Seasonal changes of spatial variation of some groundwater quality variables in a large irrigated coastal Mediterranean region of Turkey.

Soil and groundwater degradations have taken considerable attention, recently. We studied spatial and temporal variations of groundwater table depth and contours, and groundwater pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and nitrate (NO3) content in a large irrigated area in Western Mediterranean region of Turkey. These variables were monitored during 2009 and 2010 in previously constructed 220 monitoring wells.

Short-term effect of vermicompost application on biological properties of an alkaline soil with high lime content from Mediterranean region of Turkey.

This study was conducted to investigate direct short-term impact of vermicompost on some soil biological properties by monitoring changes after addition of vermicompost as compared to farmyard manure in an alkaline soil with high lime content from semiarid Mediterranean region of Turkey. For this purpose, mixtures of soil and organic fertilizers in different doses were incubated under greenhouse condition. Soil samples collected in regular intervals were analyzed for biological parameters including dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, urease, alkaline phosphatase activities, and total number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria.

Methylocystis hirsuta sp. nov., a novel methanotroph isolated from a groundwater aquifer.

Strain CSC1(T), a Gram-negative, aerobic, methane-oxidizing bacterium, was isolated from an uncontaminated aquifer nearly 20 years ago. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, this strain was identified as a member of the Alphaproteobacteria, most closely related to an uncultured member of the Methylocystaceae as well as two cultured organisms, Methylocystis sp. L32 and Methylocystis sp.

Cellulolytic, fermentative, and methanogenic guilds in benthic periphyton mats from the Florida Everglades.

Phosphorus enrichment caused by runoff from agricultural areas has resulted in ecosystem-level changes in the northern Florida Everglades, including a loss of periphyton mats from nutrient-impacted areas. The potential for methanogenesis resulting from the anaerobic decomposition of cellulose and fermentation products, and the microorganisms responsible for these processes, were studied in mats from a region not impacted by nutrient enrichment. Methane was produced from periphyton incubated with cellulose, propionate, butyrate, and formate, with an accumulation of fatty acids in incubations.

Cellulolytic and fermentative guilds in eutrophic soils of the Florida Everglades.

The northern Florida Everglades has been subject to eutrophication in recent years, resulting in well-documented changes in microbial ecology and a shift in the dominant plant species. This study investigated effects of plant quality and eutrophication on activities and composition of cellulolytic and fermentative guilds in soils. Most probable numbers of cellulolytic bacteria in eutrophic (F1) and transition (F4) soils were 10-fold higher than in oligotrophic soils (U3).

Characterization of methanogenic and methanotrophic assemblages in landfill samples.

A greater understanding of the tightly linked trophic groups of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria residing in municipal solid waste landfills will increase our ability to control methane emissions and pollutant fate in these environments. To this end, we characterized the composition of methanogenic and methanotrophic bacteria in samples taken from two regions of a municipal solid waste landfill that varied in age. A method combining polymerase chain reaction amplification, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and phylogenetic analysis was used for this purpose.