Organic Root Exudates Research Articles

Aerobic Toluene Degraders in the Rhizosphere of a Constructed Wetland Model Show Diurnal Polyhydroxyalkanoate Metabolism.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are successfully applied for the treatment of waters contaminated with aromatic compounds. In these systems, plants provide oxygen and root exudates to the rhizosphere and thereby stimulate microbial degradation processes. Root exudation of oxygen and organic compounds depends on photosynthetic activity and thus may show day-night fluctuations. While diurnal changes in CW effluent composition have been observed, information on respective fluctuations of bacterial activity are scarce. We investigated microbial processes in a CW model system treating toluene-contaminated water which showed diurnal oscillations of oxygen concentrations using metaproteomics. Quantitative real-time PCR was applied to assess diurnal expression patterns of genes involved in aerobic and anaerobic toluene degradation. We observed stable aerobic toluene turnover by Burkholderiales during the day and night. Polyhydroxyalkanoate synthesis was upregulated in these bacteria during the day, suggesting that they additionally feed on organic root exudates while reutilizing the stored carbon compounds during the night via the glyoxylate cycle. Although mRNA copies encoding the anaerobic enzyme benzylsuccinate synthase (bssA) were relatively abundant and increased slightly at night, the corresponding protein could not be detected in the CW model system. Our study provides insights into diurnal patterns of microbial processes occurring in the rhizosphere of an aquatic ecosystem. Constructed wetlands are a well-established and cost-efficient option for the bioremediation of contaminated waters. While it is commonly accepted knowledge that the function of CWs is determined by the interplay of plants and microorganisms, the detailed molecular processes are considered a black box. Here, we used a well-characterized CW model system treating toluene-contaminated water to investigate the microbial processes influenced by diurnal plant root exudation. Our results indicated stable aerobic toluene degradation by members of the Burkholderiales during the day and night. Polyhydroxyalkanoate synthesis in these bacteria was higher during the day, suggesting that they additionally fed on organic root exudates and reutilized the stored carbon compounds during the night. Our study illuminates microbial processes occurring in the rhizosphere of an aquatic ecosystem.

Zinc mineral weathering as affected by plant roots

The re-vegetation of soils contaminated by potentially harmful metals is generally considered a suitable option to reduce the metal dispersion in surrounding environments. A continuous flow experiment was conducted to quantitatively assess the effect of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) root activity on the weathering of smithsonite (ZnCO3), a common Zn mineral. At the end of the experiment (10 days), the total amount of Zn released by smithsonite was increased by a factor of 2.25 in the presence of plants. This increase was due not only to plant uptake but also to the enhancement of the Zn release into leachates. The rate of Zn release from smithsonite to leachates was 2.9 × 10−4 μg g−1 s−1 and 1.5 × 10−4 μg g−1 s−1 in the presence and the absence of plants, respectively. The strong correlation (r = 0.95; p < 0.001) between concentrations of Zn and dissolved organic C (DOC) produced by the rhizosphere activity in leachates indicated that organic root exudates and secretions were closely involved in smithsonite weathering. Although the results are derived from laboratory study, and further in situ investigations over the long term are needed, they clearly highlighted that plants can enhance metal release into the environment by accelerating mineral weathering. Therefore, it is suggested that the ability of plants to alter metal phases in soils should be further taken into account when re-vegetation strategies are proposed for the rehabilitation of metal-polluted soils.

Modelling increased soil cohesion due to roots with EUROSEM

AbstractAs organic root exudates cause soil particles to adhere firmly to root surfaces, roots significantly increase soil strength and therefore also increase the resistance of the topsoil to erosion by concentrated flow. This paper aims at contributing to a better prediction of the root effects on soil erosion rates in the EUROSEM model, as the input values accounting for roots, presented in the user manual, do not account for differences in root density or root architecture. Recent research indicates that small changes in root density or differences in root architecture considerably influence soil erosion rates during concentrated flow. The approach for incorporating the root effects into this model is based on a comparison of measured soil detachment rates for bare and for root‐permeated topsoil samples with predicted erosion rates under the same flow conditions using the erosion equation of EUROSEM. Through backwards calculation, transport capacity efficiencies and corresponding soil cohesion values can be assessed for bare and root‐permeated topsoils respectively. The results are promising and present soil cohesion values that are in accordance with reported values in the literature for the same soil type (silt loam). The results show that grass roots provide a larger increase in soil cohesion as compared with tap‐rooted species and that the increase in soil cohesion is not significantly different under wet and dry soil conditions, either for fibrous root systems or for tap root systems. Power and exponential relationships are established between measured root density values and the corresponding calculated soil cohesion values, reflecting the effects of roots on the resistance of the topsoil to concentrated flow incision. These relationships enable one to incorporate the root effect into the soil erosion model EUROSEM, through adapting the soil cohesion input value. A scenario analysis shows that the contribution of roots to soil cohesion is very important for preventing soil loss and reducing runoff volume. The increase in soil shear strength due to the binding effect of roots on soil particles is two orders of magnitude lower as compared with soil reinforcement achieved when roots mobilize their tensile strength during soil shearing and root breakage. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Influence of plants on the reduction of hexavalent chromium in wetland sediments

This work addresses the effect that plants (Typha latifolia and Carex lurida) have on the reduction of Cr(VI) in wetland sediments. Experiments were carried out using tubular microcosms, where chemical species were monitored along the longitudinal flow axis. Cr(VI) removal was enhanced by the presence of plants. This is explained by a decrease in the redox potential promoted by organic root exudates released by plants. Under these conditions sulfate reduction is enhanced, increasing the concentration of sulfide species in the sediment pore water, which reduce Cr(VI). Evapotranspiration induced by plants also contributed to enhance the reduction of Cr(VI) by concentrating all chemical species in the sediment pore water. Both exudates release and evapotranspiration have a diurnal component that affects Cr(VI) reduction. Concentration profiles were fitted to a kinetic model linking sulfide and Cr(VI) concentrations corrected for evapotranspiration. This expression captures both the longitudinal as well as the diurnal Cr(VI) concentration profiles.

Development of a New Soil Extractant for Simultaneous Phosphorus, Ammonium, and Nitrate Analysis

A new soil extractant (H3A) with the ability to extract NH4, NO3, and P from soil was developed and tested against 32 soils, which varied greatly in clay content, organic carbon (C), and soil pH. The extractant (H3A) eliminates the need for separate phosphorus (P) extractants for acid and calcareous soils and maintains the extract pH, on average, within one unit of the soil pH. The extractant is composed of organic root exudates, lithium citrate, and two synthetic chelators (DTPA, EDTA). The new soil extractant was tested against Mehlich 3, Olsen, and water for extractable P, and 1 M KCl and water‐extractable NH4 and NO2/NO3. The pH of the extractant after adding soil, shaking, and filtration was measured for each soil sample (5 extractants×2 reps×32 soils=320 samples) and was shown to be highly influential on extractable P but has no effect on extractable NH4 or NO2/NO3. H3A was highly correlated with soil‐extractable inorganic N (NH4, NO2/NO3) from both water (r=0.98) and 1 M KCl (r=0.97), as well as being significantly correlated with water (r=0.71), Mehlich 3 (r=0.83), and Olsen (r=0.84) for extractable P.

Microbial processes associated with roots of bulbous rush coated with iron plaques.

Bulbous rush (Juncus bulbosus) is a pioneer species in acidic, iron-rich, coal mining lakes in the eastern part of Germany. Juncus roots are coated with iron plaques, and it has been suggested that microbial processes under the iron plaques might be supportive for Juncus plant growth. The objectives of this work were to enumerate the microbes involved in the turnover of iron and organic root exudates in the rhizoplane, to investigate the effect of oxygen and pH on the utilization of these exudates by the rhizobacteria, and to study the ability of the root-colonizing microbiota to reduce sulfate. Enumeration studies done at pH 3 demonstrated that 10(6) Fe(III) reducers and 10(7) Fe(II) oxidizers g (fresh wt root)(-1) were associated with Juncus roots. When roots were incubated in goethite-containing medium without and with supplemental glucose, Fe(II) was formed at rates approximating 1.1 mmol g (fresh wt root) (-1) d(-1) and 3.6 mmol g (fresh wt root)(-1) d(-1) under anoxic conditions, respectively. These results suggest that a rapid microbially mediated cycling of iron occurs in the rhizosphere of Juncus roots under changing redox conditions. Most-probable-number estimates of aerobes and anaerobes capable of consuming root exudates at pH 3 were similar in the rhizosphere sediment and in Juncus roots, but numbers of aerobes were significantly higher than those of anaerobes. At pH 3, supplemental organic exudates were primarily subject to aerobic oxidation to CO2 and not subject to fermentation. However, at pH 4.5, root exudates were also rapidly utilized under anoxic conditions. Root-associated sulfate reduction was not observed at pH 3 to 4.5 but was observed at pH 4.9. The pH increased during all root-incubation studies both under oxic and anoxic conditions. Thus, as result of the microbial turnover of organic root exudates, pH and CO2 levels might be elevated at the root surface and favor Juncus plants to colonize acidic habitats.

Temporal and spatial variation in nitrogen fixation activity in the eelgrass Zostera marina rhizosphere

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 168:245-258 (1998) - doi:10.3354/meps168245 Temporal and spatial variation in nitrogen fixation activity in the eelgrass Zostera marina rhizosphere Karen J. McGlathery1,*, Nils Risgaard-Petersen2, Peter Bondo Christensen2 1Department of Environmental Sciences, Clark Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, USA 2National Enviromental Research Institute, Vejlsøvej 25, PO Box 314, DK-8600 Silkeborg, Denmark *E-mail: kjm4k@virginia.edu ABSTRACT: A perfusion technique for measuring nitrogen fixation in the eelgrass rhizosphere was developed and used to investigate the patterns and controls of nitrogen fixation in sediment cores containing live eelgrass Zostera marina plants collected from the Limfjord, Denmark. Detailed temporal and spatial patterns of acetylene reduction were consistent with the hypothesis that heterotrophic nitrogen fixation in the eelgrass rhizosphere is stimulated by organic root exudates derived from plant photosynthesis. Nitrogen fixation activity was approximately 3x higher in vegetated than unvegetated sediments, and showed strong seasonal patterns and differences in light-dark incubations that corresponded to variations in plant productivity. Rates in both the light and dark were lowest in the winter months, and increased steadily through the spring and summer to a peak activity in August that coincided with the maximum eelgrass aboveground biomass. Light-incubated cores had significantly higher rates (25 to 40%) than those incubated in the dark during the growth season, and this difference was greatest during the summer months when plant productivity was highest. Nitrogen fixation activity also showed strong (5-fold) spatial variation with depth in the eelgrass root zone, with highest rates corresponding to the largest root+rhizome biomass and correlating with seasonal changes in belowground biomass distribution. Additions of glucose or NH4+ showed that the nitrogen-fixing bacteria were limited by organic substrate and were not sensitive to NH4+ concentrations. Molybdate additions indicated that sulfate reducers were responsible for about 25% of the nitrogen fixation activity in the eelgrass rhizosphere. Overall, daily nitrogen fixation rates integrated to a depth of 14 cm in the sediment (1 to 6 mg N m-2 d-1) were comparable to rates measured in other temperate seagrass meadows, but were lower than those determined for tropical seagrass beds. KEY WORDS: Nitrogen fixation · Eelgrass · Rhizosphere · Sediment Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 168. Publication date: July 09, 1998 Print ISSN:0171-8630; Online ISSN:1616-1599 Copyright © 1998 Inter-Research.