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Eukaryotic Community Shift in Response to Organic Loading Rate of an Aerobic Trickling Filter (Down-Flow Hanging Sponge Reactor) Treating Domestic Sewage

  • Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

In this study, changes in eukaryotic community structure and water quality were investigated in an aerobic trickling filter (down-flow hanging sponge, DHS) treating domestic sewage under different organic loading rates (OLRs). The OLR clearly influenced both sponge pore water quality and relative flagellates and ciliates (free-swimming, carnivorous, crawling, and stalked protozoa) abundances in the retained sludge. Immediately after the OLR was increased from 1.05 to 1.97 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD) m−3 day−1, COD and NH4 +-N treatment efficiencies both deteriorated, and relative flagellates and ciliates abundances then increased from 2–8 % to 51–65 % total cells in the middle-bottom part of the DHS reactor. In a continuous operation at a stable OLR (2.01 kg COD m−3 day−1), effluent water quality improved, and relative flagellates and ciliates abundances decreased to 15–46 % total cells in the middle-bottom part of the DHS reactor. This result may indicate that flagellates and ciliates preferentially graze on dispersed bacteria, thus, stabilizing effluent water quality. Additionally, to investigate eukaryotic community structure, clone libraries based on the 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene of the retained sludge were constructed. The predominant group was Nucletmycea phylotypes, representing approximately 29–56 % total clones. Furthermore, a large proportion of the clones had <97 % sequence identity in the NCBI database. This result indicates that phylogenetically unknown eukaryotes were present in the DHS reactor. These results provide insights into eukaryotic community shift in the DHS reactor treating domestic sewage.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the staff at the municipal sewage works at Tsuchiura city, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan. This research is supported by NIES Issue-Oriented Research Program, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI Grant Number 15J10199), and Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (1-1603) of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka, Niigata, 940-2188, Japan

    Yuma Miyaoka, Masashi Hatamoto & Takashi Yamaguchi

  2. Top Runner Incubation Center for Academia–Industry Fusion, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka, Niigata, 940-2188, Japan

    Masashi Hatamoto

  3. Department of Science of Technology Innovation, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka, Niigata, 940-2188, Japan

    Takashi Yamaguchi

  4. Center for Regional Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan

    Kazuaki Syutsubo

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  1. Yuma Miyaoka
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Correspondence to Kazuaki Syutsubo.

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Miyaoka, Y., Hatamoto, M., Yamaguchi, T. et al. Eukaryotic Community Shift in Response to Organic Loading Rate of an Aerobic Trickling Filter (Down-Flow Hanging Sponge Reactor) Treating Domestic Sewage. Microb Ecol 73, 801–814 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-016-0871-0

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