Impacts of Melatonin on Functionalities of Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment

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 gs 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 NH4+-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.