The effects of long-term heavy metal deposition on microbial community structure and the level of bacterial community tolerance were studied along two different gradients in Scandinavian coniferous forest soils. One was near the Harjavalta smelter in Finland, and one was at Ronnskar in Sweden. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis revealed a gradual change in soil microbial communities along ...

The microbial conversion of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel production represents a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. However, the discovery of new microbial enzymes with high activity is critical for improving biomass conversion processes. While attempts to identify superior lignocellulose-degrading enzymes have focused predominantly on the animal gut, biomass-degrading communities in...

Iron (Fe) uptake by the microbial community and the contribution of three different size fractions was determined during spring phytoplankton blooms in the naturally Fe-fertilized area off the Kerguelen Islands (KEOPS2). Total Fe uptake in surface waters was on average 34± 6 pmolFeL d, and microplankton (> 25 μm size fraction; 40–69 %) and pico-nanoplankton (0.8–25 μm size fraction; 29–59 %) we...

In this paper, we discuss data and methodological challenges for building bacterial communication networks using two examples: E. coli as a flagellate bacterium and G. sulfurreducens as a biofilm forming bacterium. We first highlight the link between the bacterial network communication designwith respect tometabolic information processing design. The potentialities of designing routing network ...

Three crude oil bioremediation techniques were applied in a randomized block field experiment simulating a coastal oil spill. Four treatments (no oil control, oil alone, oil plus nutrients, and oil plus nutrients plus an indigenous inoculum) were applied. In situ microbial community structures were monitored by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and 16S rDNA PCR-denaturing gradient gel ele...

in the present investigation, dead bacterium biomass streptomyces rimosus was used as an inexpensive and efficient biosorbent for cr (iii) removal from aqueous solution. the bacterial biomass was treated with 0.1 m naoh. sorption level of 65 mg/g was observed at ph 4.8 while precipitation effect augmented this value at higher ph range. chromium desorption increased with decreasing desorption ag...

toxic heavy metals, such as lead (pb) and cadmium (cd) are widely used in industry and their accumulation in the living tissues may cause serious health problems and ecological hazards. twenty four moderately halophilic bacteria isolated from saline environments of iran were used to study their ability to bioremediation of lead and cadmium. amongst them, a gram-negative rod shaped bacterium, de...

Close to redox boundaries, dark carbon fixation by chemoautotrophic bacteria may be a large contributor to overall carbon fixation. Still, little is known about the relative importance of this process in lake systems, in spite the potentially high chemoautotrophic potential of lake sediments. We compared rates of dark carbon fixation, bacterial production and oxygen consumption in sediments fro...