Article
Ecology
Moo Joon Lee, Yeong Du Yoo, Kyeong Ah Seong, Hee Yeon Yang, Yi Gu Kang, Sung-Keun Rhee, Jong-Geol Kim, Gyu Gil Lee, Sung Ki Lee, Woongghi Shin, Jong Seong Ryu
Summary: This study investigated the predator-prey relationships between archaea and heterotrophic protists, and found that small heterotrophic flagellates could be effective grazers of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in marine ecosystems.
REGIONAL STUDIES IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Stephan Majda, Daniela Beisser, Jens Boenigk
Summary: The study shows that heterotrophic taxa have a reduced genome size and higher GC content compared to phototrophic taxa, with a large pan genome but a small core genome indicating different specialization among lineages. Despite this, the pan genome of mixotrophs and heterotrophs together covers the complete functionality of phototrophic strains, suggesting a random reduction of genes.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Kyle M. J. Mayers, Constanze Kuhlisch, Jonelle T. R. Basso, Marius R. R. Saltvedt, Alison Buchan, Ruth-Anne Sandaa
Summary: Viruses in the ocean are diverse in terms of size, host specificity, and infection cycle. They play a significant role in redirecting nutrients and can be ingested by nonhost organisms. This review focuses on the elemental composition and biogeochemical relevance of marine viruses, particularly the Nucleocytoviricota group, which includes large viral particles that serve as prey for marine grazers. The presence of lipid membranes in these viruses further enhances their nutritional value. Future research and technological advancements are needed to better understand this process.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Victoria M. Fulfer, Susanne Menden-Deuer
Summary: Microplastics are common pollutants in marine ecosystems globally, which can threaten fisheries production, food safety, and human health. Experimental results show that ingestion of microplastics can lead to reduced growth and secondary production in heterotrophic dinoflagellates.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Qingshan Fan, Jingfei Ren, Zhouwen Ma, Fujiang Hou
Summary: Feeding behavior is important for animal health and welfare, and is influenced by the taste of available feed. This study found that spraying taste agents on alpine meadows can directly or indirectly affect the grazing behavior of yaks. These findings provide a theoretical basis for using taste agents to control livestock grazing behavior and mitigate grassland degradation in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Baoku Shi, Xiao Fu, Melinda D. Smith, Anping Chen, Alan K. Knapp, Chengliang Wang, Wanling Xu, Rui Zhang, Weifeng Gao, Wei Sun
Summary: Understanding the temporal patterns and controlling factors of soil respiration (SR) and its components is crucial for estimating grassland carbon sequestration under different land-use and global change scenarios. However, little is known about the sensitivity of seasonal patterns and magnitude of SR and its components to nitrogen addition (N) and grazing (G) and their interactions. In this study, we conducted an experiment with N, G, and N addition plus grazing (NG) treatments in a temperate meadow steppe. We found that autotrophic respiration (AR) was increased by N addition, decreased by moderate grazing, and had additive effects with N addition and grazing. Aboveground biomass was identified as the main controlling factor of AR. On the other hand, N, G, and NG treatments had no significant effects on heterotrophic respiration (HR). Our study suggests that AR and HR are regulated by different mechanisms and respond differently to N and G, highlighting the importance of modeling them separately for accurate predictions of ecosystem carbon cycling. Additionally, moderate grazing may have beneficial effects on meadow steppe carbon sequestration under future scenarios of nitrogen deposition and climate warming.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Changjia Li, Bojie Fu, Shuai Wang, Lindsay C. Stringer, Wenxin Zhou, Zhuobing Ren, Mengqi Hu, Yujia Zhang, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Bettina Weber, Fernando T. Maestre
Summary: Degradation of ecosystems can occur when ecological thresholds are crossed due to aridity and grazing. This study assessed the responses of 20 ecosystem attributes to changes in aridity and grazing pressure in China's drylands. The findings showed that the joint effects of aridity and grazing can amplify ecological thresholds, leading to ecosystem degradation. A significant percentage of China's drylands are already unsuitable for grazing, and this number is projected to increase in the future.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Tianci Hu, Ruirui Yan, Chengxiang Jiang, Nividita Varun Chand, Tao Bai, Leifeng Guo, Jingwei Qi
Summary: This study proposes an enhanced sheep behaviour recognition algorithm based on the YOLOV5 model. The algorithm investigates the effect of different shooting methodologies on sheep behaviour recognition and the model's generalisation ability under different environmental conditions. The study also presents an improved YOLOV5 model with higher accuracy and suggests a cloud-based structure for real-time behaviour recognition.
Article
Engineering, Marine
Marin Ordulj, Danijela Santic, Frano Matic, Slaven Jozic, Stefanija Sestanovic, Mladen Solic, Jere Veza, Zivana Nincevic Gladan
Summary: Artificial neural network analysis was used to study the seasonal distribution of viruses and microbial food web (MFW) components in the open Adriatic Sea. The results showed that the strongest influence is found in the nonlinear relationship between viruses and temperature. Viruses were found to have a strong positive relationship with HB, the main hosts, in more than 50% of the observed data, and were associated with autotrophic picoplankton and heterotrophic nanoflagellates.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Xuelu Chi, Ning Yuan, Yangdong Zhang, Nan Zheng, Huimin Liu
Summary: The study aims to understand the differences in flavor of fresh milk between feeding patterns. Aroma profiles and taste attributes were assessed using electronic nose and electronic tongue, and volatile flavor compounds were characterized. Different volatile compounds were found in milk from indoor feeding and grazing, with grazing milk having more intense taste attributes. This study shows promise for using volatile organic compounds to track and monitor animal feeding systems.
Article
Plant Sciences
Hee Chang Kang, Hae Jin Jeong, An Suk Lim, Jin Hee Ok, Ji Hyun You, Sang Ah Park, Se Hee Eom
Summary: The mortality rate of red-tide dinoflagellates is influenced by predation, which is a crucial factor affecting their population dynamics. Several common heterotrophic protists can feed on A. granifera, but their ingestion and growth rates on this prey species are relatively low. Therefore, the low mortality rate of A. granifera may contribute to its bloom formation.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Germana Cocozza, Stefano Garofalo, Marta Morotti, Giuseppina Chece, Alfonso Grimaldi, Mario Lecce, Ferdinando Scavizzi, Rossella Menghini, Viviana Casagrande, Massimo Federici, Marcello Raspa, Heike Wulff, Cristina Limatola
Summary: In this study, the researchers found that inhibition of K(Ca)3.1 in ALS mouse models can attenuate the pro-inflammatory phenotype of hypothalamic microglia, increase food intake and promote weight gain, as well as change the expression of cannabinoid receptors involved in energy homeostasis. These results highlight a potential new therapeutic target for counteracting weight loss in ALS.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Tariq Shah, Luming Ding, Ahmad Ud Din, Faiz-ul Hassan, Anum Ali Ahmad, Haiyan Wei, Xianju Wang, Qi Yan, Muhammad Ishaq, Niyaz Ali, Yougui Fang
Summary: This study investigated the microbial diversity in the fecal microbiota of yaks reared under natural grazing and feedlot system. The results showed that yaks reared in natural grazing had higher bacterial diversity in their gut microbiota. In terms of relative abundance, certain bacterial taxa were more abundant in yaks reared in feedlots.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Heng Huang, Salvatore Calabrese, Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe
Summary: The study finds that the temporal variability of soil heterotrophic respiration conforms to a Gamma distribution, with rainfall and vegetation productivity being primary predictors. Future changes in rainfall regime and net primary productivity are expected to significantly alter the dynamics of soil heterotrophic respiration and the global carbon budget.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Trang Thi Thu Nguyen, Lenka Malek, Wendy J. Umberger, Patrick J. O'Connor
Summary: Households play a significant role in food waste management, with various sustainable and unsustainable disposal options available. Key factors driving these behaviours include perceived costs and benefits, recycling habits, and environmental self-identity. Interventions targeting these factors can promote more sustainable household food waste disposal practices.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
He Wang, Dustin Knabe, Irina Engelhardt, Bjoern Droste, Hans-Peter Rohns, Christine Stumpp, Johannes Ho, Christian Griebler
Summary: Riverbank filtration is an important method for obtaining high-quality raw water for drinking water production. This study examined the removal of adenovirus during different river levels and compared it with commonly used bacterial and viral water quality indicators. The results showed that the highest removal efficiency of adenovirus and other indicators was achieved during high river levels. However, during low river levels, there was occasional presence of coliforms and C. perfringens in the raw water. Therefore, a combination of E. coli, coliforms, and somatic coliphages can be used to assess riverbank filtration performance in adenovirus removal.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura E. Coulson, Gabriele Weigelhofer, Stephanie Gill, Thomas Hein, Christian Griebler, Jakob Schelker
Summary: With climate change, streams and rivers are more susceptible to droughts and intermittent flow. This study demonstrates that even small rain events during droughts play a significant role in organic carbon processing in rivers, and may impact the downstream river network.
Article
Biology
Stefano Mammola, Melissa B. Meierhofer, Paulo A. Borges, Raquel Colado, David C. Culver, Louis Deharveng, Teo Delic, Tiziana Di Lorenzo, Tvrtko Drazina, Rodrigo L. Ferreira, Barbara Fiasca, Cene Fiser, Diana M. P. Galassi, Laura Garzoli, Vasilis Gerovasileiou, Christian Griebler, Stuart Halse, Francis G. Howarth, Marco Isaia, Joseph S. Johnson, Ana Komericki, Alejandro Martinez, Filippo Milano, Oana T. Moldovan, Veronica Nanni, Giuseppe Nicolosi, Matthew L. Niemiller, Susana Pallares, Martina Pavlek, Elena Piano, Tanja Pipan, David Sanchez-Fernandez, Andrea Santangeli, Susanne Schmidt, J. Judson Wynne, Maja Zagmajster, Valerija Zaksek, Pedro Cardoso
Summary: Subterranean ecosystems have been overlooked in conservation agendas, resulting in sparse evidence for the effectiveness of interventions. Research has mainly focused on indirect measures, limited sample species, and accessible systems. Potential solutions include increasing statistical testing and standardizing study reporting.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Fengchao Sun, Adrian Mellage, Zhe Wang, Rani Bakkour, Christian Griebler, Martin Thullner, Olaf A. Cirpka, Martin Elsner
Summary: Compound-specific isotope analysis can be used to monitor the adaptive response of bacterial degradation to low contaminant concentrations and reveal mass-transfer limitations. This study improved biodegradation performance and capacity through priming and flow fluctuations. However, mass transfer limitations increased over time under stimulated conditions, and bacterial adaptation at low BAM levels further decreased activity. Isotope ratios, combined with residual substrate concentrations, helped identify underlying limitations of biodegradation in this stimulated system.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Julia Becher, Constanze Englisch, Christian Griebler, Peter Bayer
Summary: Understanding the impact of urban pollution on groundwater fauna is crucial, but current knowledge is limited due to various interfering factors and the need for standardized and long-term testing.
JOURNAL OF CONTAMINANT HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Manon Hohlfeld, Hartmut Arndt
Summary: This study investigated the abundance and taxonomic composition of benthic protist communities near the Azores' archipelago. The findings show that the abundance of protists decreases with increasing depth and the community composition changes. Some species are limited to specific depths while others are present at the deep-sea floor.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jianfeng Sun, Jinlong Ru, Lorenzo Ramos-Mucci, Fei Qi, Zihao Chen, Suyuan Chen, Adam P. P. Cribbs, Li Deng, Xia Wang
Summary: A prediction tool called DeepsmirUD was developed to infer the regulatory effects of small molecules on miRNA expression, leading to the acceleration of potential miRNA targets and small molecule drugs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
A. Harjung, J. Schweichhart, G. Rasch, C. Griebler
Summary: This study examined the properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in terrestrial groundwater on a large scale, considering surface characteristics, aquifer characteristics, and microbial features. The results showed that DOM fluorescence components in groundwater are similar to those found in other studies, with associations to land use and nitrate concentrations. Clusters with higher bacterial abundance were correlated to high-molecular weight and humic components, indicating a surface origin for suspended bacteria. The study suggests that DOM fluorescence can be used as a fast monitoring tool to identify groundwater aquifers under anthropogenic stress and delineate sensitive recharge areas.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Virology
Christian Willy, Joachim J. Bugert, Annika Y. Classen, Li Deng, Anja Duechting, Justus Gross, Jens A. Hammerl, Imke H. E. Korf, Christian Kuehn, Simone Lieberknecht-Jouy, Christine Rohde, Markus Rupp, Maria J. G. T. Vehreschild, Kilian Vogele, Sarah Wienecke, Martin Witzenrath, Silvia Wuerstle, Holger Ziehr, Karin Moelling, Felix Broecker
Summary: Bacteriophage therapy shows promise in addressing global and German antibiotic resistance crises. The current situation in Germany regarding phage therapy and research is outlined. Critical shortcomings include a lack of clinical trials, regulation, and phages for clinical use. Phage therapy is being used on a limited number of patients as individual treatment trials.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Jinlong Ru, Mohammadali Khan Mirzaei, Jinling Xue, Xue Peng, Li Deng
Summary: ViroProfiler is a computer analysis tool for analyzing shotgun viral metagenomic data. It can be run on a local or cloud computing environment. It uses containerization technology to ensure computational reproducibility and facilitate collaborative research.
Article
Microbiology
Magdalena Unterer, Mohammadali Khan Mirzaei, Li Deng
Summary: Due to rising antibiotic resistance, there is a need for alternative treatments for multidrug-resistant infections. One such alternative is phage therapy, which uses phages to treat bacterial infections. However, finding suitable phages for therapy and characterizing their kinetics is challenging. In this study, a targeted single-phage isolation method was developed to isolate and characterize phages of interest, revealing cell-to-cell variations among infected cells.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Letter
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Shiqi Luo, Jinlong Ru, Mohammadali Khan Mirzaei, Jinling Xue, Xue Peng, Anna Ralser, Joshua Lemuel Hadi, Raquel Mejias-Luque, Markus Gerhard, Li Deng
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Shiqi Luo, Jinlong Ru, Mohammadali Khan Mirzaei, Jinling Xue, Xue Peng, Anna Ralser, Raquel Mejias Luque, Markus Gerhard, Li Deng
Summary: This study reveals the relationship between chronic Helicobacter pylori infection and colorectal cancer (CRC), and highlights the role of viral communities in the development of CRC. Using mouse models, the researchers found an expansion of temperate phages in early-stage carcinogenesis. Some of these phages were predicted to infect bacteria associated with CRC. Additionally, strong associations between viral and bacterial communities were observed in infected mice before the onset of carcinogenesis.
Article
Microbiology
Manon Duenn, Hartmut Arndt
Summary: Protists play a crucial role in connecting algal and bacterial production to higher trophic levels in marine pelagic ecosystems. However, their functioning and distribution in benthic deep-sea ecosystems are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the diversity and distribution of benthic protist communities from different depths around the Azores in the North Atlantic Ocean. Our findings suggest that deep-sea areas surrounding islands may act as isolating barriers for benthic protist species, leading to unique communities at different islands.
Article
Biology
Maria Sachs, Manon Duenn, Hartmut Arndt
Summary: Using molecular techniques, this study assessed the diversity of benthic protist communities in the Baltic Sea for the first time. Significant differences in community composition between two different regions were found, and insights into the vertical distribution of protists within the sediment were provided. The results suggest that both environmental factors and methodological aspects may influence the composition of these communities.
