microbial communities
Microbial EcologySuppression of Rice Planthopper Populations by the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium anisopliae without Affecting the Rice MicrobiotaEntomopathogenic fungi may be used as crucial biocontrol agents for the control of insect pests, but few effective fungal strains have been reported for the control of the rice planthopper, a major pest of rice. More importantly, the impacts of fungal insecticide application on nontarget microorganisms have not been well evaluated, especially under field conditions. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of the fungal...
Microbial Ecology | SpotlightStrain Background, Species Frequency, and Environmental Conditions Are Important in Determining Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus Population Dynamics and Species CoexistenceBacterial infections are frequently caused by more than one species, and such polymicrobial infections are often considered more virulent and more difficult to treat than the respective monospecies infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are among the most important pathogens in...
GeomicrobiologyMicrobial Diversity in Deep-Subsurface Hot Brines of Northwest Poland: from Community Structure to Isolate CharacteristicsDeep-subsurface aquifers, buried thousands of meters down the Earth’s crust, belong to the most underexplored microbial habitats. Although a few studies revealed the existence of microbial life at the depths, the knowledge about the microbial life in the deep hydrosphere is still scarce due to the limited access to such environments. Studying the subsurface microbiome provides unique information on microbial diversity, community...
Microbial EcologyNeutral Processes Dominate Microbial Community Assembly in Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salarA growing number of studies have examined variation in the microbiome to determine the role in modulating host health, physiology, and ecology. However, the ecology of host microbial colonization is not fully understood and rarely tested. The continued increase in production of farmed Atlantic salmon, coupled with increased farmed-wild salmon interactions, has accentuated the need to unravel the potential adaptive function of the...
Environmental Microbiology | SpotlightGlobal Comparison of the Bacterial Communities of Bilge Water, Boat Surfaces, and External Port WaterInvasive species have been a worldwide problem for many years. However, the potential for microorganisms to become invasive is relatively underexplored. As the tools to study bacterial communities become more affordable, we are able to perform large-scale studies and examine bacterial communities in higher resolution than was previously practical. This study looked at the potential for bacteria to colonize both boat surfaces and bilge...
Environmental MicrobiologySurface Water Microbial Community Response to the Biocide 2,2-Dibromo-3-Nitrilopropionamide, Used in Unconventional Oil and Gas ExtractionUnconventional oil and gas activity can affect pH, total organic carbon, and microbial communities in surface water, altering their ability to respond to new environmental and/or anthropogenic perturbations. These findings demonstrate that 2,2-dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide (DBNPA), a common hydraulic fracturing (HF) biocide, affects microbial communities differently as a consequence of past HF exposure, persisting longer in HF-impacted...
Plant MicrobiologyEffects of Agricultural Management on Rhizosphere Microbial Structure and Function in Processing Tomato PlantsAgriculture relies, in part, on close linkages between plants and the microorganisms that live in association with plant roots. These rhizosphere bacteria and fungi are distinct from microbial communities found in the rest of the soil and are even more important to plant nutrient uptake and health. Evidence from field studies shows that agricultural management practices such as fertilization and tillage shape microbial communities in...
Microbial EcologyAsexual Reproduction Can Account for the High Diversity and Prevalence of Rare Taxa Observed in Microbial CommunitiesThere have been numerous recent efforts to integrate microbes into broad-scale ecological theories. Microbial communities are often structurally distinct from macrobial communities, but it is unclear whether these differences are real or whether they are due to the different methodologies used to study communities at these two scales. One major difference between macroorganisms and microorganisms is that microbes are much more likely to...
BiodegradationHydrocarbon-Degrading Microbial Communities Are Site Specific, and Their Activity Is Limited by Synergies in Temperature and Nutrient Availability in Surface Ocean WatersThe risk of an oil spill accident in pristine regions of the world’s oceans is increasing due to the development and transport of crude oil resources, especially in the Arctic region, as a result of the opening of ice-free transportation routes, and there is currently no consensus regarding the complex interplay among the environmental controls of petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation for predictive modeling. We examined the hydrocarbon...
Environmental MicrobiologyComplex Microbial Communities Drive Iron and Sulfur Cycling in Arctic Fjord SedimentsGlacial runoff is a key source of iron for primary production in the Arctic. In the fjords of the Svalbard archipelago, glacial retreat is predicted to stimulate phytoplankton blooms that were previously restricted to outer margins. Decreased sediment delivery and enhanced primary production have been hypothesized to alter sediment biogeochemistry, wherein any free reduced iron that could potentially be delivered to the shelf will...