Inland waters have been recognized as a signifi- cant source of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere at the global scale. Fluxes of CO2 between aquatic systems and the atmosphere are calculated from the gas transfer velocity and the water-air gradient of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2). Currently, direct measurements of waterpCO2 remain scarce in freshwaters, and most published pCO2 data are calculated from temperature, pH and total alkalinity (TA). Here, we compare calculated (pH and TA) and measured (equilibra- tor and headspace) water pCO2 in a large array of temperate and tropical freshwaters. The 761 data points cover a wide range of values for TA (0 to 14 200 µmol L 1 ), pH (3.94 to 9.17), measured pCO2 (36 to 23 000 ppmv), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) (29 to 3970 µmol L 1 ). Calculated pCO2 were > 10 % higher than measured pCO2 in 60 % of the samples (with a median overestimation of calculated pCO2 compared to measured pCO2 of 2560 ppmv) and were > 100 % higher in the 25 % most organic-rich and acidic samples (with a median overestimation of 9080 ppmv). We suggest these large overestimations of calculated pCO2 with respect to measured pCO2 are due to the combination of two cumulative effects: (1) a more significant contribution of or- ganic acids anions to TA in waters with low carbonate alka- linity and high DOC concentrations; (2) a lower buffering ca- pacity of the carbonate system at low pH, which increases the sensitivity of calculated pCO2 to TA in acidic and organic- rich waters. No empirical relationship could be derived from our data set in order to correct calculated pCO2 for this bias. Owing to the widespread distribution of acidic, organic-rich freshwaters, we conclude that regional and global estimates of CO2 outgassing from freshwaters based on pH and TA data only are most likely overestimated, although the magni- tude of the overestimation needs further quantitative analysis. Direct measurements of pCO2 are recommended in inland waters in general, and in particular in acidic, poorly buffered freshwaters.

https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/12/67/2015/bg-12-67-2015.pdf

Technical Note: Large overestimation of pCO2 calculated from pH and alkalinity in acidic, organic-rich freshwaters

Synthetic thermoplastics constitute the majority by percentage of anthropogenic debris entering the Earth's oceans. Microplastics (=5-mm fragments) are rapidly emerging pollutants in marine ecosystems that may transport potentially toxic chemicals into macrobial food webs. This commentary evaluates our knowledge concerning the interactions between marine organisms and microplastics and identifies the lack of microbial research into microplastic contamination as a significant knowledge gap. Microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, and picoeukaryotes) in coastal sediments represent a key category of life with reference to understanding and mitigating the potential adverse effects of microplastics due to their role as drivers of the global functioning of the marine biosphere and as putative mediators of the biodegradation of plastic-associated additives, contaminants, or even the plastics themselves. As such, research into the formation, structure, and activities of microplastic-associated microbial biofilms is essential in order to underpin management decisions aimed at safeguarding the ecological integrity of our seas and oceans.

Interactions between microorganisms and marine microplastics: A call for research

Nitrification and denitrification are key steps in nitrogen (N) cycling. The coupling of these processes, which affects the flow of N in ecosystems, requires close interaction of nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms, both spatially and temporally. The diversity, temporal and spatial variations in the microbial communities affecting these processes was examined, in relation to N cycling, across 12 sites in the Fitzroy river estuary, which is a turbid subtropical estuary in central Queensland. The estuary is a major source of nutrients discharged to the Great Barrier Reef near-shore zone. Measurement of nitrogen fluxes showed an active denitrifying community during all sampling months. Archaeal ammonia monooxygenase (amoA of AOA, functional marker for nitrification) was significantly more abundant than Betaproteobacterial (beta-AOB) amoA. Nitrite reductase genes, functional markers for denitrification, were dominated by nirS and not nirK types at all sites during the year. AOA communities were dominated by the soil/sediment cluster of Crenarchaeota, with sequences found in estuarine sediment, marine and terrestrial environments, whereas nirS sequences were significantly more diverse (where operational taxonomic units were defined at both the threshold of 5% and 15% sequence similarity) and were closely related to sequences originating from estuarine sediments. Terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis revealed that AOA population compositions varied spatially along the estuary, whereas nirS populations changed temporally. Statistical analysis of individual T-RF dominance suggested that salinity and C:N were associated with the community succession of AOA, whereas the nirS-type denitrifier communities were related to salinity and chlorophyll-alpha in the Fitzroy river estuary.

/pdf/archaeal-ammonia-oxidizers-and-nirs-type-denitrifiers-32o1sit40t.pdf

Archaeal ammonia oxidizers and nirS -type denitrifiers dominate sediment nitrifying and denitrifying populations in a subtropical macrotidal estuary

We used a combination of field and laboratory approaches to address how the bioturbation activity of two crustaceans, the ghost shrimp Neotrypaea californiensis and the fiddler crab Uca crenulata, affects the microbial diversity in the seabed of a coastal lagoon (Catalina Harbor, Santa Catalina Island, CA, USA). Detailed geochemical analyses, including oxygen microsensor measurements, were performed to characterize environmental parameters. We used a whole-assemblage fingerprinting approach (ARISA: amplified ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis) to compare bacterial diversity along geochemical gradients and in relation to subsurface microniches. The two crustaceans have different burrowing behaviors. The ghost shrimp maintains complex, deep-reaching burrows and permanently lives subterranean, supplying its burrow with oxygen-rich water. In contrast, the fiddler crab constructs simpler, J-shaped burrows, which it does not inhabit permanently and does not actively ventilate. Our goal was to address how varying environmental parameters affect benthic microbial communities. An important question in benthic microbial ecology has been whether burrows support similar or unique communities compared with the sediment surface. Our results showed that sediment surface microbial communities are distinct from subsurface assemblages and that different burrow types support diverse bacterial taxa. Statistical comparisons by canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the availability of oxidants (oxygen, nitrate, ferric iron) play a key role in determining the presence and abundance of different taxa. When geochemical parameters were alike, microbial communities associated with burrows showed significant similarity to sediment surface communities. Our study provides implications on the community structure of microbial communities in marine sediments and the factors controlling their distribution.

/pdf/biodiversity-of-benthic-microbial-communities-in-bioturbated-3oo2j1o37c.pdf

Biodiversity of benthic microbial communities in bioturbated coastal sediments is controlled by geochemical microniches.

Over 50% of external dissolved inorganic nitrogen inputs to estuaries are removed by denitrification - the microbial conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas under anaerobic conditions. In this study, denitrifier abundance, potential rates and community structure were examined in sediments from the San Francisco Bay estuary. Abundance of nirK genes (encoding Cu-containing nitrite reductase) ranged from 9.7 × 10(3) to 4.4 × 10(6) copies per gram of sediment, while the abundance of nirS genes (encoding cytochrome cd1 nitrite reductase) ranged from 5.4 × 10(5) to 5.4 × 10(7) copies per gram of sediment. nirK gene abundance was highest in the riverine North Bay, whereas nirS gene abundance was highest in the more marine Central and South Bays. Denitrification potential (DNP) rate measurements were highest in the San Pablo and Central Bays and lowest in the North Bay. nirS-type denitrifiers may be more biogeochemically important than nirK-type denitrifiers in this estuary, because DNP rates were positively correlated with nirS abundance, nirS abundance was higher than nirK abundance at every site and time point, and nirS richness was higher than nirK richness at every site. Statistical analyses demonstrated that salinity, organic carbon, nitrogen and several metals were key factors influencing denitrification rates, nir abundance and community structure. Overall, this study provides valuable new insights into the abundance, diversity and biogeochemical activity of estuarine denitrifying communities and suggests that nirS-type denitrifiers likely play an important role in nitrogen removal in San Francisco Bay, particularly at high-salinity sites.

Denitrifier abundance and activity across the San Francisco Bay estuary.

Linking denitrifier community structure and prevalent biogeochemical parameters in the pelagial of the central Baltic Proper (Baltic Sea)

. The aim of this study was to compare structural differences in the nirS-type denitrifying microbial communities along the environmental gradients observed in the water column and coastal sediments of the Baltic Sea. To link community structure and environmental gradients, denitrifier communities were analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) based on nirS as a functional marker gene for denitrification. nirS-type denitrifier community composition was further evaluated by phylogenetic analysis of nirS sequences from clone libraries. T-RFLP analysis indicated some overlap but also major differences between communities from the water column and the sediment. Shifts in community composition along the biogeochemical gradients were observed only in the water column while denitrifier communities were rather uniform within the upper 30 mm of the sediment. Specific terminal restriction fragments (T-RFs) indicative of the sulfidic zone suggest the presence of nitrate-reducing and sulfide-oxidizing microorganisms that were previously shown to be important at the suboxic-sulfidic interface in the water column of the Baltic Sea. Phylogenetic analysis of nirS genes from the Baltic Sea and of sequences from marine habitats all over the world indicated distinct denitrifier communities that grouped mostly according to their habitats. We suggest that these subgroups of denitrifiers had developed after selection through several factors, i.e. their habitats (water column or sediment), impact by prevalent environmental conditions and isolation by large geographic distances between habitats.

/pdf/nirs-containing-denitrifier-communities-in-the-water-column-4gvjxfnjjz.pdf

nirS -containing denitrifier communities in the water column and sediment of the Baltic Sea

We studied potential denitrification activity and the underlying denitrifier communities in soils from a semiarid savanna ecosystem of the Kavango region in NE Namibia to help in predicting future changes in N2O emissions due to continuing changes of land use in this region. Soil type and land use (pristine, fallow, and cultivated soils) influenced physicochemical characteristics of the soils that are relevant to denitrification activity and N2O fluxes from soils and affected potential denitrification activity. Potential denitrification activity was assessed by using the denitrifier enzyme activity (DEA) assay as a proxy for denitrification activity in the soil. Soil type and land use influenced C and N contents of the soils. Pristine soils that had never been cultivated had a particularly high C content. Cultivation reduced soil C content and the abundance of denitrifiers and changed the composition of the denitrifier communities. DEA was strongly and positively correlated with soil C content and was higher in pristine than in fallow or recently cultivated soils. Soil type and the composition of both the nirK- and nirS-type denitrifier communities also influenced DEA. In contrast, other soil characteristics like N content, C:N ratio, and pH did not predict DEA. These findings suggest that due to greater availability of soil organic matter, and hence a more effective N cycling, the natural semiarid grasslands emit more N2O than managed lands in Namibia.

Impact of Land Use Management and Soil Properties on Denitrifier Communities of Namibian Savannas

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Linking denitrifier community structure and prevalent biogeochemical parameters in the pelagial of the central Baltic Proper (Baltic Sea)

nirS -containing denitrifier communities in the water column and sediment of the Baltic Sea

Impact of Land Use Management and Soil Properties on Denitrifier Communities of Namibian Savannas