Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrew Oberhelman, Jonathan B. Martin, Madison K. Flint
Summary: This study investigates CH4 concentrations and isotopes in the carbonate critical zone (CZ) of north-central Florida, where groundwater-surface water exchange leads to highly variable redox states. CH4 concentrations are low in short residence time groundwater due to methanotrophy, but higher in longer residence time springs. Methanogenesis and methanotrophy both occur with changing residence times, but overall CH4 emissions from the carbonate CZ are relatively low compared to emissions from Floridan aquifer groundwater abstraction.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Hanni Vigderovich, Werner Eckert, Marcus Elvert, Almog Gafni, Maxim Rubin-Blum, Oded Bergman, Orit Sivan
Summary: In methane generating sediments, stimulation of aerobic methane oxidation can influence net iron reduction, microbial community changes, and lipid biomarker patterns. Increasing oxygen exposure promotes aerobic methanotrophy, net iron reduction, and the increase of microbes involved in iron recycling. The addition of methanol instead of methane as a substrate for methanotrophs under hypoxia suggests a link between methylotrophic methanogenesis and iron reduction. Inhibition of methanogenesis leads to increased methanol turnover, indicating the role of heterotrophic bacteria.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Nannan Wang, Xinhao Zhu, Yunjiang Zuo, Jianzhao Liu, Fenghui Yuan, Ziyu Guo, Lihua Zhang, Ying Sun, Chao Gong, Dufa Guo, Changchun Song, Xiaofeng Xu
Summary: This study examined the microbial processes involved in the transition of wetlands to cropland, which results in a reduction of methane emissions. The results showed that wetland conversion to cropland turns methane from a source to a sink, with significant decreases in methane-related genes and increases in methane oxidation marker genes.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Gwendolyn J. Gregory, R. Kyle Bennett, Eleftherios T. Papoutsakis
Summary: The abundant natural gas reserves and increased biogas production have led to a growing interest in using methane as an industrial feedstock. Methane can be used directly for fermentation or converted to methanol via biological or chemical means. Synthetic methylotrophs, or non-methylotrophic platform microorganisms like E. coli, have been engineered to overcome the limitations of native methylotrophs for industrial applications. This review discusses recent progress in synthetic methylotrophy and the strategies for realizing the industrial potential of synthetic methylotrophs and methanotrophs.
METABOLIC ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Clarice R. Perryman, Carmody K. McCalley, Jessica G. Ernakovich, Louis J. Lamit, Joanne H. Shorter, Erik Lilleskov, Ruth K. Varner
Summary: Water table depth and vegetation are key factors controlling methane emissions from peatlands. This study found that microtopography plays a significant role in belowground methane cycling, with different microforms exhibiting distinct microbial processes. Water table depth was found to have a stronger influence on methane cycling than vegetation, indicating its importance in regulating belowground methane dynamics.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Angus S. Hilts, Manjot S. Hunjan, Laura A. Hug
Summary: Metagenomic sequencing provides insights into metabolic capacities and taxonomic affiliations of microbial communities. This study adapts occupancy modeling from macroecology to analyze metabolic predictions from metagenomes, showing a positive correlation between methanogenesis and methanotrophy genes across environments. The lack of consistent metadata is identified as a significant obstacle for improving the statistical rigor of metagenomic analyses.
Review
Microbiology
Wyatt Arnold, Meghan Taylor, Mark Bradford, Peter Raymond, Jordan Peccia
Summary: The spatial heterogeneity of methane emissions from wetlands may be largely influenced by the variance in microbial communities.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Wyatt Arnold, Meghan Taylor, Mark Bradford, Peter Raymond, Jordan Peccia
Summary: Emission of methane from wetlands exhibits spatial heterogeneity, but the drivers of within-site variations remain unclear. This study investigates the spatial variability of microbial communities in a peat bog, finding that microbial community differences contribute significantly to methane flux variance.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Sofia L. D'Ambrosio, John A. Harrison
Summary: This article provides a critical review of methods used to estimate the diffusive flux of CH4 from lake sediments, including incubation, benthic chambers, and modeling approaches. The limitations and advantages of each method are discussed, along with published comparisons between different methods. The article also highlights the need for the development and application of new methods to advance understanding of lake CH4 fluxes.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Clarice R. R. Perryman, Carmody K. K. McCalley, Joanne H. H. Shorter, Apryl L. L. Perry, Natalie White, Angelica Dziurzynski, Ruth K. K. Varner
Summary: Shifting precipitation patterns due to climate change can affect peatland methane emissions, which are controlled by water table levels. This study measured methane fluxes and their C-13 isotope composition across two summers with different precipitation patterns in a temperate peatland. The results showed that while drought conditions significantly reduced methane emissions, rainstorms and subsequent flooding did not have a sustained impact on methane emissions.
Article
Ecology
Ji Liu, Linchuan Fang, Tianyi Qiu, Haijian Bing, Yongxing Cui, Jordi Sardans, Enzai Du, Ji Chen, Wenfeng Tan, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Guiyao Zhou, Qingliang Cui, Josep Penuelas
Summary: This study investigated the patterns of plant-microbial N/P limitation in forests across China and found significant divergence between the two. The N/P limitation was disconnected in 42.6% of plant-microbial communities, with only 17.7% of N and 39.7% of P limitations consistent. The divergence was more evident at mid-latitudes, where plants were mainly N limited and microbes were mainly P limited. The findings were consistent with ecological stoichiometry and highlighted the importance of soil chemistry in driving the divergence.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guntars O. Martinson, Anke K. Mueller, Amanda L. Matson, Marife D. Corre, Edzo Veldkamp
Summary: Tropical forests play a significant role in global CH4 uptake by soils. This study investigated the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus additions on soil CH4 flux in tropical montane forests across different elevations over a period of five years. The results showed that nutrient additions increased soil CH4 uptake, with variations in limitations of either nitrogen or phosphorus at different elevations.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Anne Ebeling, Alex T. Strauss, Peter B. Adler, Carlos A. Arnillas, Isabel C. Barrio, Lori A. Biederman, Elizabeth T. Borer, Miguel N. Bugalho, Maria C. Caldeira, Marc W. Cadotte, Pedro Daleo, Nico Eisenhauer, Anu Eskelinen, Philip A. Fay, Jennifer Firn, Pamela Graff, Nicole Hagenah, Sylvia Haider, Kimberly J. Komatsu, Rebecca L. McCulley, Charles E. Mitchell, Joslin L. Moore, Jesus Pascual, Pablo L. Peri, Sally A. Power, Suzanne M. Prober, Anita C. Risch, Christiane Roscher, Mahesh Sankaran, Eric W. Seabloom, Holger Schielzeth, Martin Schuetz, Karina L. Speziale, Michelle Tedder, Risto Virtanen, Dana M. Blumenthal
Summary: The study found that nitrogen addition significantly increased invertebrate damage and pathogen damage, with the effects of nitrogen being stronger on invertebrate damage. Precipitation levels affected damage levels in grasslands, with lower precipitation areas experiencing less damage. Human-induced inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus are likely to increase plant damage in the future, impacting multiple ecological communities and trophic levels.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Athanasios Pantelopoulos, Helena Aronsson
Summary: The study evaluated the efficiency of a two-step separation treatment of pig slurry, which concentrated a portion of phosphorus, total solids, and total nitrogen into the solid fraction.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Zhenjiang Chen, James F. White, Kamran Malik, Hao Chen, Yuanyuan Jin, Xiang Yao, Xuekai Wei, Chunjie Li, Zhibiao Nan
Summary: This study investigated the changes in microbial functional genes, plant nutrients, and soil N2O flux in the rhizosphere soil of ryegrass infected with Epichloe center dot festucae var. lolii. The results showed that the presence of endophytes reduced plant nutrient traits and increased soil nutrient accumulation, as well as altered the microbial environment. The presence of fungal endophytes increased community diversity in certain microbial functional genes and had an impact on N2O fluxes. These changes in plant and soil traits mediated by endophyte infection were closely related to N2O fluxes and the abundance of certain functional genes, such as nifH.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ashish A. Malik, Tami Swenson, Claudia Weihe, Eric W. Morrison, Jennifer B. H. Martiny, Eoin L. Brodie, Trent R. Northen, Steven D. Allison
Article
Biology
Kazuo Isobe, Nicholas J. Bouskill, Eoin L. Brodie, Erika A. Sudderth, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Editorial Material
Biology
James I. Prosser, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Ximena Maria Lopez Zieher, Lucia Vivanco, Laura Yahdjian
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alexander B. Chase, Claudia Weihe, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: The study found that microbial community responses to environmental change are closely related to ecological processes and evolutionary processes. Ecotypes adapted to local conditions and contemporary evolution were identified, showing how both demographic shifts of previously adapted ecotypes and contemporary evolution can alter the diversity of a soil microbiome on the same timescale.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Andrew Oliver, Alexander B. Chase, Claudia Weihe, Stephanie B. Orchanian, Stefan F. Riedel, Clark L. Hendrickson, Mi Lay, Julia Massimelli Sewall, Jennifer B. H. Martiny, Katrine Whiteson
Summary: The study conducted a 2-week dietary fiber intervention, which showed that increasing fiber intake can significantly alter the composition of individual gut microbiomes, including increasing the abundance of known fiber-degrading microbes.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
N. C. Scales, A. B. Chase, S. S. Finks, A. A. Malik, C. Weihe, S. D. Allison, A. C. Martiny, J. B. H. Martiny
Summary: Global change experiments often observe shifts in bacterial community composition based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. However, finer variation in traits within bacterial strains sharing identical 16S regions may be masked. This study found that microdiversity within the bacterial genus Curtobacterium responded to simulated global changes, with the response varying depending on the type of change and associated with variation in carbon degradation traits. Future research on microbial community responses to global change may benefit from considering microdiversity.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Kendra E. Walters, Joia K. Capocchi, Michaeline B. N. Albright, Zhao Hao, Eoin L. Brodie, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: Recent evidence suggests that dispersal is a key driver of microbiome assembly, but our understanding of the rates and taxonomic composition of microbial dispersal in natural environments is limited. This study found that different dispersal routes transport distinct bacterial communities that influence the composition of the surface soil microbiome to varying degrees.
Article
Agronomy
Paula Berenstecher, Lucia Vivanco, Amy T. Austin
Summary: The study demonstrates the importance of dry season sunlight in influencing carbon turnover in a Mediterranean-type climate ecosystem with heterogeneous vegetation. Summer sunlight exposure accelerates carbon loss from both standing litter and soil, and has lasting effects on the decomposition of grass litter in the following rainy season.
Article
Soil Science
Kristin M. Barbour, Claudia Weihe, Steven D. Allison, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: Bacterial communities in the organic leaf litter layer and bulk soil are sensitive to environmental change, and their composition varies with different environmental factors. The impact of environmental changes on bacterial communities decreases with depth in the soil.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Michel Loreau, Philippe Jarne, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: Despite decades of research, there are still opportunities to further integrate ecology and evolution, especially in the study of multispecies systems. Relaxing the traditional emphasis on the distinction between evolutionary and ecological processes is particularly helpful for studying microbial communities, where defining species is difficult. Additionally, exporting key processes of evolutionary theory, such as adaptation, to higher hierarchical levels can help understand biodiversity dynamics. Broadening the perspective of eco-evolutionary dynamics to include all biodiversity will open up new research directions and address the challenge of predicting changes in biodiversity in the face of rapid environmental change.
Article
Microbiology
Sarai S. S. Finks, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: Plasmids are mobile genetic elements that play a key role in bacterial evolution and ecology. This study analyzed the properties and accessory traits of 9,725 unique plasmid sequences from different environments. The analysis revealed that plasmid traits varied with both the host's taxonomy and the environment, highlighting the diversity of traits encoded by plasmids.
Article
Ecology
Lucia Vivanco, Maria Victoria Sanchez, Magdalena Druille, Marina Omacini
Summary: Grasslands store a significant amount of carbon and it is important to manage them properly to prevent carbon loss. Understanding the biogeochemical processes that contribute to carbon storage, such as plant litter decomposition, can help improve grassland management. The use of herbicides, such as glyphosate, can also enhance the quality and quantity of forage.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Gabin Piton, Steven D. Allison, Mohammad Bahram, Falk Hildebrand, Jennifer B. H. Martiny, Kathleen K. Treseder, Adam C. Martiny
Summary: This study analyzes shotgun metagenomes from terrestrial biomes to study the genomic traits that capture the life history strategies of bacterial communities. The results show a triangle of life history strategies shaped by two trait dimensions, and reveal that soil pH, C:N ratio, and precipitation patterns are important drivers of the dominant life history strategy and distribution of soil bacterial communities.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sarai S. Finks, Claudia Weihe, Sarah Kimball, Steven D. Allison, Adam C. Martiny, Kathleen K. Treseder, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: Research on the Loma Ridge Global Change Experiment in Southern California revealed that microbial and plant community changes are closely related to plant community composition, and global change treatments also affect microbial composition in an ecosystem-dependent manner.
ELEMENTA-SCIENCE OF THE ANTHROPOCENE
(2021)