Article
Ecology
Andrew D. Kaul, Brian J. Wilsey
Summary: Cover crops have long-term effects on plant community composition and diversity, with different cover crop species having varying effectiveness in reducing weed abundances. The perennial grass E. canadensis is particularly effective at reducing weeds and has specific effects on assembling tallgrass prairie communities.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Haizhou Li, Huaiyang Zhou, Shanshan Yang, Xin Dai
Summary: Although there are approximately 25 million seamounts in the ocean, little is known about their microbial ecology. This study provides evidence that seamounts are unique habitats, harboring distinct microbial communities, and exhibit a distance-decay pattern. Environmental selection and dispersal limitation shape the observed biogeography. Furthermore, a framework linking community assembly with successional dynamics in seamounts is established, showing the dominance of stochasticity during initial community establishment and the increase in the importance of environmental selection in shaping subsurface communities.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Louis W. Jochems, Jennifer A. Lau, Lars A. Brudvig, Emily Grman
Summary: The study found that future climate warming may reduce plant diversity in tallgrass prairies and impact the composition of restored prairies. It remains unclear whether locally adapted or warm-adapted seeds have an advantage in future warmer environments, and there is little evidence to support the superior performance of seeds from the southern region under warming conditions.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Nathan P. P. Lemoine, Byron J. J. Adams, Melisa Diaz, Nicholas B. B. Dragone, Andre L. C. Franco, Noah Fierer, W. Berry Lyons, Ian D. D. Hogg, Diana H. H. Wall
Summary: Dispersal plays a dominant role in determining the assembly of soil bacterial communities, even in harsh environments.
Article
Agronomy
R. Kent Connell, Rory C. O'Connor, Jesse B. Nippert, John M. Blair
Summary: The study found that total soil carbon and nitrogen increased with shrub size at every sampling location, except the edge. Microbial demand for nitrogen also increased with shrub size. Across all shrub sizes and sampling locations, potential soil carbon mineralization rates were higher when microbes broke down proportionally more shrub-derived organic matter than grass-derived organic matter.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mateu Menendez-Serra, Vicente J. Ontiveros, Joan Caliz, David Alonso, Emilio O. Casamayor
Summary: This study examines the assembly processes of bacterial and microeukaryotic communities along a salinity gradient and reveals that increasing salinity leads to a dominant role of selection over dispersal, resulting in decreased community turnover. The richness of microeukaryotes decreases with increasing salinity, suggesting that the net effect of selection and dispersal is determined by environmental conditions and microbial ecologies.
Article
Microbiology
Christoph Keuschnig, Timothy M. Vogel, Elena Barbaro, Andrea Spolaor, Krystyna Koziol, Mats P. Bjorkman, Christian Zdanowicz, Jean-Charles Gallet, Bartlomiej Luks, Rose Layton, Catherine Larose
Summary: This study investigated microbial communities in the Arctic snowpack and evaluated the factors that influence their structure. The results showed that environmental selection plays a significant role in shaping snow microbial communities, and organic acids are the major predictors of microbial diversity.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Helen V. Ford, Jamison M. Gove, Andrew J. Davies, Nicholas A. J. Graham, John R. Healey, Eric J. Conklin, Gareth J. Williams
Summary: This study, based on benthic community data collected around five uninhabited central Pacific oceanic islands, reveals the autocorrelated nature of coral reef seascapes, with differences in patterns across geographies but similarities between islands in closer proximity and of similar size. Physical environmental drivers, particularly surface wave energy, play a key role in governing the spatial scaling properties of benthic competitors on coral reefs.
Article
Microbiology
Yong-Hoe Choe, Mincheol Kim, Yoo Kyung Lee
Summary: The study investigated microbial community compositions in rocks and soils in a high Arctic polar desert, finding significant differences in community structures between rocks and soils at higher taxonomic levels. The physical or chemical properties of rocks may affect the establishment of lichens in lithic environments, while different rock types may result in distinct fungal communities.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Puchang Wang, Leilei Ding, Fuxiang Li, Jiafa Liao, Mengya Wang
Summary: This study reveals that camping has significant effects on soil microbial communities, including changes in relative abundance and genes related to various functions. However, camping does not impact taxonomic and functional diversity. Additionally, camping influences the stability of bacterial and fungal networks differently. The findings provide new insights into the effects of animal camping on soil microbial communities in grassland.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anum Yousaf, Noreen Khalid, Muhammad Aqeel, Zarrin Fatima S. Rizvi, Haifa A. S. Alhaithloul, Wajiha Sarfraz, Khalid Al Mutairi, Tasahil H. Albishi, Saad Alamri, Mohamed Hashem, Ali Noman, Sameer Qari
Summary: This study used phytosociological methods to investigate the composition and spatial distribution of weed species in 15 wheat fields, and determine the influence of various edaphic factors. The results showed a positive correlation between weeds and edaphic variables.
Review
Microbiology
Laurent Philippot, Claire Chenu, Andreas Kappler, Matthias C. Rillig, Noah Fierer
Summary: Considerable progress has been made in recent years in determining the soil properties that influence the structure of the soil microbiome. However, the effects of microorganisms on their soil habitat have received less attention. Microorganisms not only contribute to nutrient cycling and organic matter transformations, but also alter the soil habitat through various mechanisms. Understanding the interactions between microorganisms and soil properties can have significant ecological implications.
NATURE REVIEWS MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Matti O. Ruuskanen, Guilhem Sommeria-Klein, Aki S. Havulinna, Teemu J. Niiranen, Leo Lahti
Summary: Microbial communities exhibit spatial structure at different scales due to constant interactions with the environment and dispersal limitation, but this has received less attention in the context of host-associated microbial communities. The adoption of methods accounting for spatial variation in these communities could help address open questions in microbial ecology and unlock the full potential of microbiome-aided medicine. Methodological advancements in spatial modeling and analysis of microbiota could benefit theoretical and applied ecology, as well as contribute to the development of novel industrial and clinical applications.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jintao He, Nan Zhang, Abrar Muhammad, Xiaoqiang Shen, Chao Sun, Qiang Li, Yulan Hu, Yongqi Shao
Summary: The study revealed niche differentiation among microbial communities on deteriorating limestone, with certain microbial groups potentially contributing to stone biodeterioration, while microbial coexistence maintained network robustness within stone microbiotas.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Alex Glass, Michael W. Eichholz
Summary: This study examined the relationship between habitat variables and small mammal abundance and community composition in restored tallgrass prairie patches, finding different influencing factors at different scales. It suggests that managers should take different measures to maintain small mammal populations in grassland ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2021)