Colonization of freshwater biofilms by nitrifying bacteria from activated sludge

Mußmann, Marc; Ribot, Miquel; Schiller, Daniel von; Merbt, Stephanie N.; Augspurger, Clemens; Karwautz, Clemens; Winkel, Matthias; Battin, Tom J.; Martı́, Eugènia; Daims, Holger

doi:10.1111/1574-6941.12103

Cited by 41 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Nitrospira defluvii" and strain BS10 originated, nitrite concentrations of 7 to 8 M in activated-sludge samples (52) and 21 to 571 M in sewage influents (Hamburg Wasser, personal communication, 2014) were measured. Nitrospira bacteria have commonly been detected in oligotrophic ecosystems such as subsur- face fluids (53) and freshwaters with nitrite at nanomolar concentrations and below the detection limit, respectively (54,55). These findings and the oxidation kinetics measured in this study support the suggested classification of Nitrospira bacteria as K strategists (16).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Comparison of Oxidation Kinetics of Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria: Nitrite Availability as a Key Factor in Niche Differentiation

Nowka

Daims

Spieck

2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

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292

208

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Nitrification has an immense impact on nitrogen cycling in natural ecosystems and in wastewater treatment plants. Mathematical models function as tools to capture the complexity of these biological systems, but kinetic parameters especially of nitriteoxidizing bacteria (NOB) are lacking because of a limited number of pure cultures until recently. In this study, we compared the nitrite oxidation kinetics of six pure cultures and one enrichment culture representing three genera of NOB (Nitrobacter, Nitrospira, Nitrotoga). With half-saturation constants (K m ) between 9 and 27 M nitrite, Nitrospira bacteria are adapted to live under significant substrate limitation. Nitrobacter showed a wide range of lower substrate affinities, with K m values between 49 and 544 M nitrite. However, the advantage of Nitrobacter emerged under excess nitrite supply, sustaining high maximum specific activities (V max ) of 64 to 164 mol nitrite/mg protein/h, contrary to the lower activities of Nitrospira of 18 to 48 mol nitrite/mg protein/h. The V max (26 mol nitrite/mg protein/h) and K m (58 M nitrite) of "Candidatus Nitrotoga arctica" measured at a low temperature of 17°C suggest that Nitrotoga can advantageously compete with other NOB, especially in cold habitats. The kinetic parameters determined represent improved basis values for nitrifying models and will support predictions of community structure and nitrification rates in natural and engineered ecosystems.A erobic nitrite oxidation is the second microbially mediated part of nitrification, a key process in the global nitrogen cycle, catalyzed by autotrophic, slow-growing nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Under nitrifying conditions, the growth of NOB is directly linked to the nitrite production rate and the kinetics of nitrite oxidation (1). Nitrification occurs in almost every aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem, in natural as well as in artificial environments like wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The intermediate nitrite hardly accumulates, but local or temporary peaks might appear especially when conditions suddenly change or adverse conditions like alkaline pH values impair NOB activity (2). In WWTPs, disturbances can cause nitrite peaks after destabilization of the NOB guild (3). In soils, nitrite concentrations can vary from ϳ0.01 to ϳ100 g of nitrogen g of soil Ϫ1 , with the highest values measured in fertilized samples (4). Therefore, the concentration of nitrite as the substrate of NOB varies and is regarded as one major factor providing niche differentiation (5). In the ecological context, field studies are important to characterize nitrifying communities with specific activities and affinities for nitrite, but for a better understanding of wastewater treatment processes, mathematical models are required (6). Such models include ecophysiological kinetic data, which are known primarily for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) (7). They provide the substrate nitrite for the second major step of nitrification. However, the development of two-step nitrification models also ...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Comparison of Oxidation Kinetics of Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria: Nitrite Availability as a Key Factor in Niche Differentiation

Nowka

Daims

Spieck

2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

Self Cite

292

208

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“…The NO 2 Ϫ and NO 3 Ϫ concentrations increased until day 7 and were stable subsequently. No NO 2 Ϫ accumulation was observed, possibly due to the presence of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in downstream sediments (54). The in vitro incubations used here differ from in-river conditions and, as a result, reflect only potential ammonia oxidation rates.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Wastewater Effluent Impacts Ammonia-Oxidizing Prokaryotes of the Grand River, Canada

Sonthiphand

Cejudo

Schiff

et al. 2013

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The Grand River (Ontario, Canada) is impacted by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that release ammonia (NH 3 and NH 4 ؉ ) into the river. In-river microbial communities help transform this ammonia into more oxidized compounds (e.g., NO 3 ؊ or N 2 ), although the spatial distribution and relative abundance of freshwater autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes (AOP) are not well characterized. This study investigated freshwater N cycling within the Grand River, focusing on sediment and water columns, both inside and outside a WWTP effluent plume. The diversity, relative abundance, and nitrification activity of AOP were investigated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and reverse transcriptase qPCR (RT-qPCR), targeting both 16S rRNA and functional genes, together with activity assays. The analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA gene fingerprints showed that the WWTP effluent strongly affected autochthonous bacterial patterns in the water column but not those associated with sediment nucleic acids. Molecular and activity data demonstrated that ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) were numerically and metabolically dominant in samples taken from outside the WWTP plume, whereas ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) dominated numerically within the WWTP effluent plume. Potential nitrification rate measurements supported the dominance of AOB activity in downstream sediment. Anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria were detected primarily in sediment nucleic acids. In-river AOA patterns were completely distinct from effluent AOA patterns. This study demonstrates the importance of combined molecular and activity-based studies for disentangling molecular signatures of wastewater effluent from autochthonous prokaryotic communities.T he Grand River is the largest watershed in Southwestern Ontario, draining into Lake Erie, and is impacted by ammonia (NH 3 and NH 4 ϩ ) sources that directly affect water quality. The oxidation of anthropogenic ammonia to less toxic forms (e.g., NO 3 Ϫ or N 2 ) by ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes (AOP) helps prevent ammonia from exceeding toxicity thresholds for aquatic organisms and limits for downstream drinking water intake. AOP include aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) and anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria.Nitrification is composed of two biological processes: ammonia and nitrite oxidation. Ammonia oxidation is considered the rate-limiting step in nitrification (1) and was believed for many decades to be mediated solely by a group of chemolithoautotrophic AOB (2). In 2005, AOA were also discovered (3). Although studies have confirmed the presence and abundance of AOA in both natural (e.g., references 4-6) and engineered (e.g., references 7-9) environments, relative contributions to ammonia oxidation in these environments are difficult to assess. Although AOA, rather than AOB, were active in soil microcosms and acid soils due to low ammonia availability and their kinetic constant (K m ) for ammonia (10), AOB showed e...

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“…In addition, previous studies showed that typical microorganisms in WWTP systems could easily colonize the niche of native species in river sediments via effluent inputs (Mußmann et al 2013;Cébron and Garnier 2005). As the main drainage river of Beijing, Beiyun River receives large amounts of effluents from WWTP (Jing et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in the sediments of Beiyun River, China

2016

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Ammonia oxidation, driven by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), plays an important role in the global nitrogen cycle. However, the population and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in the sediments of urban rivers with intensive anthropogenic nitrogen inputs is still unclear. In this study, we compared the diversity and abundance of AOA and AOB in Beiyun River sediments from summer to winter. AOB dominated numerically over AOA and the abundance of both the amoA genes were much higher in winter than in summer, while AOA communities were more phylogenetically diverse than AOB in this study area. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Nitrosospira sp. was the dominant AOB in summer, with Nitrosomonas sp. dominant in winter, while no specific genus was found for AOA in present study. The main pollutants and microbial communities in the sediments deriving from Yangwa Watergate were different from other sites. Clone libraries showed that a considerable percentage of amoA sequences matched closely with those from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) systems. The seasonal change in nitrate content was significantly and positively related to the seasonal variation in amoA abundance (P < 0.05). Total nitrogen, total organic carbon, ammonium, and pH were the main environmental factors accounting for the difference in community composition of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in the sediments of Beiyun River. These findings suggest that effluent inputs, water gate operation, and seasonal changes might be key factors determining the abundance and distribution of AOB and AOA in the sediments of urban rivers.

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Colonization of freshwater biofilms by nitrifying bacteria from activated sludge

Cited by 41 publications

References 58 publications

Comparison of Oxidation Kinetics of Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria: Nitrite Availability as a Key Factor in Niche Differentiation

Comparison of Oxidation Kinetics of Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria: Nitrite Availability as a Key Factor in Niche Differentiation

Wastewater Effluent Impacts Ammonia-Oxidizing Prokaryotes of the Grand River, Canada

Abundance and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in the sediments of Beiyun River, China

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