Metabolic adaptations underpin high productivity rates in relict subsurface water.

Groundwater aquifers are ecological hotspots with diverse microbes essential for biogeochemical cycles. Their ecophysiology has seldom been studied on a basin scale. In particular, our knowledge of chemosynthesis in the deep aquifers where temperatures reach 60 °C, is limited.

Jellyfish swarm impair the pretreatment efficiency and membrane performance of seawater reverse osmosis desalination.

Circumstantial evidence has suggested that jellyfish swarms impair the operation of seawater reverse osmosis desalination facilities. However, only limited information is currently available on the pretreatment efficiency of jellyfish and their effects on reverse osmosis (RO) membrane performance. Here, we have comprehensively tested the pretreatment efficiency of a dual-media gravity filter and cartridge micro-filtration following the addition of jellyfish into the feedwater.

Contribution of Heterotrophic Diazotrophs to N Fixation in a Eutrophic River: Free-Living vs. Aggregate-Associated.

Recent studies have indicated that heterotrophic diazotrophs are highly diverse and fix N in aquatic environments with adverse conditions for diazotrophy, such as oxic and rich in total nitrogen. In this study, we compared the activity and diversity of heterotrophic diazotrophs associated with aggregates (>12 μm) to free-living cells in the eutrophic Qishon River during the winter and summer seasons. Overall, measured heterotrophic N fixation rates in the Qishon River ranged between 2.

Impacts of sewage outbursts on seawater reverse osmosis desalination.

Sewage outbursts affect coastal environments as seawater is enriched with nutrients, organic matter and microbes, thus can potentially impair seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination. In this study, we evaluated how municipal sewage outbursts affect SWRO desalination in a pilot-scale system. To this end, feedwater characteristics (i.

Heterotrophic Nitrogen Fixation at the Hyper-Eutrophic Qishon River and Estuary System.

Planktonic heterotrophic diazotrophs (N-fixers) are widely distributed in marine and freshwater systems, yet limited information is available on their activity, especially in environments with adverse conditions for diazotrophy (e.g., N-rich and oxygenated).

Direct Detection of Heterotrophic Diazotrophs Associated with Planktonic Aggregates.

N fixation by planktonic heterotrophic diazotrophs is more wide spread than previously thought, including environments considered "unfavorable" for diazotrophy. These environments include a substantial fraction of the aquatic biosphere such as eutrophic estuaries with high ambient nitrogen concentrations and oxidized aphotic water. Different studies suggested that heterotrophic diazotrophs associated with aggregates may promote N fixation in such environments.