Ciliate diversity and growth rates in experimental recirculating aquaculture and aquaponics systems using microscopy.

The function of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) relies on microbial communities, which convert toxic, fish-excreted ammonia into substances that can provide nutrients to plants as in the case of aquaponics systems. In the present study, heterotrophic protist communities of experimental sea water RAS and freshwater aquaponics systems were investigated using microscopy to characterize their diversity, natural abundance, and potential growth rates. Heterotrophic protist abundance was low (732 ± 21 to 5451 ± 118 ciliates L and 58 ± 8 to 147 ± 18 nanoflagellates mL in the aquaponics system and 78 ± 28 to 203 ± 48 ciliates L in the RAS), which is in line with values typically reported for rivers.

Microbes and us: microbiology literacy in Greece.

Microbes are ubiquitous and provide numerous services to humans and our planet. However, a query arises as to whether these microbial services are valued by the general public especially after unprecedented conditions like the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context a survey was conducted to investigate the concept of microbe in Greece.

Implementation of the Water Framework Directive: Lessons Learned and Future Perspectives for an Ecologically Meaningful Classification Based on Phytoplankton of the Status of Greek Lakes, Mediterranean Region.

The enactment of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) initiated scientific efforts to develop reliable methods for comparing prevailing lake conditions against reference (or nonimpaired) states, using the state of a set biological elements. Drawing a distinction between impaired and natural conditions can be a challenging exercise. Another important aspect is to ensure that water quality assessment is comparable among the different Member States.

Metagenomic Characterization of Bacterial Communities on Ready-to-Eat Vegetables and Effects of Household Washing on their Diversity and Composition.

Ready-to-eat (RTE) leafy salad vegetables are considered foods that can be consumed immediately at the point of sale without further treatment. The aim of the study was to investigate the bacterial community composition of RTE salads at the point of consumption and the changes in bacterial diversity and composition associated with different household washing treatments. The bacterial microbiomes of rocket and spinach leaves were examined by means of 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing.

Quantifying the changes in genetic diversity within sequence-discrete bacterial populations across a spatial and temporal riverine gradient.

Recent diversity studies have revealed that microbial communities of natural environments are dominated by species-like, sequence-discrete populations. However, how stable the sequence and gene-content diversity are within these populations and especially in highly dynamic lotic habitats remain unclear. Here we quantified the dynamics of intra-population diversity in samples spanning two years and five sites in the Kalamas River (Northwest Greece).

Assessment of the Virological Quality of Marine and Running Surface Waters in NW Greece: A Case Study.

The virological quality of surface marine and running water samples collected from Igoumenitsa gulf and Kalamas river (NW Greece) was assessed from October 2012 to September 2013. Sampling sites were exposed to different land and/or anthropogenic effects. Seawater samples were collected monthly from five sampling stations (new harbor, old harbor, wastewater treatment plant outlet, protected Natura area, Drepano beach).

Changes in Microbial (Bacteria and Archaea) Plankton Community Structure after Artificial Dispersal in Grazer-Free Microcosms.

Microbes are considered to have a global distribution due to their high dispersal capabilities. However, our knowledge of the way geographically distant microbial communities assemble after dispersal in a new environment is limited. In this study, we examined whether communities would converge because similar taxa would be selected under the same environmental conditions, or would diverge because of initial community composition, after artificial dispersal.

Anthropogenic effects on bacterial diversity and function along a river-to-estuary gradient in Northwest Greece revealed by metagenomics.

Studies assessing the effects of anthropogenic inputs on the taxonomic and functional diversity of bacterioplankton communities in lotic ecosystems are limited. Here, we applied 16S rRNA gene amplicon and whole-genome shotgun sequencing to examine the microbial diversity in samples from the Kalamas River (Northwest Greece), a mid-size river that runs through agricultural and NATURA-protected areas, but also receives urban sewage from a large city through a manmade ditch. Samples from three different locations between the exit of the ditch and the estuary, during three different months showed that temporal differences of taxonomic and functional diversity were more pronounced than spatial ones, and <1% of total taxa were shared among all samples, revealing a highly dynamic ecosystem.

Inter-comparison of the potentially active prokaryotic communities in the halocline sediments of Mediterranean deep-sea hypersaline basins.

The sediment microbiota of the Mediterranean deep-sea anoxic hypersaline basins (DHABs) are understudied relative to communities in the brines and halocline waters. In this study, the active fraction of the prokaryotic community in the halocline sediments of L' Atalante, Urania, and Discovery DHABs was investigated based on extracted total RNA and 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Bacterial and archaeal communities were different in the sediments underlying the halocline waters of the three habitats, reflecting the unique chemical settings of each basin.

Spatially uniform but temporally variable bacterioplankton in a semi-enclosed coastal area.

Studies focusing on the temporal and spatial dynamics of bacterioplankton communities within littoral areas undergoing direct influences from the coast are quite limited. In addition, they are more complicated to resolve compared to communities in the open ocean. In order to elucidate the effects of spatial vs.

Plankton microorganisms coinciding with two consecutive mass fish kills in a newly reconstructed lake.

Lake Karla, Greece, was dried up in 1962 and its refilling started in 2009. We examined the Cyanobacteria and unicellular eukaryotes found during two fish kill incidents, in March and April 2010, in order to detect possible causative agents. Both microscopic and molecular (16S/18S rRNA gene diversity) identification were applied.

Establishment and succession of an epibiotic community on chromated copper arsenate-treated wood in Mediterranean waters.

Colonization and succession of an epibiotic animal community on chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood were studied for 18 months in the eastern Mediterranean (Saronikos Gulf, Aegean Sea). Pine wood panels, 200 x 100 x 25 mm, impregnated with CCA at retentions of 0, 12, 24, and 48 kg m(-3) were used. The abundance or surface coverage of the most characteristic taxa (polychaetes, mollusca, crustacea bryozoa, sponges, ascidians) was measured in situ, while 12 months after submersion two panels of each retention were removed and examined in the laboratory.

Cosmopolitan heterotrophic microeukaryotes are active bacterial grazers in experimental oil-polluted systems.

We investigated the population dynamics and prevailing 18S rDNA phylotypes of microeukaryotes ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Evaluation of double formalin--Lugol's fixation in assessing number and biomass of ciliates: an example of estimations at mesoscale in NE Atlantic.

Ciliated protozoa are potential grazers of primary and bacterial production and act as intermediaries between picoplankton and copepods and other large suspension feeders. Accurate determination of ciliate abundance and feeding mode is crucial in oceanic carbon budget estimations. However, the impact of different fixatives on the abundance and cell volume of ciliates has been investigated in only a few studies using either laboratory cultures or natural populations.