scholarly journals Vibrio Colonization Is Highly Dynamic in Early Microplastic-Associated Biofilms as Well as on Field-Collected Microplastics

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Katharina Kesy ◽  
Matthias Labrenz ◽  
Brittan S. Scales ◽  
Bernd Kreikemeyer ◽  
Sonja Oberbeckmann
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Unit ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Incubation Experiment ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
In Situ Incubation ◽  
The Baltic

Microplastics are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems and provide a habitat for biofilm-forming bacteria. The genus Vibrio, which includes potential pathogens, was detected irregularly on microplastics. Since then, the potential of microplastics to enrich (and serve as a vector for) Vibrio has been widely discussed. We investigated Vibrio abundance and operational taxonomic unit (OTU) composition on polyethylene and polystyrene within the first 10 h of colonization during an in situ incubation experiment, along with those found on particles collected from the Baltic Sea. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and co-occurrence networks to elaborate the role of Vibrio within biofilms. Colonization of plastics with Vibrio was detectable after one hour of incubation; however, Vibrio numbers and composition were very dynamic, with a more stable population at the site with highest nutrients and lowest salinity. Likewise, Vibrio abundances on field-collected particles were variable but correlated with proximity to major cities. Vibrio was poorly connected within biofilm networks. Taken together, this indicates that Vibrio is an early colonizer of plastics, but that the process is undirected and independent of the specific surface. Still, higher nutrients could enhance a faster establishment of Vibrio populations. These parameters should be considered when planning studies investigating Vibrio on microplastics.

scholarly journals Genomic and Seasonal Variations among Aquatic Phages Infecting the Baltic Sea Gammaproteobacterium Rheinheimera sp. Strain BAL341

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Nilsson ◽  
K. Li ◽  
J. Fridlund ◽  
S. Šulčius ◽  
C. Bunse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Host System ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
Metabolic Genes ◽  
The Baltic

ABSTRACT Knowledge in aquatic virology has been greatly improved by culture-independent methods, yet there is still a critical need for isolating novel phages to identify the large proportion of “unknowns” that dominate metagenomes and for detailed analyses of phage-host interactions. Here, 54 phages infecting Rheinheimera sp. strain BAL341 (Gammaproteobacteria) were isolated from Baltic Sea seawater and characterized through genome content analysis and comparative genomics. The phages showed a myovirus-like morphology and belonged to a novel genus, for which we propose the name Barbavirus. All phages had similar genome sizes and numbers of genes (80 to 84 kb; 134 to 145 genes), and based on average nucleotide identity and genome BLAST distance phylogeny, the phages were divided into five species. The phages possessed several genes involved in metabolic processes and host signaling, such as genes encoding ribonucleotide reductase and thymidylate synthase, phoH, and mazG. One species had additional metabolic genes involved in pyridine nucleotide salvage, possibly providing a fitness advantage by further increasing the phages’ replication efficiency. Recruitment of viral metagenomic reads (25 Baltic Sea viral metagenomes from 2012 to 2015) to the phage genomes showed pronounced seasonal variations, with increased relative abundances of barba phages in August and September synchronized with peaks in host abundances, as shown by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Overall, this study provides detailed information regarding genetic diversity, phage-host interactions, and temporal dynamics of an ecologically important aquatic phage-host system. IMPORTANCE Phages are important in aquatic ecosystems as they influence their microbial hosts through lysis, gene transfer, transcriptional regulation, and expression of phage metabolic genes. Still, there is limited knowledge of how phages interact with their hosts, especially at fine scales. Here, a Rheinheimera phage-host system constituting highly similar phages infecting one host strain is presented. This relatively limited diversity has previously been seen only when smaller numbers of phages have been isolated and points toward ecological constraints affecting the Rheinheimera phage diversity. The variation of metabolic genes among the species points toward various fitness advantages, opening up possibilities for future hypothesis testing. Phage-host dynamics monitored over several years point toward recurring “kill-the-winner” oscillations and an ecological niche fulfilled by this system in the Baltic Sea. Identifying and quantifying ecological dynamics of such phage-host model systems in situ allow us to understand and study the influence of phages on aquatic ecosystems.

scholarly journals Assessing the Risks of Potential Bacterial Pathogens Attaching to Different Microplastics during the Summer–Autumn Period in a Mariculture Cage

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1909
Author(s):  
Dandi Hou ◽  
Man Hong ◽  
Yanting Wang ◽  
Pengsheng Dong ◽  
Huangwei Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Autumn Period ◽  
Aquatic Product ◽  
In Situ Incubation ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Surrounding Seawater

As microplastic pollution continues to increase, an emerging threat is the potential for microplastics to act as novel substrates and/or carriers for pathogens. This is of particular concern for aquatic product safety given the growing evidence of microplastic ingestion by aquaculture species. However, the potential risks of pathogens associated with microplastics in mariculture remain poorly understood. Here, an in situ incubation experiment involving three typical microplastics including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP) was conducted during the summer–autumn period in a mariculture cage. The identification of potential pathogens based on the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and a custom-made database for pathogenic bacteria involved in aquatic environments, was performed to assess the risks of different microplastics attaching potential pathogens. The enrichment of pathogens was not observed in microplastic-associated communities when compared with free-living and particle-attached communities in surrounding seawater. Despite the lower relative abundance, pathogens showed different preferences for three microplastic substrates, of which PET was the most favored by pathogens, especially potentially pathogenic members of Vibrio, Tenacibaculum, and Escherichia. Moreover, the colonization of these pathogens on microplastics was strongly affected by environmental factors (e.g., temperature, nitrite). Our results provide insights into the ecological risks of microplastics in mariculture industry.

scholarly journals Multidecadal Sea Level Variability in the Baltic Sea and Its Impact on Acceleration Estimations

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armin Agha Karimi ◽  
Mohammad Bagherbandi ◽  
Milan Horemuz
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Warming Hiatus ◽  
The Baltic

Multidecadal sea level variation in the Baltic Sea is investigated from 1900 to 2020 deploying satellite and in situ datasets. As a part of this investigation, nearly 30 years of satellite altimetry data are used to compare with tide gauge data in terms of linear trend. This, in turn, leads to validation of the regional uplift model developed for the Fennoscandia. The role of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in multidecadal variations of the Baltic Sea is also analyzed. Although NAO impacts the Baltic Sea level on seasonal to decadal time scales according to previous studies, it is not a pronounced factor in the multidecadal variations. The acceleration in the sea level rise of the basin is reported as statistically insignificant in recent studies or even decelerating in an investigation of the early 1990s. It is shown that the reason for these results relates to the global warming hiatus in the 1950s−1970s, which can be seen in all eight tide gauges used for this study. To account for the slowdown period, the acceleration in the basin is investigated by fitting linear trends to time spans of six to seven decades, which include the hiatus. These results imply that the sea level rise is accelerated in the Baltic Sea during the period 1900–2020.

scholarly journals In-Situ Evaluation of the Protectivity of Coatings Applied to Metal Cultural Artefacts Using Non-Destructive Electrochemical Measurements

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-132
Author(s):  
Douglas J. Mills ◽  
Katarzyna Schaefer ◽  
Tomasz Wityk
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Electrochemical Noise ◽  
Organic Coating ◽  
Noise Measurement ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Coating Type ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Non Destructive ◽  
Electrolytic Resistance

Electrochemical Noise Measurement (ENM) and DC electrolytic resistance measurement (ERM) can be used to assess the level of protectiveness provided by an organic coating (paint or varnish) to the underlying metal. These techniques also have applicability to the thinner, transparent type of coatings used to protect archaeological artefacts. Two studies are presented here demonstrating how ERM and ENM techniques can be applied in artefact preservation. The similarity of the techniques, both of which are a measure of resistance, means results can be considered to be analogous. The first study investigated the use of ERM to determine the protection levels provided by typical coatings in order to develop a database of coating type and application for objects, for specific environments. The second study used ENM to evaluate coatings which had been applied to historic artefacts recovered from shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea and displayed inside the museum or kept in the museum store area. The studies showed the usefulness of both techniques for determining the level of protection of a coating and how a better performing coating can be specified if a pre-existing coating on an artefact has been found to be unsuitable.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Sentinel-3A OLCI Products Derived Using the Case-2 Regional CoastColour Processor over the Baltic Sea

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (16) ◽  
pp. 3609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyryliuk ◽  
Kratzer
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Attenuation Coefficient ◽  
Secchi Depth ◽  
Local Algorithm ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
In Situ Data ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Level 2

In this study, the Level-2 products of the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) data on Sentinel-3A are derived using the Case-2 Regional CoastColour (C2RCC) processor for the SentiNel Application Platform (SNAP) whilst adjusting the specific scatter of Total Suspended Matter (TSM) for the Baltic Sea in order to improve TSM retrieval. The remote sensing product “kd_z90max” (i.e., the depth of the water column from which 90% of the water-leaving irradiance are derived) from C2RCC-SNAP showed a good correlation with in situ Secchi depth (SD). Additionally, a regional in-water algorithm was applied to derive SD from the attenuation coefficient Kd(489) using a local algorithm. Furthermore, a regional in-water relationship between particle scatter and bench turbidity was applied to generate turbidity from the remote sensing product “iop_bpart” (i.e., the scattering coefficient of marine particles at 443 nm). The spectral shape of the remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) data extracted from match-up stations was evaluated against reflectance data measured in situ by a tethered Attenuation Coefficient Sensor (TACCS) radiometer. The L2 products were evaluated against in situ data from several dedicated validation campaigns (2016–2018) in the NW Baltic proper. All derived L2 in-water products were statistically compared to in situ data and the results were also compared to results for MERIS validation from the literature and the current S3 Level-2 Water (L2W) standard processor from EUMETSAT. The Chl-a product showed a substantial improvement (MNB 21%, RMSE 88%, APD 96%, n = 27) compared to concentrations derived from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS), with a strong underestimation of higher values. TSM performed within an error comparable to MERIS data with a mean normalized bias (MNB) 25%, root-mean square error (RMSE) 73%, average absolute percentage difference (APD) 63% n = 23). Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) absorption retrieval has also improved substantially when using the product “iop_adg” (i.e., the sum of organic detritus and Gelbstoff absorption at 443 nm) as a proxy (MNB 8%, RMSE 56%, APD 54%, n = 18). The local SD (MNB 6%, RMSE 62%, APD 60%, n = 35) and turbidity (MNB 3%, RMSE 35%, APD 34%, n = 29) algorithms showed very good agreement with in situ data. We recommend the use of the SNAP C2RCC with regionally adjusted TSM-specific scatter for water product retrieval as well as the regional turbidity algorithm for Baltic Sea monitoring. Besides documenting the evaluation of the C2RCC processor, this paper may also act as a handbook on the validation of Ocean Colour data.

The Role of the Barotropic Water Exchange in the Formation of the Baltic Sea-Level Spectrum

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15
Author(s):  
E. A. Kulikov ◽  
I. P. Medvedev ◽  
K. P. Koltermann
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Level Spectrum ◽  
The Baltic
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