• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.457-463
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• 2011

This study was carried out to compare the toxicity of nano and micrometer particles with Cu and Zn on soil microbial community and metal uptake of buck wheat. In microcosm system, soil was incubated for 14 days after soil aliquots were artificially contaminated with 1,000 mg/kg Cu, Zn nano and micro particles, respectively. After then, buck wheat was planted in incubating soils and non incubating soils. After 14 days, we compared bioaccumulation of metal, and microbial carbon substrate utilization patterns between incubating soils and non-incubating soils. The enrichment factor (EF) values of incubating samples were greater than non-incubating soils. Dehydrogenase activity had been inhibited by Cu and Zn nanoparticles in non-incubating soil, as well as it had been inhibited by Zn micro particles in incubating soils. Results of biolog test, it was not significant different between nano particles and micro particles. It cannot be generalized that nanoparticles of metal are always more toxic to soil microbial activity and diversity than micrometer-sized particles and the toxicity needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.379-389
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• 2021

Soil microorganism activity in an agricultural field is affected by various factors including climate conditions, soil chemical properties, and crop cultivation. In this study, we elucidate the correlation between microorganism activity and agricultural environment factors using the dehydrogenase activity (DHA) value, which is one of the indicators of soil microbial activity. As a result, the various factors noted above were related to the DHA value. Annual rainfall, soil Mg2+, bacterial and fungal diversities, types of crops, developmental stages, seasons, and cultivation status were highly correlated with the DHA value. Furthermore, next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis was used to identify that the type of crop affected soil microbial compositions of both bacteria and fungi. Soil used for soybean cultivation showed the highest relative abundance for Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, and Acidobacteria but Actinobacteria and Firmicutes had the lowest relative abundance. In the case of soil used for potato cultivation, Actinobacteria had the highest relative abundance but Proteobacteria had the lowest relative abundance. Armatimonadetes showed the highest relative abundance in soil used for cabbage cultivation. Among the fungal communities, Mortierellomycota had the highest relative abundance for soybean cultivation but the lowest relative abundance for cabbage cultivation; further, Rozellomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Cercozoa had the highest relative abundance for cabbage cultivation. Basidiomycota had the highest relative abundance for potato cultivation but the lowest relative abundance for soybean cultivation.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.536-543
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• 2007

This research was conducted every month from June 1994 until August 1996 with the aim to understand the ecosystem structure through the analysis of oribatid mite community structure in soil subsequent to environmental difference of its habitats located at northward & southward slopes adjacent to each other at an altitude of 1,000 meters of Mt.Jumbong, which is a natural reserved forest, remaining intact. There appeared a significant difference [t-test, p<0.06] in comparison of the number of the species and individuals of Oribatid mite species which were collected and identified at two survey areas. The mean density and the number of the species collected and identified at the northward slopes, and southward slopes were $99.2{\pm}17.6,\;234.2{\pm}62.6$ and $24.7{\pm}3.0,\;40.8{\pm}5.8$, respectively. Species diversity index(H') was higher at the southward slopes($3.09{\pm}0.11$) than at the northward slopes($2.71{\pm}0.13$). The population size of Oribatid mite species was found by the percentage of each species density as against the whole density and classified into dominant species, influent species, and recessive species according to the percentage; as a result, O. nova and Suctobelbella naginata was found to be a dominant species at both survey slopes while Trichogalumna nipponica was found to be a dominant species, at southward but it wasn't collected at the northward slopes at all. The feeding habit of the dominant species at two survey slopes was found to be microphytophagous- eating soil microbe. There appeared a conspicuous difference in compositions of the number of the species, individuals and dominant species at the southward/northward slopes adjoining each other at an attitude of 1,000 meters and less similarity between the two survey slopes. Conclusively, It was found that the heterogeneity of microhabitat has a great effect on Oribatid mite's community characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.374-381
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• 2015

Occurrences of coastal dredged materials are ever increasing due to port construction, navigational course maintenance and dredging of polluted coastal sediments. Ocean dumping of the coastal dredged materials has become virtually prohibited as London Treaty will be enacted as of the year 2012. It will be necessary to treat and recycle the dredged materials that may carry organic pollutants and heavy metals in a reasonable and effective process: collection of the dredged materials, liquid and solid separation, and treatment of organic compounds and heavy metals. In this study we have developed a continuous bioreactor system that can treat a mixture of silt and particulate organic matter using a microbial consortium (BM-S-1). The steady-state operation conditions were: pH (7.4-7.5), temperature ($16^{\circ}C$), DO (7.5-7.9), and salt concentration (3.4-3.7%). The treatment efficiencies of SCOD, T-N and T-P of the mixture were 95-96%, 92-99%, and 79-97%. The system was also effective in removal of heavy metals such as Zn, Ni, and Cr. Levels of MLSS during three months operation period were 11,000-19,000 mg/L. Interestingly, there was little sludge generated during this period of operation. The augmented microbial consortium seemed to be quite active in the removal of the organic component (30%) present in the dredged material in association with indigenous bacteria. The dominant phyla in the treatment processes were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes while dominant genii were Marinobacterium, Flaviramulus, Formosa, Alteromonadaceae_uc, Flavobacteriaceae_uc. These results will contribute to a development of a successful bioremediation technology for various coastal and river sediments with a high content of organic matter, inorganic nutrients and heavy metals, leading to a successful reuse of the polluted dredged sediments.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.225-238
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• 2021

CH₄-oxidizing and N₂O-reducing bacterial consortia were enriched from the rhizosphere soils of maize (Zea mays) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Illumina MiSeq sequencing analysis was performed to comparatively analyze the bacterial communities of the consortia with those of the rhizosphere soils. Additionally, the effect of root exudate on CH₄ oxidation and N₂O reduction activities of the microbes was evaluated. Although the inoculum sources varied, the CH₄-oxidizing and N₂O-reducing consortia derived from maize and tall fescue were similar. The predominant methanotrophs in the CH₄-oxidizing consortia were Methylosarcina, Methylococcus, and Methylocystis. Among the N₂O-reducing consortia, the representative N₂O-reducing bacteria were Cloacibacterium, Azonexus, and Klebsiella. The N₂O reduction rate of the N₂O-reducing consortium from maize rhizosphere and tall fescue rhizosphere increased by 1.6 and 2.7 times with the addition of maize and tall fescue root exudates, respectively. The CH₄ oxidization activity of the CH₄-oxidizing consortia did not increase with the addition of root exudates. The CH₄-oxidizing and N₂O-reducing consortia can be used as promising bioresources to mitigate non-CO₂ greenhouse gas emissions during remediation of oil-contaminated soils.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.133-138
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• 2008

Fire can affect microbial community structure of soil through altered environmental conditions, nutrient availability, and biotic source for microbial re-colonization. We examined the influence of fire on chemical properties and soil enzyme activities of soil for 10 months. We also characterized the soil microbial community structure through ester-linked fatty acid analysis(EL-FAME). For this study, we established five burned plots(1*1 m) and 5 unburned plots outside the margin of fire. Soil was sampled three soil cores in a each plots and composited for analysis at 1, 3, 5, 8, and 10 month after fire. The fire caused an increase in soil pH, exchangeable Ca, and Mg, organic matter, available $P_2O_5$ compared to unburned sites. The content of $NH_4-N$ in burned site was significantly higher than that of unburned site and this effect continued for 8 months after fire. There was no difference of $NO_3-N$ content in soil between burned and unburned site. Fire caused no change in acid phosphatase and arylsulfatase activities but $\beta$-glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase activities in burned site were increased compared to unburned site. Microbial biomass as estimated by total concentration of EL-FAMEs in burned sites was significantly higher than that of unburned sites at one month after fire. Burned site decreased the EL-FAMEs indicative of gram-positive bacteria and tended to increase the fatty acid associated with gram-negative bacteria at one and three months after fire. The sum of EL-FAME compound $18:2{\omega}6,9c$ and $18:1{\omega}9c$ as served fungal biomarkers was decreased in burned site compared to unburned site.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2020

BACKGROUND: Soil carbon sequestration has been investigated for a long time because of its potential to mitigate the greenhouse effect. No- or reduced tillage, crop rotations, or cover crops have been investigated and practiced to sequester carbon in soils but the roles of soil biota, particularly microorganisms, have been mostly ignored although they affect the amount and stability of soil organic matters. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study we analyzed the organic matter and microbial community in organically cultivated corn field soils where no-tillage (NT) or conventional tillage (CT) had been practiced for about three years. The amounts of organic matter and recalcitrant carbon pool were 18.3 g/kg dry soil and 4.1 g C/kg dry soil, respectively in NT soils, while they were 12.4 and 2.5, respectively in CT soils. The amounts of RNA and DNA, and the copy numbers of bacterial 16S rRNA genes and fungal ITS sequences were higher in NT soils than in CT soils. No-tillage treatment increased the diversities of soil bacterial and fungal communities and clearly shifted the bacterial and fungal community structures. In NT soils the relative abundances of bacterial phyla known as copiotrophs, Betaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, increased while those known as oligotrophs, Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia, decreased compared to CT soils. The relative abundance of a fungal phylum, Glomeromycota, whose members are known as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, was about two time higher in NT soils than in CT soils, suggesting that the higher amount of organic matter in NT soils is related to its abundance. CONCLUSION: This study shows that no-tillage treatment greatly affects soil microbial abundance and community structure, which may affect the amount and stability of soil organic matter.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.208-217
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• 2020

A biopolymer based on microorganism-derived β-glucan and xanthan gum is being studied as a new eco-friendly material that stabilizes the riverbank slope, and also promotes vegetation growth. However, it is still inconclusive whether biopolymers have a positive effect on plant performance in the riverbanks which are subjected to various climatic factors and plant competitions. For a practical ecological evaluation of the biopolymers, their effect on plant growth promotion was studied in a natural environment. Considering the relationship between competition and plant community formation, the effects of biopolymers on competition were also investigated. For four plant species (Echinochloa crus-galli, Pennisetum alopecuroides, Leonurus japonicus, and Coreopsis lanceolata), the biopolymer effects under intra/interspecific competition were tested at the riverbank (20 m × 10 m) near Samjigyo Bridge in Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do. A biopolymer powder was mixed with water and commercial soil following the manufacturer's recommendations. The soil mixed with the biopolymer was filled in a pot or applied to the surface of the commercial soil with a thickness of 3 cm. Across the competition treatments, the biopolymer treatment promoted root growth of the target plant species and decreased the specific leaf area. The total biomass and shoot dry weight of P. alopecuroides increased in response to the biopolymer treatment. The competition treatment decreased the total biomass and shoot dry weight compared to the case without competition. Notably, such a competitive effect was similar in all the biopolymer treatments. Thus, biopolymers, when mixed with soil, promote the growth of some plant species, but do not appear to affect the competitive ability of plants.