The effect of the addition of synthetic sheep urine (SSU) and plant species on the bacterial community composition of upland acidic grasslands was studied using a microcosm approach. Low, medium, and high concentrations of SSU were applied to pots containing plant species typical of both unimproved (Agrostis capillaris) and agriculturally improved (Lolium perenne) grasslands, and harvests were ...

nanomaterials (nms) are widely used in health and biomedical applications, however, only a few studies investigate their toxic effects.  the present report signifies a contribution to the study of the toxic effects of silver nanoparticles (ag nps)  on   e. coli cells, which is a model organism of anthropogenic pollution. the toxicity of nanoparticles depends on their  chemical and surface prope...

GUO HC, WANG WB, LUO XH & WU XP. 2015. Characteristics of rhizosphere and bulk soil microbial communities in rubber plantations in Hainan Island, China. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis was used to investigate spatial variations in microbial communities of rhizosphere and bulk soil in rubber plantations in Hainan Island. Rhizosphere and bulk soil were collected from immature and mature rubber t...

This study reports the effects of long-term elevated atmospheric CO2 on root production and microbial activity, biomass, and diversity in a chaparral ecosystem in southern California. The free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) ring was located in a stand dominated by the woody shrub Adenostoma fasciculatum. Between 1995 and 2003, the FACE ring maintained an average daytime atmospheric CO2 concentration...

A bioreactor system without a biomass-liquid separation unit is evaluated for its chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and biomass retention capabilities under the nitrogen deficient and low F/M conditions that are known to produce bulking biomass. A fully oxygenated stream recycled from an external oxygenator delivers the oxygen to an upflow bioreactor in which a biomass zone is formed and mai...

BACKGROUND A major obstacle, and perhaps the most important economic barrier to the effective use of plant biomass for the production of fuels, chemicals, and bioproducts, is our current lack of knowledge of how to efficiently and effectively deconstruct wall polymers for their subsequent use as feedstocks. Plants represent the most desired source of renewable energy and hydrocarbons because th...

Generation of biofuels from sugars in lignocellulosic biomass is a promising alternative to liquid fossil fuels, but efficient and inexpensive bioprocessing configurations must be developed to make this technology commercially viable. One of the major barriers to commercialization is the recalcitrance of plant cell wall polysaccharides to enzymatic hydrolysis. Biomass pretreatment with ionic li...