Browsing by Subject "Isotop"

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Compound-specific 13C fingerprinting for sediment source allocationin intensely cultivated catchments
(2018) Brandt, Christian; Cadisch, Georg
The loss of fertile topsoil due to soil degradation and erosion not only threatens crop productivity, but also induces sedimentation of aquatic systems and leads to social-, economical-, and environmental problems in many regions of the world. The abandonment of shifting cultivation in favor of intensive mono-cultural cropping systems on sloping land accompanied by rainfall detachment and surface runoff induced soil erosion is one of the most pressing environmental and agricultural problems in the highlands of Southeast Asia. Informed soil management strategies require knowledge on the main sediment sources in a catchment. Compound-specific stable isotope (CSSI) fingerprinting, based on δ13C values of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), allows identifying hot-spots of soil erosion, particularly with regard to assigning sediment sources to actual land uses. In this regard, we assessed the potential of the CSSI – fingerprinting approach to assign sediment sources to specific land use types in various intensely cultivated catchments. In a first step we improved the statistical procedure to identify sediment sources in a heterogeneous agricultural catchment in the mountainous northwestern region of Vietnam. In a next step we tested the CSSI-fingerprinting under different agro-ecological conditions to evaluate its global applicability, using an aligned protocol. Finally, we integrated CSSI-fingerprinting and fallout radio nuclide (FRN, 210Pbex, 137Cs) analysis to estimate past net erosion rates linked to land use types. In conclusion, the integrated Bayesian SIAR-CSSI approach was an appropriate tool to identify and assign sediment sources to actual land uses in small and heterogeneous catchments. This methodology was also suitable to identify hot-spots of soil erosion in contrasting catchments of different sizes and agro-ecological zones. Integrating CSSI-fingerprinting and fallout radio nuclide analysis to determine past sediment budgets provided insight into the impact of specific land use changes on soil retrogression and degradation. Such knowledge is of great value for informed and effective soil conservation through evidence-based land management and decision making.
Microbial regulation of pesticide degradation coupled to carbon turnover in the detritusphere
(2015) Pagel, Holger; Streck, Thilo
Many soil functions, such as nutrient cycling or pesticide degradation, are controlled by microorganisms. Dynamics of microbial populations and biogeochemical cycling in soil are largely determined by the availability of carbon (C). The detritusphere is a microbial “hot spot” of C turnover. It is characterized by a concentration gradient of C from litter (high) into the adjacent soil (lower). Therefore, this microhabitat is very well suited to investigate the influence of C availability on microbial turnover. My thesis aimed at the improved understanding of biochemical interactions involved in the degradation of the herbicide 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) coupled to C turnover. In the detritusphere gradients of organic matter turnover from litter into the adjacent soil could be identified. Increased C availability, due to the transport of dissolved organic substances from litter into soil, resulted in the boost of microbial biomass and activity as well as in the acceleration of MCPA degradation. Fungi and bacterial MCPA-degraders benefited most from litter-C input. Accelerated MCPA degradation was accompanied by increased incorporation of MCPA-C into soil organic matter. The experimental results show that the transport of dissolved organic substances from litter regulates C availability, microbial activity and finally MCPA degradation in the detritusphere. In general, litter-derived organic compounds provide energy and resources for microorganisms. The following possible regulation mechanisms were identified: i) Litter might directly supply the co-substrate alpha-ketoglutarate (or surrogates) required for enzymatic oxidation of MCPA by bacterial MCPA degraders. Alternatively it might provide additional energy and resources for production and regeneration of the needed co-substrate. ii) Additional litter-C might alleviate substrate limitation of enzyme production by bacteria and bacterial consortia resulting in an increased activity of specific enzymes attacking MCPA. iii) Litter-derived organic substances might stimulate MCPA degradation via fungal co-metabolism by unspecific extracellular enzymes, either directly by inducing enzyme production, or by supplying primary substrates that provide the energy consumed by co-metabolic MCPA transformation. A new biogeochemical model abstracts these regulation mechanisms in such a way that C availability controls physiological activity, growth, death and maintenance of microbial pools. Based on a global sensitivity analysis, 41% (n=33) of all considered parameters and input values were classified as “very important” and “important”. These mainly include biokinetic parameters and initial values. The calibration of the model allowed to validate the implemented regulation mechanisms of accelerated MCPA degradation. The Pareto-analysis showed that the model structure was adequate and the identified parameter values were reasonable to reproduce the observed dynamics of C and MCPA. The model satisfactorily matched observed abundances of gene-markers of total bacteria and specific MCPA degraders. However, it underestimated the steep increase of fungal ITS fragments, most probably because this gene-marker is only inadequately suited as a measure of fungal biomass. The model simulations indicate that soil fungi primarily benefit from low-quality C, whereas bacterial MCPA-degraders preferentially use high-quality C. According to the simulations, MCPA was predominantly transformed via co-metabolism to high-quality C. Subsequently, this C was primarily assimilated by bacterial MCPA-degraders. The highest turnover of litter-derived C occurred by substrate uptake for microbial growth. Input and microbial turnover of litter-C stimulated MCPA degradation mainly in a soil layer at 0-3 mm distance to litter. As a consequence of this, a concentration gradient of MCPA formed, which triggered the diffusive upward transport of MCPA from deeper soil layers into the detritusphere. The results of the three studies suggest: The detritusphere is a biogeochemical hot spot where microbial dynamics control matter cycling. The integrated use of experiments and mathematical modelling gives detailed insight into matter cycling and dynamics of microorganisms in soil. Microbial communities need to be explicitly considered to understand the regulation of soil functions.
Nutrient flow in improved upland aquaculture systems in Yen Chau, province Son La (Vietnam)
(2014) Pucher, Johannes Gregor; Focken, Ulfert
In South-East Asia, pond aquaculture plays an important role in the integrated agriculture aquaculture systems of small-scale farmers and contributes to their food security and income. In mountainous regions, aquaculture differs from aquaculture that is practiced in the lowland due to differences in climate and availability of feeds, fertilizers and water. In Northern Vietnam, the traditional aquaculture is a polyculture of 5-7 fish species. The macro-herbivorous grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is stocked as the main species. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio), silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis), mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala), mud carp (Cirrhinus molitorella) and Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) are stocked as secondary species and are often insufficiently nourished by farm by-products. Manure is used by farmers as fertilizer for natural food resources. Ponds are managed as a constant water flow-through system. The inflowing water introduces soil particles eroded from the sloping fields of intensively cultured maize and cassava into the ponds, and cause high turbidity that limits both the primary and secondary production. The fish production of this system is low at about 1.5 ± 0.3 t ha-1 a-1 and is mainly limited by the poor quality of pond inputs, low availability of natural food resources, low oxygen production in the ponds and the occurrence of a species-specific disease that causes high mortality in grass carp. To improve the local fish production of small-scale farmers, changes in the traditional pond management were designed and tested in farmers’ ponds in the uplands of Northern Vietnam. These changes included the reduction of water flow through the ponds to reduce the introduction of eroded particles and reduce the turbidity. Chemical fertilizers were added to increase the productivity of natural food resources and encourage higher primary production. The disease-prone grass carp was replaced as the main species by common carp that command a similarly high price on the local markets. To feed the omnivorous common carp, supplemental pellet feeds based mainly on locally available resources were applied to the ponds. In a pond trial, the traditional and modified pond managements were compared for water quality parameters, availability of natural food resources, fish yields, nutrient utilisation efficiencies and monetary net benefit. In a 15N tracer experiment, the nitrogen dynamics in the natural food web in local ponds were compared under the two types of pond management. Acceptability of the modifications by local farmers was evaluated. In a net cage trial, the suitability of earthworm meal as a replacement for fishmeal in supplemental pellet feeds for common carp was tested. In another net cage trial, the effect of pesticide contaminated grass feeds on the feed intake and health condition of grass carp were tested. When compared with traditional pond management, the modified pond management was found to result in reduced water turbidity, deeper phototrophic zones, higher availability of natural food resources, higher primary production and higher fish yield. In addition, the small plankton benefited from the changes and allowed significantly higher growth rates of filter feeding fish. Common carp and grass carp had higher yields due to the changes. Under both types of pond management, nitrogen compounds were assimilated rapidly into the natural food web and there were high rates of sedimentation and re-mobilization of settled nitrogen from the pond bottom. Generally, the modifications to pond management were associated with increased nutrient utilisation efficiencies and resulted in higher net benefits and more stable pond culture conditions. It was shown that plant material from pesticide-treated fields should only be used cautiously as feeds for grass carp because pesticide residues reduce feed intake and adversely affect fish health. Low cost modifications were well accepted by the farmers. Application of supplemental feeds and chemical fertilisers, which required a continual monetary investment, were less well received. The better-educated farmers are more likely to further invest in aquaculture and might act as local adopters. To reduce the costs of feeds for common carp, earthworm has been shown to be suitable as a replacement for fishmeal in feeds. Vermiculture might therefore be a suitable additional farming activity in combination with the implementation of pond management modifications. Formation of fish farmer cooperatives might further increase the acceptability of innovations. The improvements to pond aquaculture that have been developed here may have a beneficial impact on fish production, food security and income of small-scale farmers in the uplands in South-East Asia if the information is suitably transferred through education programmes that train farmers in technologies that have been specially adapted to conditions in the uplands.
Untersuchung der Energie- und Nährstoffflüsse mikrobieller Gemeinschaften
(2017) Starke, Robert; Seifert, Jana
The activity of microorganisms was heavily investigated using the incorporation of stabile isotopes in the last decade. Here, all biomolecules but predominantly DNA, RNA, proteins and phospholipid derived fatty acids are used to trace the label in the biomass of active microbes. Thereby, the phylogenetic information decreases from DNA and RNA to proteins whereas the latter allow to describe the actual phenotype. In this work, protein stable isotope probing (protein-SIP) was applied to two different microbial systems: (a) the anaerobic mineralization of benzene and (b) the assimilation of plant-derived organic matter in soil. Labeling of the secondary metabolism of the benzene-mineralizing and sulfate-reducing community using 13C2-acetate: The well-described microbial community enriched from the Zeitz aquifer was fed with the postulated and fully 13C-labeled intermediate of syntrophic benzene fermentation, acetate, to unveil detailed secondary utilization processes. Additional acetate amended to the ongoing benzene mineralization showed no influence on sulfide produced by sulfate reduction. Instead, labeled acetate was incorporated by Campylobacterales, Syntrophobacterales, Archaeoglobales, Clostridiales and Desulfobacterales in descending order. The epsilonproteobacterial Campylobacterales featured the fastest and the highest 13C-incorporation to confirm previous metagenome-based studies and to assign a physiological role to this phylotype of the community for the first time. Metagenome based labeling of the secondary metabolism of the benzene-mineralizing and sulfate-reducing community: In this study, the population genome of the primary acetate utilizer was reconstructed from the metagenome of the benzene mineralizing community obtained by whole-genome shotgun sequencing. Genomic DNA originated from a starvation enrichment culture previously metabolizing m-xylen and enriched in the identical epsilonproteobacterial phylotype of this community. The presence of the sulfide quinone oxidoreductase (sqr) and the polysulfide reductase (psr) suggested a key role in sulfur cycling. Hence, the epsilonproteobacterial phylotype is able to oxidize otherwise toxic sulfid produced by sulfate reduction to polysulfide via SQR and its subsequent reduction to sulfide via PSR. Further, the detection of an acetate transporter (actP) and the acetyl-CoA synthetase (acsA) for acetate activation approved direct assimilation as shown in the previous study. Short-term assimilation of plant-derived organic matter in soil: In this protein-SIP study, the short-term assimilation of plant-derived organic matter in soil was demonstrated using 15N-labeled tobacco for the first time. In contrast to the postulated model in which fungi degrade plant-derived complex compounds and secrete low molecular weight compounds which are then degraded by bacteria, our study demonstrated the dominance of bacteria over fungi during the short-term assimilation of plant-derived organic matter. Bacteria outcompete fungi for the easy available plant-derived compounds until complex compounds such as cellulose and lignin are enriched and degraded by slow growing fungi. The use of multiOMIC techniques resulted in a multidimensional scheme to easily group and categorize different behaviours of microorganisms.