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The effects of sediment depth and oxygen concentration on the use of organic matter : An experimental study using an infiltration sediment tank

Freixa, Anna ; Rubol, Simonetta ; Brangarí, Albert C. LU ; Butturini, A. ; Sanchez-Vila, Xavier and M.Romani, Anna (2016) In Science of the Total Environment 540(1). p.20-31
Abstract
Water flowing through hyporheic river sediments or artificial recharge facilities promotes the development of microbial communities with sediment depth. We performed an 83-day mesocosm infiltration experiment, to study how microbial functions (e.g., extracellular enzyme activities and carbon substrate utilization) are affected by sediment depth (up to 50 cm) and different oxygen concentrations. Results indicated that surface sediment layers were mainly colonized by microorganisms capable of using a wide range of substrates (although they preferred to degrade carbon polymeric compounds, as indicated by the higher β-glucosidase activity). In contrast, at a depth of 50 cm, the microbial community became specialized in using fewer carbon... (More)
Water flowing through hyporheic river sediments or artificial recharge facilities promotes the development of microbial communities with sediment depth. We performed an 83-day mesocosm infiltration experiment, to study how microbial functions (e.g., extracellular enzyme activities and carbon substrate utilization) are affected by sediment depth (up to 50 cm) and different oxygen concentrations. Results indicated that surface sediment layers were mainly colonized by microorganisms capable of using a wide range of substrates (although they preferred to degrade carbon polymeric compounds, as indicated by the higher β-glucosidase activity). In contrast, at a depth of 50 cm, the microbial community became specialized in using fewer carbon substrates, showing decreased functional richness and diversity. At this depth, microorganisms picked nitrogenous compounds, including amino acids and carboxyl acids. After the 83-day experiment, the sediment at the bottom of the tank became anoxic, inhibiting phosphatase activity. Coexistence of aerobic and anaerobic communities, promoted by greater physicochemical heterogeneity, was also observed in deeper sediments. The presence of specific metabolic fingerprints under oxic and anoxic conditions indicated that the microbial community was adapted to use organic matter under different oxygen conditions. Overall the heterogeneity of oxygen concentrations with depth and in time would influence organic matter metabolism in the sediment tank. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Carbon substrate use, Extracellular enzyme activities, Bacteria, Anoxia
in
Science of the Total Environment
volume
540
issue
1
pages
11 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:84945482231
ISSN
1879-1026
DOI
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.007
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
4ddfb0b1-b5ef-42e5-aa19-2323f39cd8f6
date added to LUP
2018-04-16 14:00:42
date last changed
2022-04-25 06:53:22
@article{4ddfb0b1-b5ef-42e5-aa19-2323f39cd8f6,
  abstract     = {{Water flowing through hyporheic river sediments or artificial recharge facilities promotes the development of microbial communities with sediment depth. We performed an 83-day mesocosm infiltration experiment, to study how microbial functions (e.g., extracellular enzyme activities and carbon substrate utilization) are affected by sediment depth (up to 50 cm) and different oxygen concentrations. Results indicated that surface sediment layers were mainly colonized by microorganisms capable of using a wide range of substrates (although they preferred to degrade carbon polymeric compounds, as indicated by the higher β-glucosidase activity). In contrast, at a depth of 50 cm, the microbial community became specialized in using fewer carbon substrates, showing decreased functional richness and diversity. At this depth, microorganisms picked nitrogenous compounds, including amino acids and carboxyl acids. After the 83-day experiment, the sediment at the bottom of the tank became anoxic, inhibiting phosphatase activity. Coexistence of aerobic and anaerobic communities, promoted by greater physicochemical heterogeneity, was also observed in deeper sediments. The presence of specific metabolic fingerprints under oxic and anoxic conditions indicated that the microbial community was adapted to use organic matter under different oxygen conditions. Overall the heterogeneity of oxygen concentrations with depth and in time would influence organic matter metabolism in the sediment tank.}},
  author       = {{Freixa, Anna and Rubol, Simonetta and Brangarí, Albert C. and Butturini, A. and Sanchez-Vila, Xavier and M.Romani, Anna}},
  issn         = {{1879-1026}},
  keywords     = {{Carbon substrate use; Extracellular enzyme activities; Bacteria; Anoxia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{20--31}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Science of the Total Environment}},
  title        = {{The effects of sediment depth and oxygen concentration on the use of organic matter : An experimental study using an infiltration sediment tank}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.007}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.007}},
  volume       = {{540}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}