Biomass, abundance and sensitivity to antibiotics and antimycotics of the fungi in the Vistula River with its main tributaries

Mycoplankton of Vistula River and its main tributaries biomass as well as the number and morphotype diversity was studied in summer and autumn 2011. Summer mycoplankton biomass was within the range of 0.2 – 0.5 μg/l, while in the autumn it was two times wider range (0.1 – 1.3μg/l). The number of fungi in river water most often did not exceed 1000 – 2000 CFU/ml. Fungi colonies isolated from rivers water were sensitive to the commonly used amphotericine B (10 μg) and gentamicin (10 μg). It seems to be plausible that aquatic fungi can acquire immunity to drugs as a result of horizontal transfer of a gene responsible for drug resistance or as an effect of antibiotics and antimycotics getting into the aquatic ecosystems from wastewaters

Ecohydrological conditions of the occurrence of iron and manganese fractions in the waters of the Augustowski Canal

Wydział Biologiczno-Chemiczny. Instytut BiologiiIstniejące w Kanale Augustowskim odpowiednie warunki do przeanalizowania roli czynnika hydrologicznego i uwarunkowań zlewniowych w kształtowaniu składu chemicznego wód ekosystemów lotycznych i lentycznych strefy umiarkowanej dały możliwość testowania wpływu mieszania się wód powierzchniowych różnego typu hydrochemicznego na zachodzące w wodach biogeochemiczne procesy różnych metali, takich jak: żelazo czy mangan. Przeprowadzone badania wykazały, iż w wodach rzecznych i jeziornych o niskim stężeniu rozpuszczonej materii organicznej dominują frakcje nierozpuszczone żelaza i manganu, zaś o wysokim stężeniu rozpuszczonej materii organicznej, organiczna frakcja rozpuszczona żelaza. Dodatkowo wody lotyczne wzbogacone materią organiczną odznaczają się największym udziałem frakcji nierozpuszczonej manganu, zaś wody jeziorne dominacją rozpuszczonej frakcji reaktywnej manganu. Wody rzeczne o podwyższonym stężeniu materii organicznej dopływające do wód kanału powodują w nich wzrost stężeń organicznych frakcji rozpuszczonych żelaza i manganu. Obecność jezior o małym stężeniu materii organicznej w Kanale Augustowskim nie zmienia w nim składu frakcyjnego obu metali, a jeziora o zwiększonym jej stężeniu wywołują wzrost stężeń organicznych frakcji rozpuszczonych żelaza i manganu w wodach kanału, przy jednoczesnym obniżeniu stężeń rozpuszczonej frakcji reaktywnej żelaza i podwyższeniu stężeń rozpuszczonej frakcji reaktywnej manganu. Gleby organiczne w zlewni bezpośredniej zwiększają żyzność wód, poprzez wzrost stężeń organicznych frakcji rozpuszczonych żelaza i manganu oraz rozpuszczonych frakcji reaktywnych manganu stymulujących biodostępność tych metali dla autotrofów w wodach kanału. W celu zmniejszenia biodostępności obu pierwiastków zaproponowano zwiększenie przepływu wody w kanale, co poskutkowałoby jednoczesnym obniżeniem trofii wód. Przesłanki te pozwoliły na opracowanie troficznego wskaźnika dla manganu, który idealnie łączy istniejące biologiczne i chemiczne wskaźniki żyzności wód.Existing in the Augustowski Canal appropriate conditions to study the role of the hydrological factor and catchment conditions in forming the chemical composition of lotic and lentic water ecosystems created the possibility of testing the influence of meddling different hydrochemical types of the surface waters on biogeochemical processes occurring in waters of different metals, such as iron or manganese. Conducted examinations showed that undissolved fractions of iron and manganese dominate in rivers and lakes with a low concentration of the dissolved organic matter, whereas in rivers and lakes with a high concentration of the dissolved organic matter, organic dissolved fraction of iron dominates. Additionally, lotic waters enriched with an organic matter are characterized by the greatest participation of the undissolved fraction of the manganese, whereas lake waters by the dominance of the dissolved reactive fraction of manganese. Rivers waters with the increased concentration of the organic matter which reach the canal waters cause the increase of organic dissolved fractions of iron and manganese concentrations in the Augustowski Canal. The presence of lakes with low concentration of the organic matter in the Augustów Canal does not change the fractional composition of both metals in it. However, lakes with higher concentration of the organic matter cause the growth of organic dissolved fractions of iron and manganese concentrations in the canal waters, lower concentrations of the dissolved reactive fraction of iron and also increase concentrations of the dissolved reactive fraction of manganese. The organic soil in the direct catchment increases the fertility of waters by causing the increase of concentrations of organic dissolved fractions of iron and manganese and dissolved reactive fractions of manganese which stimulate the bioavailability of these metals for autotrophic organisms. In order to lower the bioavailability of both elements, the increase of flow of water in the canal was suggested what would result with the simultaneous decrease of trophy in waters. These premises allowed to draw the trophic indicator for the manganese up which perfectly links existing biological and chemical indicators of waters fertilities

Species Diversity of Mycoplankton on the Background of Selected Indicators of Water Quality in Stratified Mesotrophic Lakes

The aim of the study was to determine mycoplankton species diversity in relation to the physico-chemical parameters of lake waters. The research was carried out in the summer months in 15 mesotrophic lakes and showed a high ecological significance index for Rhodotorula glutinis, Epicoccum nigrum, Fusarium sporotrichioides, and Trichophyton violaceum. Mycoplankton abundance and species diversity decreased with the depth of water, which coincided with a decrease in oxygen content and organic matter concentration. A high concentration of nitrogen compounds (total nitrogen—TN and dissolved nitrogen—DN) limited the development of mycobiota in the hypolimnion. In the metalimnion, the intensive development of organisms, especially bacteria, limited mycoplankton abundance despite perfect physical and chemical conditions for its development. Finally, mycoplankton functioned the best in slightly alkaline waters

The variability of summer phytoplankton in different types of lakes in North East Poland (Suwałki Landscape Park)

This study describes summer phytoplankton communities in 27 lakes in the Suwałki Landscape Park (SLP) using in situ fluorescence methods. Low chlorophyll-a concentrations were noted in most of the studied lakes, particularly in the deepest lakes with highest surface area. Green algae, diatoms and cryptophyta were dominant components of lake phytoplankton. Higher chlorophyll-a concentrations in the shallow or more eutrophicated lakes were connected with an increase of cyanobacteria and cryptophyta concentrations as well as with a decrease in the share of diatoms inphytoplankton structure. Vertical distribution of phytoplankton in stratified lakes revealed the presence of deep chlorophyll layers just below the thermocline where the maximum concentrations of phytoplankton were up to 15 times higher than in the epilimnion zone. The deepest maximum concentration of phytoplankton was noted at a depth of 16.5 metres in Lake Jeglówek. In some lakes two or three significant increases of phytoplankton concentration in the vertical profile were observed, caused by intensive development of different algae groups

Effect of Humic Acid on the Growth and Metabolism of Candida albicans Isolated from Surface Waters in North-Eastern Poland

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of humic acid on the growth and metabolism of Candida albicans, a common waterborne pathogenic yeast. At 10–20 mg/L, humic acid caused the greatest increase in biomass and compactness of proteins and monosaccharides, both in cells and in extracellular secretion of the yeast. At higher humic acid concentrations (40–80 mg/L), C. albicans cells still had higher protein levels compared to control, but showed reduced levels of metabolites and inhibited growth, and a significant increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes, indicating a toxic effect of the humic acid. The increase in protein content in the cells of C. albicans combined with an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes may indicate that the studied yeast excels in conditions of high water enrichment with low availability of organic matter. This indicates that Candida albicans is capable of breaking down organic matter that other microorganisms cannot cope with, and for this reason, this yeast uses carbon sources that are not available to other microorganisms. This indicates that this fungus plays an important role in the organic carbon sphere to higher trophic levels, and is common in water polluted with organic matter

Changes in Soil Biological Properties after Sewage Sludge and Pesticide Application in Wheat Cultivation

One of the solutions implemented in order to improve the quality of soils exposed to pesticides is the application of sewage sludge, which is a by-product of wastewater treatment. As an organic substrate, it provides soil with important nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and enriches it with organic matter, thanks to which it can be a valuable fertilizer. The aim of the presented research was to evaluate the influence of granulated sewage sludge (GSS) on the biological properties of soil treated with herbicides (MCPA and dicamba) and fungicides (thiophanate-methyl and azoxystrobin). The following aspects were investigated: the activity of selected soil enzymes, the genetic biodiversity of bacteria and fungi, and the abundance of the bacterial gene responsible for ammonia oxidation. A field experiment was conducted, in which granulated sewage sludge (GSS) was applied to soil at a single dose of 3 t/ha. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was sown on the prepared plots. The herbicides (H) and fungicides (F) as well as their mixture (F + H) were applied to the plants in the appropriate growth phases in the doses recommended by the producer. The control was soil without sewage sludge (C). The samples taken were tested for: dehydrogenases, catalases and urease activities, genetic biodiversity structure of bacteria and fungi by TRFLP assay, and the abundance of the bacterial amoA gene by qPCR. On the basis of the obtained results, it was found that the application of pesticides to soil fertilized with sewage sludge influenced the enzymatic activity of soil, and their activity differed depending on the tested enzyme. The activity of URE and DHA on the plots with GSS was higher by approx. 20% and 30%, respectively, as compared to the plots without GSS application. Moreover, both the genetic biodiversity of microorganisms and the abundance of amoA gene differed depending on the variant of the experiment. The GSS treatment of soil significantly influenced the growth of the studied gene as compared to C, and its abundance was 9.15 log10 gene copies/g DW of soil. Due to the content of nutrients in sewage sludge, it can be a valuable fertilizer in agricultural crops treated with pesticides

Structures, Antioxidant Properties, and Antimicrobial Properties of Eu(III), Gd(III), and Dy(III) Caffeinates and <i>p</i>-Coumarates

In this study, we investigated the structures of lanthanide (Eu(III), Dy(III), and Gd(III)) complexes with p-coumaric (p-CAH2) and caffeic (CFAH3) acids using the FTIRKBr, FTIRATR, and Raman spectroscopic methods. The compositions of the solid phase caffeinates and p-coumarates were obtained on the basis of the amounts of hydrogen and carbon determined using an elemental analysis. The degree of hydration and the thermal decomposition of each compound were examined via a thermal analysis of TG, DTG, and DSC. Antioxidant spectroscopic tests were performed using the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant activity), and ABTS (2,2’-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (diammonium salt radical cation) methods. The antimicrobial activity of each compound against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida albicans was investigated. The electrical properties of the liposomes which mimicked the microbial surfaces formed in the electrolyte containing the tested compounds were also investigated. The above biological properties of the obtained complexes were compared with the activities of p-CAH2 and CFAH3. The obtained data suggest that lanthanide complexes are much more thermally stable and have higher antimicrobial and antioxidant properties than the ligands (with the exception of CFAH3 in the case of antioxidant activity tests). The Gd(III) complexes revealed the highest biological activity among the studied lanthanide complexes