Effects of Salts on the Activity and Growth of "Candidatus Scalindua sp.", a Marine Anammox Bacterium

Abstract

Four salts, SEALIFE (a synthetic sea salt), NaCl, Na₂SO₄, and NaCl+KCl, were applied to monitor the effects of salinity on "Candidatus Scalindua sp.", a marine anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacterium. The highest ammonium consumption of 10 μmol mg protein^-1 d^-1 was observed at 88 mmol L^-1 of Na in the presence of NaCl. The highest inorganic carbon uptake of 0.6 μmol mg protein^-1 d^-1 was observed at 117 mmol L^-1 of Na and at 16 mmol L^-1 of K in the presence of NaCl+KCl. Thus, Na and K are both important for maintaining a high growth rate of "Candidatus Scalindua sp."

Keywords: ammonium consumption; anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox); inorganic carbon uptake; salinity; “Candidatus Scalindua sp.”.