Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Ecotoxicological Method with Marine Bacteria Vibrio anguillarum to Evaluate the Acute Toxicity of Environmental Contaminants
Published on: May 26, 2017
Effects of engineered nanomaterials on microbial catalyzed biogeochemical processes in sediments
Jie Gao1, Yu Wang, Anna Hovsepyan
1Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. jgao@perc.ufl.edu
Abstract:
Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are anticipated to find use in many human activities and commercial products. Concerns are therefore being raised regarding their environmental fate and toxicological implications, which remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigate the effects of C(60), nano-Ag and CdSe quantum dots (QD) on microbial-catalyzed oxidation of organic matter in freshwater sediments. Sediment slurries spiked with sodium acetate at a final concentration of 150 mg/L were separately treated with pre-identified toxic levels of the tested ENMs. The study focused primarily on acetate oxidation by nitrate reducing bacteria. Sediment slurries were incubated under anaerobic conditions in parallel with control samples, and changes in concentrations of acetate, nitrate and nitrite tracked over time. The results showed that tested C(60) concentration completely inhibited the microbial oxidation of acetate, whereas the addition of nano-Ag and CdSe QD to sediment slurries negatively affected the rates of acetate oxidation. Under conditions with nitrate as prevalent electron acceptor, reaction rates of acetate degradation decreased from 0.44 day(-1) in control slurries to 0.24 day(-1) and 0.20 day(-1) in slurries treated with nano-Ag and CdSe QD, respectively. These preliminary results call for further investigations on potential long-term effects of ENMs on microbial driven basic ecosystem services.
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Corrosion
Microbial Wastewater Treatment
Microbial Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons
Microbial Bioremediation of Uranium
Microbial Biosensors
Marine Microbial Ecology

