Prokaryotic diversity and dynamics in a full-scale municipal solid waste anaerobic reactor from start-up to steady-state conditions

AbstractThe prokaryotic diversity of an anaerobic reactor for the treatment of municipal solid waste was investigated over the course of 2years with the use of 16S rDNA-targeted molecular approaches. The fermentative Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes predominated, and Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Tenericutes and the candidate division WWE1 were also identified. Methane production was dominated by the hydrogenotrophic Methanomicrobiales (Methanoculleus sp.) and their syntrophic association with acetate-utilizing and propionate-oxidizing bacteria. qPCR demonstrated the predominance of the hydrogenotrophic over aceticlastic Methanosarcinaceae (Methanosarcina sp. and Methanimicrococcus sp.), and Methanosaetaceae (Methanosaeta sp.) were measured in low numbers in the reactor. According to the FISH and CARD-FISH analyses, Bacteria and Archaea accounted for 85% and 15% of the cells, respectively. Different cell counts for these domains were obtained by qPCR versus FISH analyses. The use of several molecular tools increases our knowledge of the prokaryotic community dynamics from start-up to steady-state conditions in a full-scale MSW reactor

Chromobacterium sp. from the tropics: detection and diversity of phytase activity

Phytases are a group of enzymes that catalyze phytic acid hydrolysis with release of phosphorus (P). The ability of Chromobacterium sp. to produce phytase was detected in 115 out of 118 candidate bacteria isolated from different Brazilian biomas. This is the first report revealing the genus Chromobacterium as phytase producer

A survey on cultivable heterotrophic bacteria inhabiting a thermally unstratified water column in an Atlantic Rainforest lake

Due to the importance of heterotrophic bacteria in biogeochemical cycles and their influence on water quality, many studies have assessed the composition of the bacterial community. Most of these were made in temperate freshwaters. Eighteen heterotrophic bacteria communities distributed over time and space in the water column of Carioca Lake, not exposed to anthropogenic activities, were analyzed to characterize their composition. A polyphasic approach was used, including 16S rDNA restriction analysis, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, BIOLOG Ecoplates and statistical methods. The physiological profiles among the 18 microbial communities were diverse. Clustering analysis and the metabolic fingerprint of the Biolog EcoplateTM system data separated the communities based on temporal scale. A set of 673 isolates were recovered on high nutrient medium. The 673 isolates obtained yielded 360 Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ARDRA) Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). Most (313) of the ARDRA patterns, OTUs, were from isolates obtained in a single sampling point, in temporal and spatial scales, indicating changes in the bacterial community. A subset of representative isolates for each ARDRA OTU was identified by 16S rRNA gene fragment sequencing and categorized into five phyla, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Deinococcus-Thermus, represented by 38 genera. The results of this work contribute to a better understanding about the phylogeny of tropical freshwater heterotrophic bacteria

Variação anual de hormônios tireoideanos e características termorreguladoras de vacas leiteiras em ambiente quente Annual thyroid hormone variation and thermo regulators traits of milk cows in hot environment

Este trabalho foi conduzido com o objetivo de estudar o comportamento anual de características termorreguladoras de 200 vacas leiteiras. Durante dois anos consecutivos, foram registradas a freqüência respiratória (FR) e a temperatura retal (TR), bem como coletada uma amostra de sangue para dosagens de triiodotironina (T3) e tiroxina (T4). Foram também registradas a temperatura e a umidade do ar e calculados o índice de temperatura de globo e umidade (ITGU) e a carga térmica radiante (CTR), nos mesmos dias de coleta. Houve efeito significativo do ano para a maioria das variáveis estudadas, no entanto, os efeitos do mês de coleta e do rebanho foram significativos para todas. Todos os valores de TR estiveram dentro da amplitude de normalidade, indicando homeotermia. A FR foi alterada em todas as épocas do ano e rebanhos, confirmando a necessidade constante de termólise. No rebanho de maior TR e a FR, houve redução da secreção de T3 e T4. Nas épocas de maiores ITGU e CTR, houve aumento da TR, seguido de maiores FR e menores concentrações plasmáticas de T3 e T4.<br>This work was carried out with the objective to study the annual behavior of thermo regulators traits in dairy cows. Two hundred cows were used during two consecutive years and the respiratory rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT), as well as a blood sample was collected for triiodothyronin (T3) and thyroxin (T4) dosages, were recorded. Air temperature and humidity were also recorded and the black globe humidity index (BGHI) and radiant heat load (RHL) were calculated in the same days of data collection. There was no significative effect of the year for the majority of studied variables, however, the effects of month of collection and herd were significative for all variables. All values of RT were inside of the amplitude of normality, indicating homoeothermic condition. The RR was altered in every seasons of the year and herds, showing a constant necessity of thermolisys. In herds with higher RT and RR, there was a reduction T3 and T4 liberation. In seasons of higher BGHI and RHL, there was increase in the RT, followed for higher RR and lower T3 and T4 plasmatic concentrations

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora