Impacts of Melatonin on Functionalities of Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment

Fan Ye, Junhong Guo, Pengfu Hou (), Yongjun Wang, Fengbin Song, Peng Zhang () and Xiangnan Li
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Fan Ye: Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
Junhong Guo: Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
Pengfu Hou: Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in Downstream of Yangtze Plain, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
Yongjun Wang: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jilin Academy of Agriculture Sciences/State Engineering Laboratory of Maize, Changchun 130033, China
Fengbin Song: Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
Peng Zhang: Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
Xiangnan Li: Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: Constructed wetlands (CWs) are effective wastewater treatment systems, relying on plant and substrate uptake and microbial depletion to remove pollutants. It has been reported that melatonin can promote plant growth and change the structure of microbial communities. The effects of melatonin on stress tolerance of plants have been extensively studied, while the effects of melatonin on the efficiency of wastewater treatment in constructed wetlands are rarely known. In the current study, 1 mM melatonin was added to the constructed wetland systems to determine physiological characteristics of Phragmites australis, microbial enzyme activity, and microbial community structure of CWs. Under melatonin treatment, the An and g s of Phragmites australis plants were significantly improved compared with the control. In addition, the contents of phosphate and total anion in the xylem sap of Phragmites australis significantly increased. However, the concentration of total phosphorus in the effluent did change significantly. Melatonin treatment improved the dehydrogenase activity and significantly improved the removal efficiency of NH 4 + -N in CWs. Furthermore, melatonin reduced the richness of the microbial community in CWs, while it increased the diversity of bacterial community and altered microbial composition. FARPROTAX analysis showed that melatonin increased the abundance of bacteria involved in nitrogen fixation and ureolysis, which may be related to the improvement of plant photosynthetic performance and improved rhizosphere oxygen environment. These results suggested that melatonin may affect plant performance and microbial composition and functions to improve the purification effect of constructed wetland.

Keywords: constructed wetlands; melatonin; microbial community; Phragmites australis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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