Hydrodynamics Alter the Tolerance of Autotrophic Biofilm Communities Toward Herbicides
Multiple stressors pose potential risk to aquatic ecosystems and are the main reasons for failing ecological quality standards. However, mechanisms how multiple stressors act on aquatic community structure and functioning are poorly understood. This is especially true for two important stressors typ...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02884/full |
| _version_ | 1818991925853683712 |
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| author | Bastian H. Polst Bastian H. Polst Bastian H. Polst Christine Anlanger Christine Anlanger Ute Risse-Buhl Floriane Larras Thomas Hein Thomas Hein Markus Weitere Mechthild Schmitt-Jansen |
| author_facet | Bastian H. Polst Bastian H. Polst Bastian H. Polst Christine Anlanger Christine Anlanger Ute Risse-Buhl Floriane Larras Thomas Hein Thomas Hein Markus Weitere Mechthild Schmitt-Jansen |
| author_sort | Bastian H. Polst |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Multiple stressors pose potential risk to aquatic ecosystems and are the main reasons for failing ecological quality standards. However, mechanisms how multiple stressors act on aquatic community structure and functioning are poorly understood. This is especially true for two important stressors types, hydrodynamic alterations and toxicants. Here we perform a mesocosm experiment in hydraulic flumes connected as a bypass to a natural stream to test the interactive effects of both factors on natural (inoculated from streams water) biofilms. Biofilms, i.e., the community of autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in association with substratum, are key players in stream functioning. We hypothesized (i) that the tolerance of biofilms toward toxicants (the herbicide Prometryn) decreases with increasing hydraulic stress. As EPS is known as an absorber of chemicals, we hypothesize (ii) that the EPS to cell ratio correlates with both hydraulic stress and herbicide tolerance. Tolerance values were derived from concentration-response assays. Both, the herbicide tolerance and the biovolume of the EPS significantly correlated with the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), while the diversity of diatoms (the dominant group within the stream biofilms) increased with flow velocity. This indicates that the positive effect of TKE on community tolerance was mediated by turbulence-induced changes in the EPS biovolume. This conclusion was supported by a second experiment, showing decreasing effects of the herbicide to a diatom biofilm (Nitzschia palea) with increasing content of artificial EPS. We conclude that increasing hydrodynamic forces in streams result in an increasing tolerance of microbial communities toward chemical pollution by changes in EPS-mediated bioavailability of toxicants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T20:18:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f6e9c4a408e447a6858fcb65bdb516aa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T20:18:01Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-f6e9c4a408e447a6858fcb65bdb516aa2022-12-21T19:27:39ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2018-12-01910.3389/fmicb.2018.02884415586Hydrodynamics Alter the Tolerance of Autotrophic Biofilm Communities Toward HerbicidesBastian H. Polst0Bastian H. Polst1Bastian H. Polst2Christine Anlanger3Christine Anlanger4Ute Risse-Buhl5Floriane Larras6Thomas Hein7Thomas Hein8Markus Weitere9Mechthild Schmitt-Jansen10Department of Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Leipzig, GermanyInstitute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, AustriaWasserCluster Lunz, Lunz, AustriaDepartment of River Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Magdeburg, GermanyInstitute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, GermanyDepartment of River Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Magdeburg, GermanyDepartment of Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Leipzig, GermanyInstitute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, AustriaWasserCluster Lunz, Lunz, AustriaDepartment of River Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Magdeburg, GermanyDepartment of Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Leipzig, GermanyMultiple stressors pose potential risk to aquatic ecosystems and are the main reasons for failing ecological quality standards. However, mechanisms how multiple stressors act on aquatic community structure and functioning are poorly understood. This is especially true for two important stressors types, hydrodynamic alterations and toxicants. Here we perform a mesocosm experiment in hydraulic flumes connected as a bypass to a natural stream to test the interactive effects of both factors on natural (inoculated from streams water) biofilms. Biofilms, i.e., the community of autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in association with substratum, are key players in stream functioning. We hypothesized (i) that the tolerance of biofilms toward toxicants (the herbicide Prometryn) decreases with increasing hydraulic stress. As EPS is known as an absorber of chemicals, we hypothesize (ii) that the EPS to cell ratio correlates with both hydraulic stress and herbicide tolerance. Tolerance values were derived from concentration-response assays. Both, the herbicide tolerance and the biovolume of the EPS significantly correlated with the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), while the diversity of diatoms (the dominant group within the stream biofilms) increased with flow velocity. This indicates that the positive effect of TKE on community tolerance was mediated by turbulence-induced changes in the EPS biovolume. This conclusion was supported by a second experiment, showing decreasing effects of the herbicide to a diatom biofilm (Nitzschia palea) with increasing content of artificial EPS. We conclude that increasing hydrodynamic forces in streams result in an increasing tolerance of microbial communities toward chemical pollution by changes in EPS-mediated bioavailability of toxicants.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02884/fullautotrophic biofilmmultiple stressorsmicrobial communitiesPICTnear-bed hydrodynamicsperiphyton |
| spellingShingle | Bastian H. Polst Bastian H. Polst Bastian H. Polst Christine Anlanger Christine Anlanger Ute Risse-Buhl Floriane Larras Thomas Hein Thomas Hein Markus Weitere Mechthild Schmitt-Jansen Hydrodynamics Alter the Tolerance of Autotrophic Biofilm Communities Toward Herbicides Frontiers in Microbiology autotrophic biofilm multiple stressors microbial communities PICT near-bed hydrodynamics periphyton |
| title | Hydrodynamics Alter the Tolerance of Autotrophic Biofilm Communities Toward Herbicides |
| title_full | Hydrodynamics Alter the Tolerance of Autotrophic Biofilm Communities Toward Herbicides |
| title_fullStr | Hydrodynamics Alter the Tolerance of Autotrophic Biofilm Communities Toward Herbicides |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydrodynamics Alter the Tolerance of Autotrophic Biofilm Communities Toward Herbicides |
| title_short | Hydrodynamics Alter the Tolerance of Autotrophic Biofilm Communities Toward Herbicides |
| title_sort | hydrodynamics alter the tolerance of autotrophic biofilm communities toward herbicides |
| topic | autotrophic biofilm multiple stressors microbial communities PICT near-bed hydrodynamics periphyton |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02884/full |
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