Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Procedure for Adaptive Laboratory Evolution of Microorganisms Using a Chemostat
Published on: September 20, 2016
Adaptation of a freshwater anammox population to high salinity wastewater
Boran Kartal1, Mariana Koleva, Roumen Arsov
1Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Microbiology, Nijmegen 6525 ED, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
For the successful application of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in wastewater practice it is important to know how to seed new anammox reactors with biomass from existing reactors. In this study, a new high salinity anammox reactor was inoculated with biomass from a freshwater system. The changes in activity and population shifts were monitored. It was shown that freshwater anammox bacteria could adapt to salt concentrations as high as 30 gl(-1) provided the salt concentration was gradually increased. Higher salt concentrations reversibly inhibited anammox bacteria. The nitrogen removal efficiency and maximum anammox activity of the salt adapted sludge was very similar to the reference freshwater sludge. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis revealed that the freshwater anammox species Candidatus "Kuenenia stuttgartiensis" was the dominant in both salt adapted sludge and freshwater sludge. These results show that gradual adaptation may be the key to successful seeding of anammox bioreactors.
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Wastewater Treatment
Marine Microbial Ecology
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Osmoregulation in Fishes
Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
Responses to Salt Stress

