from grasses (Agrostis gigantea) to trees such as Picea glauca. On the tailings, a nucleation pattern was visible, distinct from conventional succession. Trees and shrubs such as Betula papyrifera and Diervilla lonicera were associated with higher diversity and higher nutrient concentrations in the underlying tailings, whereas grasses such as A. gigantea were not. We concluded that at all areas of the site, vegetation - particularly trees - was facilitating amelioration of the underlying tailings. Despite high concentrations of As, nutrients appeared to have a greater influence than metals on vegetation diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimber E Munford
- Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada.
| | - Shaun A Watmough
- School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Maxime Rivest
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Alexandre Poulain
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Nadia C S Mykytczuk
- School of the Environment, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
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18
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Yakimovich KM, Orland C, Emilson EJS, Tanentzap AJ, Basiliko N, Mykytczuk NCS. Lake characteristics influence how methanogens in littoral sediments respond to terrestrial litter inputs. ISME J 2020; 14:2153-2163. [PMID: 32424248 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0680-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Shallow lake sediments harbor methanogen communities that are responsible for large amounts of CH4 flux to the atmosphere. These communities play a major role in degrading in-fluxed terrestrial organic matter (t-OM)-much of which settles in shallow near-shore sediments. Little work has examined how sediment methanogens are affected by the quantity and quality of t-OM, and the physicochemical factors that shape their community. Here, we filled mesocosms with artificial lake sediments amended with different ratios and concentrations of coniferous and deciduous tree litter. We installed them in three boreal lakes near Sudbury, Canada that varied in trophic status and water clarity. We found that higher endogenous nutrient concentrations led to greater CH4 production when sediment solar irradiance was similar, but high irradiance of sediments also led to higher CH4 concentrations regardless of nutrient concentrations, possibly due to photooxidation of t-OM. Sediments with t-OM had overall higher CH4 concentrations than controls that had no t-OM, but there were no significant differences in CH4 concentrations with different t-OM compositions or increasing concentrations over 25%. Differences among lakes also explained variation in methanogen community structure, whereas t-OM treatments did not. Therefore, lake characteristics are important modulators of methanogen communities fueled by t-OM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt M Yakimovich
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada. .,Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada. .,Ecosystems and Global Change group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Chloé Orland
- Ecosystems and Global Change group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Erik J S Emilson
- Natural Resources Canada, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew J Tanentzap
- Ecosystems and Global Change group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Nadia C S Mykytczuk
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,School of the Environment, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
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19
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Porter TM, Morris DM, Basiliko N, Hajibabaei M, Doucet D, Bowman S, Emilson EJS, Emilson CE, Chartrand D, Wainio-Keizer K, Séguin A, Venier L. Variations in terrestrial arthropod DNA metabarcoding methods recovers robust beta diversity but variable richness and site indicators. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18218. [PMID: 31796780 PMCID: PMC6890670 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54532-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial arthropod fauna have been suggested as a key indicator of ecological integrity in forest systems. Because phenotypic identification is expert-limited, a shift towards DNA metabarcoding could improve scalability and democratize the use of forest floor arthropods for biomonitoring applications. The objective of this study was to establish the level of field sampling and DNA extraction replication needed for arthropod biodiversity assessments from soil. Processing 15 individually collected soil samples recovered significantly higher median richness (488-614 sequence variants) than pooling the same number of samples (165-191 sequence variants) prior to DNA extraction, and we found no significant richness differences when using 1 or 3 pooled DNA extractions. Beta diversity was robust to changes in methodological regimes. Though our ability to identify taxa to species rank was limited, we were able to use arthropod COI metabarcodes from forest soil to assess richness, distinguish among sites, and recover site indicators based on unnamed exact sequence variants. Our results highlight the need to continue DNA barcoding local taxa during COI metabarcoding studies to help build reference databases. All together, these sampling considerations support the use of soil arthropod COI metabarcoding as a scalable method for biomonitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresita M Porter
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada.
- Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics & Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Dave M Morris
- Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Thunder Bay, ON, P7E 2V6, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Laurentian University, Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Mehrdad Hajibabaei
- Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics & Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Daniel Doucet
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Susan Bowman
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Erik J S Emilson
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Caroline E Emilson
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Derek Chartrand
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Kerrie Wainio-Keizer
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Armand Séguin
- Laurentian Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Québec, QC, G1V 4C7, Canada
| | - Lisa Venier
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
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Jiao Y, Basiliko N, Kovala AT, Shepherd J, Shang H, Scott JA. TiO
2
based nanopowder coatings over stainless steel plates for UV‐C photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. CAN J CHEM ENG 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/cjce.23653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yongmei Jiao
- Bharti School of EngineeringLaurentian University Sudbury Ontario Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Bharti School of EngineeringLaurentian University Sudbury Ontario Canada
| | | | - Jeffrey Shepherd
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryLaurentian University Sudbury Ontario Canada
| | - Helen Shang
- Bharti School of EngineeringLaurentian University Sudbury Ontario Canada
| | - John A. Scott
- Bharti School of EngineeringLaurentian University Sudbury Ontario Canada
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21
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Gorgolewski A, Rudz P, Jones T, Basiliko N, Caspersen J. Assessing Coarse Woody Debris Nutrient Dynamics in Managed Northern Hardwood Forests Using a Matrix Transition Model. Ecosystems 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-019-00420-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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22
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Carson MA, Bräuer S, Basiliko N. Enrichment of peat yields novel methanogens: approaches for obtaining uncultured organisms in the age of rapid sequencing. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2019; 95:5289378. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiz001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Carson
- Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Suzanna Bräuer
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, 572 Rivers Street, Boone, NC 28608, USA
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
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23
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Asemaninejad A, Arteaga J, Spiers G, Beckett P, McGarry S, Mykytczuk N, Basiliko N. Blended pulp mill, forest humus and mine residual material Technosols for mine reclamation: A growth-chamber study to explore the role of physiochemical properties of substrates and microbial inoculation on plant growth. J Environ Manage 2018; 228:93-102. [PMID: 30212679 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.08.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2018] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A growth chamber trial was conducted to investigate the effects of blends of pulp and paper mill residuals and forest humus on soil properties, microbial communities and germination rate and biomass production of annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) in both acid-producing and neutral to mildly alkaline mine tailings in a mine reclamation context. The organic residual amendments improved the nutritional status of the tailings substrates, and increased pH in acid-generating tailings, leading to higher germination rates and improved plant growth. A trace addition (<0.02% of sludge by dry weight) of natural forest floor material as a microbial inoculum to the sludge could increase plant biomass up to four-fold. The effects of sludge application on bioavailability of metals were variable, with the concentration of soluble copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) increasing in some of the substrates following organic amendments. Addition of paper mill residuals to mine tailings modified the microbial communities observed in the oligotrophic tailings with the majority of DNA sequences in the sludge amended substrates being found to be closely related to heterotrophic bacterial species rather than the chemolithotrophic communities that dominate tailings environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asma Asemaninejad
- Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada.
| | - Jessica Arteaga
- Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Graeme Spiers
- Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada; Laurentian University School of the Environment, Canada
| | - Peter Beckett
- Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada; Laurentian University Department of Biology, Canada
| | - Samantha McGarry
- Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations, A Glencore Company, Canada
| | - Nadia Mykytczuk
- Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada; Laurentian University School of the Environment, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Laurentian University, Vale Living with Lakes Centre, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada; Laurentian University Department of Biology, Canada
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Yakimovich KM, Emilson EJS, Carson MA, Tanentzap AJ, Basiliko N, Mykytczuk NCS. Plant Litter Type Dictates Microbial Communities Responsible for Greenhouse Gas Production in Amended Lake Sediments. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2662. [PMID: 30459741 PMCID: PMC6232422 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The microbial communities of lake sediments play key roles in carbon cycling, linking lakes to their surrounding landscapes and to the global climate system as incubators of terrestrial organic matter and emitters of greenhouse gasses, respectively. Here, we amended lake sediments with three different plant leaf litters: a coniferous forest mix, deciduous forest mix, cattails (Typha latifolia) and then examined the bacterial, fungal and methanogen community profiles and abundances. Polyphenols were found to correlate with changes in the bacterial, methanogen, and fungal communities; most notably dominance of fungi over bacteria as polyphenol levels increased with higher abundance of the white rot fungi Phlebia spp. Additionally, we saw a shift in the dominant orders of fermentative bacteria with increasing polyphenol levels, and differences in the dominant methanogen groups, with high CH4 production being more strongly associated with generalist groups of methanogens found at lower polyphenol levels. Our present study provides insights into and basis for future study on how shifting upland and wetland plant communities may influence anaerobic microbial communities and processes in lake sediments, and may alter the fate of terrestrial carbon entering inland waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt M Yakimovich
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Erik J S Emilson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Natural Resources Canada, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
| | - Michael A Carson
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew J Tanentzap
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Nadia C S Mykytczuk
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,School of the Environment, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
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25
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Orland C, Emilson EJS, Basiliko N, Mykytczuk NCS, Gunn JM, Tanentzap AJ. Microbiome functioning depends on individual and interactive effects of the environment and community structure. ISME J 2018; 13:1-11. [PMID: 30042502 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-018-0230-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
How ecosystem functioning changes with microbial communities remains an open question in natural ecosystems. Both present-day environmental conditions and historical events, such as past differences in dispersal, can have a greater influence over ecosystem function than the diversity or abundance of both taxa and genes. Here, we estimated how individual and interactive effects of microbial community structure defined by diversity and abundance, present-day environmental conditions, and an indicator of historical legacies influenced ecosystem functioning in lake sediments. We studied sediments because they have strong gradients in all three of these ecosystem properties and deliver important functions worldwide. By characterizing bacterial community composition and functional traits at eight sites fed by discrete and contrasting catchments, we found that taxonomic diversity and the normalized abundance of oxidase-encoding genes explained as much variation in CO2 production as present-day gradients of pH and organic matter quantity and quality. Functional gene diversity was not linked to CO2 production rates. Surprisingly, the effects of taxonomic diversity and normalized oxidase abundance in the model predicting CO2 production were attributable to site-level differences in bacterial communities unrelated to the present-day environment, suggesting that colonization history rather than habitat-based filtering indirectly influenced ecosystem functioning. Our findings add to limited evidence that biodiversity and gene abundance explain patterns of microbiome functioning in nature. Yet we highlight among the first time how these relationships depend directly on present-day environmental conditions and indirectly on historical legacies, and so need to be contextualized with these other ecosystem properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Orland
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EA, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Erik J S Emilson
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EA, Cambridge, UK.,Natural Resources Canada, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, 1219 Queen St. E., Sault. Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON, Canada, P3E 2C6
| | - Nadia C S Mykytczuk
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON, Canada, P3E 2C6
| | - John M Gunn
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON, Canada, P3E 2C6
| | - Andrew J Tanentzap
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EA, Cambridge, UK
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26
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Laverdure R, Mezouari A, Carson MA, Basiliko N, Gagnon J. A role for methanogens and methane in the regulation of GLP-1. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab 2018; 1:e00006. [PMID: 30815543 PMCID: PMC6353219 DOI: 10.1002/edm2.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome has emerged as a potential regulator of metabolism. However, the precise mechanisms of how microorganisms may influence physiology remain largely unknown. Interestingly, GI microorganisms, including methanogens, are localized within the same regions as the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secreting L cells. GLP-1 plays key roles appetite and glucose regulation. Furthermore, both methane and GLP-1 levels are altered in obese humans with metabolic disease. We predict that high-fat diet-induced obesity alters the abundance of GI methanogens and that methane may play a role in the GLP-1 secretory response from the L cell. METHODS To demonstrate this, GLP-1 secretion response and faecal methanogens were examined in mice given a high-fat diet for 14 weeks. In addition, the direct effect of methane on GLP-1 secretion was assessed in two L-cell models (NCI-H716 and GLUTag). RESULTS High-fat diet caused a significant increase in both GLP-1 secretion and faecal methanogen content. There was a direct correlation between GLP-1 secretion response and faecal methanogen levels. In L cells, methane stimulated GLP-1 secretion and enhanced intracellular cAMP content. CONCLUSION These results indicate that alterations in the methanogen communities occurring in obesity may play a vital role in directly enhancing GLP-1 secretion, and that methane can directly stimulate the secretion of GLP-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Laverdure
- Department of BiologyLaurentian UniversitySudburyONCanada
| | - Ania Mezouari
- Department of BiologyLaurentian UniversitySudburyONCanada
| | - Michael A. Carson
- Department of BiologyLaurentian UniversitySudburyONCanada
- Vale Living with Lakes CentreLaurentian UniversitySudburyONCanada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Department of BiologyLaurentian UniversitySudburyONCanada
- Vale Living with Lakes CentreLaurentian UniversitySudburyONCanada
| | - Jeffrey Gagnon
- Department of BiologyLaurentian UniversitySudburyONCanada
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Abstract
Introduction: R language is a powerful tool used in a wide array of research disciplines and owes a large amount of its success to its open source and adaptable nature. The popularity of R has grown rapidly over the past two decades and the number of users and packages is increasing at a near exponential rate. This rapid growth has prompted a number of formal and informal online and text resources, the volume of which is beginning to present challenges to novices learning R. Students are often first exposed to R in upper division undergraduate classes or during their graduate studies. The way R is presented likely has consequences for the fundamental understanding of the program and language itself; user comprehension of R may be better if learning the language itself followed by conducting analyses, compared to someone who is learning another subject (e.g. statistics) using R for the first time. Consequently, an understanding of the approaches to R education is critical.
Methods: To establish how students are exposed to R, we used a survey to evaluate the current use in Canadian university courses, including the context in which R is presented and the types of uses of R in the classroom. Additionally, we looked at the reasons professors either do or don’t use/teach R.
Results: We found that R is used in a broad range of course disciplines beyond statistics (e.g. ecology) and just over one half of Canadian universities have at least one course that uses R.
Discussion and Conclusions: Developing programming-literate students is of utmost importance and our hope is that this benchmark study will influence how post-secondary educators, as well as other programmers, approach R, specifically when developing educational and supplemental content in online, text, and package-specific formats aiding in student’s comprehension of the R language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Carson
- Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada
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Harbison AB, Carson MA, Lamit LJ, Basiliko N, Bräuer SL. A novel isolate and widespread abundance of the candidate alphaproteobacterial order (Ellin 329), in southern Appalachian peatlands. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2016; 363:fnw151. [DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnw151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
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Abstract
Biochar particles have been hypothesized to provide unique microhabitats for a portion of the soil microbial community, but few studies have systematically compared biochar communities to bulk soil communities. Here, we used a combination of sequencing techniques to assess the taxonomic and functional characteristics of microbial communities in four-year-old biochar particles and in adjacent soils across three forest environments. Though effects varied between sites, the microbial community living in and around the biochar particles had significantly lower prokaryotic diversity and higher eukaryotic diversity than the surrounding soil. In particular, the biochar bacterial community had proportionally lower abundance of Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes, and β-Proteobacteria taxa, compared to the soil, while the eukaryotic biochar community had an 11% higher contribution of protists belonging to the Aveolata superphylum. Additionally, we were unable to detect a consistent biochar effect on the genetic functional potential of these microbial communities for the subset of the genetic data for which we were able to assign functions through MG-RAST. Overall, these results show that while biochar particles did select for a unique subset of the biota found in adjacent soils, effects on the microbial genetic functional potential appeared to be specific to contrasting forest soil environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genevieve L Noyce
- Department of Geography, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Carolyn Winsborough
- Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - Roberta Fulthorpe
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.,Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
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30
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Graham EB, Knelman JE, Schindlbacher A, Siciliano S, Breulmann M, Yannarell A, Beman JM, Abell G, Philippot L, Prosser J, Foulquier A, Yuste JC, Glanville HC, Jones DL, Angel R, Salminen J, Newton RJ, Bürgmann H, Ingram LJ, Hamer U, Siljanen HMP, Peltoniemi K, Potthast K, Bañeras L, Hartmann M, Banerjee S, Yu RQ, Nogaro G, Richter A, Koranda M, Castle SC, Goberna M, Song B, Chatterjee A, Nunes OC, Lopes AR, Cao Y, Kaisermann A, Hallin S, Strickland MS, Garcia-Pausas J, Barba J, Kang H, Isobe K, Papaspyrou S, Pastorelli R, Lagomarsino A, Lindström ES, Basiliko N, Nemergut DR. Microbes as Engines of Ecosystem Function: When Does Community Structure Enhance Predictions of Ecosystem Processes? Front Microbiol 2016; 7:214. [PMID: 26941732 PMCID: PMC4764795 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 255] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms are vital in mediating the earth's biogeochemical cycles; yet, despite our rapidly increasing ability to explore complex environmental microbial communities, the relationship between microbial community structure and ecosystem processes remains poorly understood. Here, we address a fundamental and unanswered question in microbial ecology: 'When do we need to understand microbial community structure to accurately predict function?' We present a statistical analysis investigating the value of environmental data and microbial community structure independently and in combination for explaining rates of carbon and nitrogen cycling processes within 82 global datasets. Environmental variables were the strongest predictors of process rates but left 44% of variation unexplained on average, suggesting the potential for microbial data to increase model accuracy. Although only 29% of our datasets were significantly improved by adding information on microbial community structure, we observed improvement in models of processes mediated by narrow phylogenetic guilds via functional gene data, and conversely, improvement in models of facultative microbial processes via community diversity metrics. Our results also suggest that microbial diversity can strengthen predictions of respiration rates beyond microbial biomass parameters, as 53% of models were improved by incorporating both sets of predictors compared to 35% by microbial biomass alone. Our analysis represents the first comprehensive analysis of research examining links between microbial community structure and ecosystem function. Taken together, our results indicate that a greater understanding of microbial communities informed by ecological principles may enhance our ability to predict ecosystem process rates relative to assessments based on environmental variables and microbial physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily B Graham
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, BoulderCO, USA; Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, RichlandWA, USA
| | - Joseph E Knelman
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, BoulderCO, USA; US Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut CreekCA, USA
| | - Andreas Schindlbacher
- Department of Forest Ecology, Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Bundesforschungs- und Ausbildungszentrum für Wald Vienna, Austria
| | - Steven Siciliano
- Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK, Canada
| | - Marc Breulmann
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - Centre for Environmental Biotechnology Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anthony Yannarell
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL, USA
| | - J M Beman
- Life and Environmental Sciences and Sierra Nevada Research Institute, University of California - Merced, Merced CA, USA
| | - Guy Abell
- School of Medicine, Flinders University, Adelaide SA, Australia
| | - Laurent Philippot
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - Agroecology Dijon, France
| | - James Prosser
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen Aberdeen, UK
| | - Arnaud Foulquier
- Irstea, UR MALY, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jorge C Yuste
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Davey L Jones
- Environment Centre Wales, Bangor University Gwynedd, UK
| | - Roey Angel
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria
| | - Janne Salminen
- Häme University of Applied Sciences Hämeenlinna, Finland
| | - Ryan J Newton
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee WI, USA
| | - Helmut Bürgmann
- Department of Surface Waters, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Lachlan J Ingram
- Centre for Carbon, Water and Food, The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW, Australia
| | - Ute Hamer
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster Münster, Germany
| | - Henri M P Siljanen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland Kuopio, Finland
| | | | - Karin Potthast
- Institute of Soil Science and Site Ecology, Technische University Dresden, Germany
| | - Lluís Bañeras
- Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Facultat de Ciències, University of Girona Girona, Spain
| | - Martin Hartmann
- Institute for Sustainability Sciences - Agroscope Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Ri-Qing Yu
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler TX, USA
| | - Geraldine Nogaro
- EDF R&D, National Hydraulics and Environmental Laboratory Chatou, France
| | - Andreas Richter
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria
| | - Marianne Koranda
- Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria
| | - Sarah C Castle
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula MT, USA
| | - Marta Goberna
- Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Valencia, Spain
| | - Bongkeun Song
- Department of Biological Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point VA, USA
| | - Amitava Chatterjee
- AES School of Natural Resources Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo ND, USA
| | - Olga C Nunes
- LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environmental, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana R Lopes
- LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environmental, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto Porto, Portugal
| | - Yiping Cao
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority, Costa Mesa CA, USA
| | - Aurore Kaisermann
- UMR, Interactions Sol Plante Atmosphère, INRA Bordeaux Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Sara Hallin
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Michael S Strickland
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, State University, Blacksburg VA, USA
| | | | - Josep Barba
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals, Cerdanyola del Vallès Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hojeong Kang
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University Seoul, South Korea
| | - Kazuo Isobe
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, The University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sokratis Papaspyrou
- Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, University of Cadiz Puerto Real, Spain
| | | | | | - Eva S Lindström
- Department of Ecology and Genetics/Limnology, Uppsala University Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury ON, Canada
| | - Diana R Nemergut
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, BoulderCO, USA; Biology Department, Duke University, DurhamNC, USA
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Fitzpatrick CR, Agrawal AA, Basiliko N, Hastings AP, Isaac ME, Preston M, Johnson MTJ. The importance of plant genotype and contemporary evolution for terrestrial ecosystem processes. Ecology 2016; 96:2632-42. [PMID: 26649385 DOI: 10.1890/14-2333.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Plant genetic variation and evolutionary dynamics are predicted to impact ecosystem processes but these effects are poorly understood. Here we test the hypothesis that plant genotype and contemporary evolution influence the flux of energy and nutrients through soil, which then feedback to affect seedling performance in subsequent generations. We conducted a multiyear field evolution experiment using the native biennial plant Oenothera biennis. This experiment was coupled with experimental assays to address our hypothesis and quantify the relative importance of evolutionary and ecological factors on multiple ecosystem processes. Plant genotype, contemporary evolution, spatial variation, and herbivory affected ecosystem processes (e.g., leaf decay, soil respiration, seedling performance, N cycling), but their relative importance varied between specific ecosystem variables. Insect herbivory and evolution also contributed to a feedback that affected seedling biomass of O. biennis in the next generation. Our results show that heritable variation among plant genotypes can be an important factor affecting local ecosystem processes, and while effects of contemporary evolution were detectable and sometimes strong, they were often contingent on other ecological, factors.
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Abstract
This commentary describes an initiative to bring national and international guest scientists to undergraduate and introductory graduate classrooms via web videoconferencing to facilitate interesting and effective research-informed teaching. Interactions center around both journal articles authored by the guests that are in line with weekly course lecture topics and on learning about the nature of academia in other parts of the world. Some particularly interesting perspectives from guests have come about by connecting with a journal editor-in-chief, a textbook author and with a scientist who shared a recently rejected manuscript and peer reviews. Beyond allowing students a unique behind-the-scenes look into how research questions are asked and answered, this initiative helps overcome the limited nature of a single instructor's research area to better complement the comprehensive scope of university courses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Varun Gupta
- Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada
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Larmola T, Bubier JL, Kobyljanec C, Basiliko N, Juutinen S, Humphreys E, Preston M, Moore TR. Vegetation feedbacks of nutrient addition lead to a weaker carbon sink in an ombrotrophic bog. Glob Chang Biol 2013; 19:3729-3739. [PMID: 23868415 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2013] [Revised: 07/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/10/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
To study vegetation feedbacks of nutrient addition on carbon sequestration capacity, we investigated vegetation and ecosystem CO2 exchange at Mer Bleue Bog, Canada in plots that had been fertilized with nitrogen (N) or with N plus phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) for 7-12 years. Gross photosynthesis, ecosystem respiration, and net CO2 exchange were measured weekly during May-September 2011 using climate-controlled chambers. A substrate-induced respiration technique was used to determine the functional ability of the microbial community. The highest N and NPK additions were associated with 40% less net CO2 uptake than the control. In the NPK additions, a diminished C sink potential was due to a 20-30% increase in ecosystem respiration, while gross photosynthesis rates did not change as greater vascular plant biomass compensated for the decrease in Sphagnum mosses. In the highest N-only treatment, small reductions in gross photosynthesis and no change in ecosystem respiration led to the reduced C sink. Substrate-induced microbial respiration was significantly higher in all levels of NPK additions compared with control. The temperature sensitivity of respiration in the plots was lower with increasing cumulative N load, suggesting more labile sources of respired CO2 . The weaker C sink potential could be explained by changes in nutrient availability, higher woody : foliar ratio, moss loss, and enhanced decomposition. Stronger responses to NPK fertilization than to N-only fertilization for both shrub biomass production and decomposition suggest that the bog ecosystem is N-P/K colimited rather than N-limited. Negative effects of further N-only deposition were indicated by delayed spring CO2 uptake. In contrast to forests, increased wood formation and surface litter accumulation in bogs seem to reduce the C sink potential owing to the loss of peat-forming Sphagnum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuula Larmola
- Environmental Studies Department, Mount Holyoke College, 50 College Street, South Hadley, MA, 01075, USA
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Abstract
Despite the ecological threats posed to northeastern North American forests by the invasive earthworm Lumbricus terrestris L., 1758 (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae), the dispersal behaviour of this organism is poorly understood. This study investigated how environmental conditions influence the immigration behaviour of L. terrestris. Experimental mesocosms were used to test for differences in burrow establishment depending on leaf-litter type (sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) or white pine (Pinus strobus L.)) or the background population density of conspecifics (0, 25, or 100 m−2). Choice chambers were used to test for selection between habitat conditions. Video recording was used to measure the latency between introduction and establishment. A significantly greater proportion of individuals established burrows in the presence of maple over pine litter, although this preference did not result in a significant difference in latency. For higher population density treatments, the time since establishment of the background population of conspecifics had a significant effect on earthworm habitat selection, with an increasing preference for the high-density habitat over time. Population density had a significant effect on latency, with greater latency under low-density conditions. These results suggest that L. terrestris detects differences in litter type and conspecific population density and modifies its immigration behaviour accordingly. Findings may be useful in predicting and responding to future dispersal patterns of this invader.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. McTavish
- University of Toronto Mississauga, Department of Geography, 3359 Mississauga Road North, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- University of Toronto Mississauga, Department of Geography, 3359 Mississauga Road North, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
- University of Toronto, Faculty of Forestry, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3, Canada
| | - Tara E. Sackett
- University of Toronto, Faculty of Forestry, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3, Canada
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Gupta V, Smemo KA, Yavitt JB, Fowle D, Branfireun B, Basiliko N. Stable isotopes reveal widespread anaerobic methane oxidation across latitude and peatland type. Environ Sci Technol 2013; 47:8273-8279. [PMID: 23822884 DOI: 10.1021/es400484t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Peatlands are an important source of the atmospheric greenhouse gas methane (CH4). Although CH4 cycling and fluxes have been quantified for many northern peatlands, imprecision in process-based approaches to predicting CH4 emissions suggests that our understanding of underlying processes is incomplete. Microbial anaerobic oxidation of CH4 (AOM) is an important CH4 sink in marine sediments, but AOM has only recently been identified in a few nonmarine systems. We used (13)C isotope tracers and followed the fate of (13)C into CO2 and peat in order to study the geographic extent, relative importance, and biogeochemistry of AOM in 15 North American peatlands spanning a ∼1500 km latitudinal transect that varied in hydrology, vegetation, and soil chemistry. For the first time, we demonstrate that AOM is a widespread and quantitatively important process across many peatland types and that anabolic microbial assimilation of CH4-C occurs. However, AOM rate is not predicted by CH4 production rates and the primary mechanism of C assimilation remains uncertain. AOM rates are higher in fen than bog sites, suggesting electron acceptor constraints on AOM. Nevertheless, AOM rates were not correlated with porewater ion concentrations or stimulated following additions of nitrate, sulfate, or ferric iron, suggesting that an unidentified electron acceptor(s) must drive AOM in peatlands. Globally, we estimate that AOM could consume a large proportion of CH4 produced annually (1.6-49 Tg) and thereby constrain emissions and greenhouse gas forcing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun Gupta
- Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga , Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
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Basiliko N, Henry K, Gupta V, Moore TR, Driscoll BT, Dunfield PF. Controls on bacterial and archaeal community structure and greenhouse gas production in natural, mined, and restored Canadian peatlands. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:215. [PMID: 23914185 PMCID: PMC3728569 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2013.00215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2013] [Accepted: 07/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Northern peatlands are important global C reservoirs, largely because of their slow rates of microbial C mineralization. Particularly in sites that are heavily influenced by anthropogenic disturbances, there is scant information about microbial ecology and whether or not microbial community structure influences greenhouse gas production. This work characterized communities of bacteria and archaea using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and sequence analysis of 16S rRNA and functional genes across eight natural, mined, or restored peatlands in two locations in eastern Canada. Correlations were explored among chemical properties of peat, bacterial and archaeal community structure, and carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) production rates under oxic and anoxic conditions. Bacteria and archaea similar to those found in other peat soil environments were detected. In contrast to other reports, methanogen diversity was low in our study, with only 2 groups of known or suspected methanogens. Although mining and restoration affected substrate availability and microbial activity, these land-uses did not consistently affect bacterial or archaeal community composition. In fact, larger differences were observed between the two locations and between oxic and anoxic peat samples than between natural, mined, and restored sites, with anoxic samples characterized by less detectable bacterial diversity and stronger dominance by members of the phylum Acidobacteria. There were also no apparent strong linkages between prokaryote community structure and CH4 or CO2 production, suggesting that different organisms exhibit functional redundancy and/or that the same taxa function at very different rates when exposed to different peat substrates. In contrast to other earlier work focusing on fungal communities across similar mined and restored peatlands, bacterial and archaeal communities appeared to be more resistant or resilient to peat substrate changes brought about by these land uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga Mississauga, ON, Canada ; Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology Marburg, Germany
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Preston MD, Smemo KA, McLaughlin JW, Basiliko N. Peatland microbial communities and decomposition processes in the james bay lowlands, Canada. Front Microbiol 2012; 3:70. [PMID: 22393328 PMCID: PMC3289907 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2012.00070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2011] [Accepted: 02/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Northern peatlands are a large repository of atmospheric carbon due to an imbalance between primary production by plants and microbial decomposition. The James Bay Lowlands (JBL) of northern Ontario are a large peatland-complex but remain relatively unstudied. Climate change models predict the region will experience warmer and drier conditions, potentially altering plant community composition, and shifting the region from a long-term carbon sink to a source. We collected a peat core from two geographically separated (ca. 200 km) ombrotrophic peatlands (Victor and Kinoje Bogs) and one minerotrophic peatland (Victor Fen) located near Victor Bog within the JBL. We characterized (i) archaeal, bacterial, and fungal community structure with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism of ribosomal DNA, (ii) estimated microbial activity using community level physiological profiling and extracellular enzymes activities, and (iii) the aeration and temperature dependence of carbon mineralization at three depths (0-10, 50-60, and 100-110 cm) from each site. Similar dominant microbial taxa were observed at all three peatlands despite differences in nutrient content and substrate quality. In contrast, we observed differences in basal respiration, enzyme activity, and the magnitude of substrate utilization, which were all generally higher at Victor Fen and similar between the two bogs. However, there was no preferential mineralization of carbon substrates between the bogs and fens. Microbial community composition did not correlate with measures of microbial activity but pH was a strong predictor of activity across all sites and depths. Increased peat temperature and aeration stimulated CO(2) production but this did not correlate with a change in enzyme activities. Potential microbial activity in the JBL appears to be influenced by the quality of the peat substrate and the presence of microbial inhibitors, which suggests the existing peat substrate will have a large influence on future JBL carbon dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Preston
- Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga Mississauga, ON, Canada
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Gupta V, Smemo KA, Yavitt JB, Basiliko N. Active methanotrophs in two contrasting North American peatland ecosystems revealed using DNA-SIP. Microb Ecol 2012; 63:438-445. [PMID: 21728037 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-011-9902-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2011] [Accepted: 06/20/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The active methanotroph community was investigated in two contrasting North American peatlands, a nutrient-rich sedge fen and nutrient-poor Sphagnum bog using in vitro incubations and (13)C-DNA stable-isotope probing (SIP) to measure methane (CH(4)) oxidation rates and label active microbes followed by fingerprinting and sequencing of bacterial and archaeal 16S rDNA and methane monooxygenase (pmoA and mmoX) genes. Rates of CH(4) oxidation were slightly, but significantly, faster in the bog and methanotrophs belonged to the class Alphaproteobacteria and were similar to other methanotrophs of the genera Methylocystis, Methylosinus, and Methylocapsa or Methylocella detected in, or isolated from, European bogs. The fen had a greater phylogenetic diversity of organisms that had assimilated (13)C, including methanotrophs from both the Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria classes and other potentially non-methanotrophic organisms that were similar to bacteria detected in a UK and Finnish fen. Based on similarities between bacteria in our sites and those in Europe, including Russia, we conclude that site physicochemical characteristics rather than biogeography controlled the phylogenetic diversity of active methanotrophs and that differences in phylogenetic diversity between the bog and fen did not relate to measured CH(4) oxidation rates. A single crenarchaeon in the bog site appeared to be assimilating (13)C in 16S rDNA; however, its phylogenetic similarity to other CO(2)-utilizing archaea probably indicates that this organism is not directly involved in CH(4) oxidation in peat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun Gupta
- Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
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Bengtson P, Basiliko N, Dumont MG, Hills M, Murrell JC, Roy R, Grayston SJ. Links between methanotroph community composition and CH oxidation in a pine forest soil. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2009; 70:356-66. [PMID: 19811539 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2009.00751.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The main gap in our knowledge about what determines the rate of CH(4) oxidation in forest soils is the biology of the microorganisms involved, the identity of which remains unclear. In this study, we used stable-isotope probing (SIP) following (13)CH(4) incorporation into phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and DNA/RNA, and sequencing of methane mono-oxygenase (pmoA) genes, to identify the influence of variation in community composition on CH(4) oxidation rates. The rates of (13)C incorporation into PLFAs differed between horizons, with low (13)C incorporation in the organic soil and relatively high (13)C incorporation into the two mineral horizons. The microbial community composition of the methanotrophs incorporating the (13)C label also differed between horizons, and statistical analyses suggested that the methanotroph community composition was a major cause of variation in CH(4) oxidation rates. Both PLFA and pmoA-based data indicated that CH(4) oxidizers in this soil belong to the uncultivated 'upland soil cluster alpha'. CH(4) oxidation potential exhibited the opposite pattern to (13)C incorporation, suggesting that CH(4) oxidation potential assays may correlate poorly with in situ oxidation rates. The DNA/RNA-SIP assay was not successful, most likely due to insufficient (13)C-incorporation into DNA/RNA. The limitations of the technique are briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per Bengtson
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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Basiliko N, Blodau C, Roehm C, Bengtson P, Moore TR. Regulation of Decomposition and Methane Dynamics across Natural, Commercially Mined, and Restored Northern Peatlands. Ecosystems 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-007-9083-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Blodau C, Basiliko N, Mayer B, Moore TR. The fate of experimentally deposited nitrogen in mesocosms from two Canadian peatlands. Sci Total Environ 2006; 364:215-28. [PMID: 15996718 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2004] [Accepted: 06/06/2005] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
In large regions of Europe and North America, peatlands have been exposed to elevated rates of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. We investigated the fate of experimentally added N (NH(4)(15)NO3) at two different N loads (1.2 and 4.7 g N m(-2) yr(-1)) and water tables (1 and 32 cm) in intact cores from two peatlands, located in Central and Eastern Canada. The sites receive an estimated total N load of 0.6 g m(-2) a(-1) and 1.5 g m(-2) yr(-1), excluding nitrogen fixation. In all treatments, experimentally added nitrate (NO(3-)) was fully (96-99%) and ammonium (NH(4+)) mostly (81-97%) retained by the plant cover, mainly consisting of Sphagnum mosses, or in the unsaturated zone below. However, on average only 48% of the (15)N were recovered from the plant cover, and substantial amounts were found in depth layers of 2-6 cm (21-46%) and 8-12 cm (1.4-10.8%) below the moss surface. The amount of (15)N retained also significantly decreased with a lower water table from 56+/-9% to 40+/-10%. These findings document a substantial mobility of N, particularly during water table drawdown. Analysis of (15)N by a sequential diffusion procedure revealed a transfer of (15)N from NO(3-) into NH(4+) and dissolved organic N (DON), but the contents of (15)N in these pools accounted for less than 1% of the total N, natural background subtracted. The mass flux of dissolved (15)N into the peat was small compared to the total mass flux of (15)N. The accumulation of (15)N in the bulk peat must have been caused by a mechanism that was not investigated, possibly by transport of particulate organic N.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Blodau
- Limnological Research Station and Department of Hydrology, University of Bayreuth, D-95444 Bayreuth, Germany.
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