Article
Microbiology
Paul Gaube, Polina Marchenko, Caroline Mueller, Rabea Schweiger, Raimund Tenhaken, Alexander Keller, Robert R. Junker
Summary: Microbes associated with flowers and leaves affect plant health and fitness and modify the chemical phenotypes of plants with consequences for interactions of plants with their environment. However, the drivers of bacterial communities colonizing above-ground parts of grassland plants in the field remain largely unknown.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xian Yang, Pandeng Wang, Bowen Xiao, Qianna Xu, Qiang Guo, Shao-peng Li, Lulu Guo, Meifeng Deng, Jianbo Lu, Lingli Liu, Keping Ma, Bernhard Schmid, Lin Jiang
Summary: Plant microbiomes, including leaf epiphytic and endophytic bacterial communities, are influenced by host tree diversity. The diversity of both epiphytic and endophytic bacteria increases with host tree diversity, but the mechanisms differ. The increased epiphytic diversity is driven by greater alpha-diversity on individual trees, while the increased endophytic diversity is driven by greater beta-diversity among trees. Epiphytes respond to changes in host diversity through mass effects, while endophytes respond through species sorting.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shannon C. Lynch, Amy M. Savage
Summary: Urbanization has strong influences on ecological communities and alters species interactions. However, limited knowledge exists regarding the effects of urbanization on stress-buffering mutualisms. This study investigated the effects of urbanization on the mutualism between tree cholla cacti and visiting ants. Ant species composition and activity varied significantly across the urbanization gradient, while plant size remained constant. Ants were more aggressive and faster in attacking proxy prey in wild sites compared to urban sites, and nectar supplementation had weaker effects on ant aggression than urbanization.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pengbing Pei, Muhammad Aslam, Hong Du, Honghao Liang, Hui Wang, Xiaojuan Liu, Weizhou Chen
Summary: This study comprehensively analyzed the variation in epiphytic bacterial communities of Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis at different geographic locations and environmental factors. The findings revealed significant differences in epiphytic bacteria among various locations in China, with environmental factors such as nitrogen and phosphorus playing a key role in shaping the community composition of these bacteria.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Deqiang Chen, Abigail Mwin-nea Samwini, Benjamin Manirakiza, Felix Gyawu Addo, Lydia Numafo-Brempong, Wambley Adomako Baah
Summary: The occurrence of erythromycin in freshwater environments negatively affects the water quality and bacterial communities in epiphytic biofilms attached to plants. Erythromycin exposure impairs nutrient removal capacity, alters bacterial morphology, composition, and disrupts food web structure and metabolic pathways.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jing Wang, Zhibo Yang, Gaoge Wang, Shuai Shang, Xuexi Tang, Hui Xiao
Summary: This study investigated the composition and diversity of epiphytic bacterial communities on male and female Sargassum thunbergii using traditional culture-based method and 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the dominant bacterial phyla and genera were the same on both male and female S. thunbergii, but there were significant differences in the relative abundance of epiphytic bacteria at the genus level. Moreover, each sex had their own indicative species and specific bacteria, and the predicted functions of the epiphytic bacteria differed between the sexes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Misha Paauw, Marieke van Hulten, Sayantani Chatterjee, Jeroen A. Berg, Nanne W. Taks, Marcel Giesbers, Manon M. S. Richard, Harrold A. van den Burg
Summary: Plants have passive and active defense mechanisms to protect against invading microbes. The plant immune system guards roots, wounds, and stomata. The prevention of vascular disease caused by bacterial entry through guttation fluids from specialized glands at the leaf margin is not well understood.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jing Wang, Zhibo Yang, Peiyao Lu, Yan Sun, Song Xue, Xuexi Tang, Hui Xiao
Summary: The response of algal epiphytic bacteria to increased UV-B radiation and the differences between male and female algae were studied using 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing technology. Although the alpha diversity and community composition of epiphytic bacteria changed little, the beta diversity indicated that the community structure of bacteria on S. thunbergii was obviously clustered, and the relative abundance of dominant bacteria and indicator species changed considerably. The abundance of genes with predicted functions related to metabolism, genetic information processing, environmental adaptation and infectious diseases changed with increased UV-B radiation, and those variations differed between epiphytic bacteria on male and female S. thunbergii.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Eduardo Soares Calixto, Kleber Del-Claro, Denise Lange, Judith Bronstein
Summary: Plants have evolved inducible defenses to minimize costs of constitutive defenses. However, this can leave them vulnerable between damage and defense onset. Little research has examined time course in inducible protective mutualism between ants and extrafloral nectary-bearing plants. This study evaluates extrafloral nectar production and ant attendance over time in response to different levels of herbivore damage in a Brazilian tree.
Article
Engineering, Marine
Yongwei Yan, Shanshan Wang, Jie Li, Fuli Liu, Zhaolan Mo
Summary: This study analyzed the bacterial communities associated with GRD-infected seedlings in two hatcheries in Northern China and found different abundances of bacterial taxa associated with seedlings of varying disease severity. Predicted bacterial functions also differed between seedlings with mild and severe disease.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Qi Chen, Luqi Jin, Yuan Zhong, Gaohua Ji
Summary: Enrofloxacin affects the local aquatic ecosystem due to its residue in surface water. There is limited research on its impact on aquatic communities. This study found that the epiphytic algal communities were significantly altered by Enrofloxacin, with low doses promoting biomass and high doses inhibiting biomass.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Heike L. Rafeld, Waldemar Kolanus, Ian R. van Driel, Elizabeth L. Hartland
Summary: IFN-induced GTPases are key players in the IFN-mediated cell-autonomous defence system, orchestrating anti-microbial activities against various pathogens by interacting with host pathways and proteins, mediating pathogen control through inflammasome activation, pathogen compartment destabilization, autophagy, reactive oxygen species production, and inhibiting pathogen mobility. This review focuses on the protective role of IFN-induced GTPases against bacterial pathogens.
BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Vincent Stevens, Sofie Thijs, Eva Bongaerts, Tim Nawrot, Wouter Marchal, Jonathan Van Hamme, Jaco Vangronsveld
Summary: The study indicates that ambient air pollution plays a significant role in shaping microbial leaf communities, affecting diversity and supporting members capable of degrading airborne pollutants. This suggests that ambient air pollution influences microbial diversity and microbial functions in vegetation.
Article
Ecology
Nicholas V. Travanty, Edward L. Vargo, Charles S. Apperson, Loganathan Ponnusamy
Summary: The long-standing association between insects and microorganisms plays a crucial role in the success of social insect groups. In this study, the bacterial microbiomes in soils with and without red imported fire ants were characterized, revealing significant differences in bacterial community structures. Red imported fire ants were found to have a notable impact on soil microbial communities, with differences in abundance of certain taxa and distinct bacterial compositions in worker ants compared to nest soils.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dan Wu, Xueling Ma, Yuanyan Meng, Rongjin Cai, Xiaolong Zhang, Li Liu, Lianping Deng, Changjing Chen, Fang Wang, Qingbiao Xu, Bin He, Mingzhu He, Rensheng Hu, Jinjing Zhen, Yan Han, Shaoshen He, Liuxing Xu
Summary: This study examined the impact of nitrogen fertilization on phyllosphere microorganisms in silage maize to enhance the production of high-quality silage. The results showed that nitrogen application rates did not significantly affect the abundance of lactic acid bacteria, aerobic bacteria, yeasts, or molds on the leaf surfaces. However, these microbes were more abundant during the flowering stage compared to the dough stage. Furthermore, the nitrogen application rate had no significant impact on the chemical properties of the leaf surfaces. Notably, the abundance of Pantoea decreased with higher nitrogen application rates, while that of other microorganisms did not change significantly.
Review
Entomology
Hassan Salem, Martin Kaltenpoth
Summary: This article reviews recent studies on the role of bacterial symbionts in promoting beetle fitness. The functional diversity of these symbionts expands the host's ecological niche, but also constrains its evolutionary potential. The article discusses the relationship between bacterial localization and beneficial effects, as well as the molecular and behavioral mechanisms of symbiont translocation and transmission by the beetle host.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Sthandiwe Nomthandazo Kanyile, Tobias Engl, Martin Kaltenpoth
Summary: This study investigates the protective effects of nutritional symbiosis on the saw-toothed grain beetle, showing that symbiotic beetles have higher survival rates against predation and fungal infection. The symbionts accelerate the development of the beetle's cuticle, providing structural protection.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Wolfgang Goettler, Martin Kaltenpoth, Samuel McDonald, Erhard Strohm
Summary: Females of the solitary digger wasp tribe Philanthini cultivate strains of symbiotic bacteria in their antennae, which provide protection for the wasp offspring. The morphology of the antennal glands varies among species, with European and African species having more complex glands compared to North American species.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Marcia Gonzalez-Teuber, Rodrigo A. Contreras, Gustavo E. Zuniga, Diego Barrera, Luisa Bascunan-Godoy
Summary: The study showed that two endophyte species significantly enhanced the physiological and biochemical traits of quinoa in response to salt stress, with the best responses observed in plants inoculated with both fungal species simultaneously.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sarit Rohkin Shalom, Benjamin Weiss, Maya Lalzar, Martin Kaltenpoth, Elad Chiel
Summary: Insects often carry bacterial symbionts within their cells, and the abundance of these symbionts is influenced by their interactions and competition for resources. This study investigated the abundance and localization of four symbionts in a parasitic wasp and found that the titers of each symbiont decreased as the number of symbiont species increased. The most abundant symbiont was Rickettsia, followed by Sodalis and Wolbachia. Fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed the distribution of these symbionts in multiple organs, while Arsenophonus was found in fewer organs and at lower densities.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Martin Kaltenpoth
Summary: Rapid experimental evolution and targeted genetic engineering in a stinkbug host show that a single mutation can result in a mutually beneficial symbiosis between Escherichia coli and the host.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aurelien Vigneron, Martin Kaltenpoth
Summary: In this study, a transmissible syntheticsymbiosis was successfully established, providing exciting new opportunities to explore the initial dynamics of endosymbiotic interactions.
Article
Ecology
Cristian Salgado-Luarte, Marcia Gonzalez-Teuber, Karina Madriaza, Ernesto Gianoli
Summary: There is a trade-off between plant resistance and tolerance. The study found a negative relationship between mechanical defenses and tolerance, while there was no significant association between chemical defenses and tolerance. Plant adaptation to light environments may affect the trade-off between resistance and tolerance.
Article
Ecology
Rebekka S. Janke, Filip Kaftan, Sarah P. Niehs, Kirstin Scherlach, Andre Rodrigues, Ales Svatos, Christian Hertweck, Martin Kaltenpoth, Laura V. Florez
Summary: The cuticle is the first line of defense against predators and pathogens in invertebrates. In this study, it was found that the beetle Lagria villosa harbors bacterial symbionts in unique dorsal invaginations of its cuticle, which release protective compounds during molting and provide extended defense against fungi during larval development. One dominant bacterial strain, producing an antifungal compound called lagriamide, plays a crucial role in protecting the beetle from pathogenic fungi at all life stages.
Article
Ecology
Julian Simon Thilo Kiefer, Eugen Bauer, Genta Okude, Takema Fukatsu, Martin Kaltenpoth, Tobias Engl
Summary: A dual co-obligate symbiosis has been characterized in a family of xylophagous beetles, involving two symbiotic bacteria that provide complementary metabolic functions. These bacteria, Shikimatogenerans bostrichidophilus and Bostrichicola ureolyticus, assist the beetles in cuticle biosynthesis, sclerotisation, melanisation, and nitrogen recycling by producing tyrosine precursors and lysine. This study highlights the importance of symbiotic relationships in herbivorous beetles.
Article
Ecology
Anna Michalik, Eugen Bauer, Teresa Szklarzewicz, Martin Kaltenpoth
Summary: In this study, the symbionts of scale insects from the Eriococcidae family were functionally characterized using microscopic and genomic approaches. These symbionts, Burkholderia bacteria, were found to have highly reduced genomes and a low GC content. They retained biosynthetic pathways for essential amino acids and multiple cofactors. The results suggest that the symbiosis between Burkholderia and eriococcids is relatively young but functionally convergent.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chantal Selina Ingham, Tobias Engl, Bernal Matarrita-Carranza, Paul Vogler, Bruno Huettel, Natalie Wielsch, Ales Svatos, Martin Kaltenpoth
Summary: Symbiosis with microbes is important for the evolutionary success of insects, and a study on beewolves shows that the host provides a protective barrier against nitric oxide to ensure the survival of symbiotic bacteria during transmission.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Andre Rodrigues, Andrew J. Johnson, Ross A. Joseph, You Li, Nemat O. Keyhani, Edward L. Stanley, Benjamin Weiss, Martin Kaltenpoth, Matthew E. Smith, Jiri Hulcr
Summary: Platypodinae ambrosia beetles rely on mutualistic fungi for food and cooperate in colonizing dead trees. The study discovered that Euplatypus parallelus may lack mycangia, unlike other Platypodinae species. However, both Euplatypus species contain yeast related to the fungi.
Article
Microbiology
Sthandiwe Nomthandazo Kanyile, Tobias Engl, Abdelaziz Heddi, Martin Kaltenpoth
Summary: Insects often have symbiotic relationships with internal microbial symbionts (endosymbionts) that enhance their ability to survive in challenging environments. This study investigated the ecological relevance of endosymbiotic relationships with cuticle-enhancing microbes in the rice-weevil, Sitophilus oryzae, in dry environments. The presence of the endosymbionts enabled the beetles to increase their population size significantly under dry conditions compared to aposymbiotic beetles. This advantage is likely due to the thicker cuticle provided by the symbionts, which reduces water loss through cuticular transpiration.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Ramya Ganesan, Rebekka S. Janke, Martin Kaltenpoth, Laura V. Florez
Summary: This study investigates the colonization dynamics of a defensive bacterial symbiont on the external surfaces of Lagria villosa beetles. The symbiont remains on the egg surface before hatching, providing protection, and then colonizes the larvae after hatching. The host's passive or active translocation likely supports colonization of the larval symbiotic organs.
