Methylomonas defluvii sp. nov., a type I methane-oxidizing bacterium from a secondary sedimentation tank of a wastewater treatment plant

An aerobic methanotroph was isolated from a secondary sedimentation tank of a wastewater treatment plant and designated strain OY6T. Cells of OY6T were Gram-stain-negative, pink-pigmented, motile rods and contained an intracytoplasmic membrane structure typical of type I methanotrophs. OY6T could grow at a pH range of 4.5-7.5 (optimum pH 6.5) and at temperatures ranging from 20 °C to 37 °C (optimum 30 °C). The major cellular fatty acids were C14 : 0, C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c and C16 : 1ω5c; the predominant respiratory quinone was MQ-8. The genome size was 5.41 Mbp with a DNA G+C content of 51.7 mol%. OY6T represents a member of the family Methylococcaceae of the class Gammaproteobacteria and displayed 95.74-99.64 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the type strains of species of the genus Methylomonas. Whole-genome comparisons based on average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridisation (dDDH) confirmed that OY6T should be classified as representing a novel species. The most closely related type strain was Methylomonas fluvii EbBT, with 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, ANI by blast (ANIb), ANI by MUMmer (ANIm) and dDDH values of 99.64, 90.46, 91.92 and 44.5 %, respectively. OY6T possessed genes encoding both the particulate methane monooxygenase enzyme and the soluble methane monooxygenase enzyme. It grew only on methane or methanol as carbon sources. On the basis of phenotypic, genetic and phylogenetic data, strain OY6T represents a novel species within the genus Methylomonas for which the name Methylomonas defluvii sp. nov. is proposed, with strain OY6T (=GDMCC 1.4114T=KCTC 8159T=LMG 33371T) as the type strain.

[Straw Composts with Composite Inoculants and Their Effects on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents and Enzyme Activity]

The utilization of straw resources is of great significance to agricultural environmental protection and sustainable agricultural development. Based on the isolated 15 high-efficient cellulose degrading bacteria in the laboratory, the composite inoculants (JFB-1) which can effectively degrade crop straw were screened, and the effects of straw composts with the composite inoculants on soil carbon and nitrogen contents and enzyme activity were studied. The results showed that the composite inoculants could accelerate straw decomposition for 1-2 d during single fermentation period, and the organic matter contents in straw composts reached 403.5-515.1 g·kg^-1, while the ratio of carbon and nitrogen decreased from 10.53 to 15.30. The pot experiments found that the application effects of rice straw composts were generally better than those of corresponding asparagus straw composts. Compared with the control compost of rice straw, when the application amount of rice straw compost using the composite inoculants was 150 g·kg^-1, the contents of soil organic matter and total nitrogen increased by 33.5% and 7.3%, and soil urease and cellulase activities increased by 16.7% and 30.8%, respectively. Compared with no fertilization treatment, the application of straw composts could improve soil microbial community structure, and increase microbial diversity indices. When the application amount of rice straw compost using the composite inoculants was 100 g·kg^-1, the biomass of common Chinese cabbage cultivated for 30 d increased by 46.4% compared to the control compost of rice straw. These results indicated that the composite inoculants have great application potential in straw composts.