Article
Soil Science
Katie McMahen, C. D. ('Lyn) Anglin, Les M. Lavkulich, Susan J. Grayston, Suzanne W. Simard
Summary: This study found that adding small volumes of native forest topsoil to waste soils can improve the survival and growth of seedlings and promote colonization of beneficial root symbionts. The effects varied among plant species, with willow and spruce benefiting from the biological component of the forest soil, while alder showed minimal benefit, likely due to a lack of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the forest soil.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Filip Husnik
Summary: A recent study identifies host-derived cell-division proteins that are directed to the cell envelope of a bacterial endosymbiont in unicellular eukaryotes, highlighting their role in symbiotic cell division.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yifei Sun, Chengyuan Tao, Xuhui Deng, Hongjun Liu, Zongzhuan Shen, Yaxuan Liu, Rong Li, Qirong Shen, Stefan Geisen
Summary: The soil bacterial microbiome plays a crucial role in ecosystem functioning. Organic fertilization can enhance the resistance and resilience of bacterial communities in extreme drought and subsequent rewetting compared to conventional fertilizers. This study indicates that organic fertilization can enhance the stability of the soil microbiome and ensure the recovery of specific bacterial-driven ecosystem functions after rewetting.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Denise Rupprecht, Norbert Hoelzel, Anna Bucharova
Summary: Seed sourcing for restoration measures is a highly debated issue in conservation ecology, and this study found that common species of temperate grasslands show rare and low adaptation to soil reaction.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Caylon F. Yates, Ryan Trexler, Idalys Bonet, William L. King, Kevin L. Hockett, Terrence H. Bell
Summary: The realized niche breadth of soil microorganisms is typically smaller than their fundamental niche breadth due to competition. By conditioning bacterial isolates to biotically cleared soils, niche breadth expansion can be achieved, but the extent of niche shifts varies among different bacteria populations.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
C. Baruzzi, J. Hong, C. Zamora, C. Stein, R. M. Crandall
Summary: The study found that the xeric wiregrass ecotype had slightly higher biomass production in xeric soil compared to mesic soil, while the mesic ecotype tended to grow more in mesic soil, although not significantly. The conditioning of soil did not affect the biomass production of either ecotype.
Article
Ecology
Madhav P. Thakur, Wim H. van Der Putten, Fariha Apon, Ezio Angelini, Branko Vres, Stefan Geisen
Summary: Climate change can disrupt food chains, affecting predator-prey relationships in microbial communities. Extreme heat events can have a more detrimental impact on microbial prey communities than on their predators, possibly due to thermal acclimation mechanisms in predators. The resilience of predators and prey in rhizosphere microbial communities may vary based on species-specific effects and time dynamics.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Aurelie Cebron, Emna Zeghal, Philippe Usseglio-Polatera, Albin Meyer, Pascale Bauda, Florian Lemmel, Corinne Leyval, Florence Maunoury-Danger
Summary: The approach based on bacterial functional traits allows for a better understanding of how bacterial assemblages respond to ecological filters, leading to a more accurate description of the characteristics and functional diversity of bacterial communities in different environments.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Man Qin, Liyun Jiang, Gexia Qiao, Jing Chen
Summary: Insects harbor diverse symbionts and studying the interactions between hosts and their symbionts provides valuable insights. Phylosymbiosis is a pattern that shows a positive correlation between host phylogeny and microbial community dissimilarities. The prevalence and mechanisms of phylosymbiosis in insects are still not well understood.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katsura Igai, Osamu Kitade, Jieyang Fu, Kazumi Omata, Takahiro Yonezawa, Moriya Ohkuma, Yuichi Hongoh
Summary: This study focused on the hindgut of the termite Reticulitermes speratus and identified 10 or 11 morphologically distinct oxymonad cell types, or morphospecies. Through phylogenetic analysis, it was found that the genetic divergence of oxymonads is mainly constrained by strong selection. A total of 33 oxymonad ecotypes were predicted, indicating possible underlying mechanisms of coexistence of termite gut protists.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thomas M. Wolfe, Francisco Balao, Emiliano Trucchi, Gert Bachmann, Wenjia Gu, Juliane Baar, Mikael Hedren, Wolfram Weckwerth, Andrew R. Leitch, Ovidiu Paun
Summary: Whole-genome duplication has played a significant role in the evolution of angiosperms and other organisms, particularly in the development of important crop plants. Allopolyploids, which result from the combination of different parental populations, frequently undergo structural and genetic reorganization that leads to physiological and ecological differences. In this study, we examine the ecophysiological variations between two sibling allopolyploid marsh orchid species, which inhabit different habitats and exhibit distinct genetic and ecological characteristics. Our findings suggest that recurrent origins of polyploids contribute to the long-term maintenance of functional and ecological diversity in marsh orchids and other plant groups.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wei Huang, Janneth Rodrigues, Etienne Bilgo, Jose R. Tormo, Joseph D. Challenger, Cristina De Cozar-Gallardo, Ignacio Perez-Victoria, Fernando Reyes, Pablo Castaneda-Casado, Edounou Jacques Gnambani, Domonbabele Francois de Sales Hien, Maurice Konkobo, Beatriz Urones, Isabelle Coppens, Alfonso Mendoza-Losana, Lluis Ballell, Abdoulaye Diabate, Thomas S. Churcher, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena
Summary: The article describes the properties of a symbiotic bacterium, Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1, which inhibits early stages of Plasmodium development and transmission. The bacterium secretes a small-molecule inhibitor called harmane, which penetrates the mosquito's cuticle and inhibits Plasmodium development. Field studies in Burkina Faso and modeling show that D. tsuruhatensis TC1 has the potential to complement mosquito-targeted malaria transmission control.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Zhongwu Li, Di Tong, Xiaodong Nie, Haibing Xiao, Panpan Jiao, Jieyu Jiang, Qian Li, Wenfei Liao
Summary: This study explored the relationship between autotrophic bacterial networks and carbon fixation ability in different soil erosion regions using random matrix theory-based molecular ecological network approach. The results showed that bacterial co-occurrence networks significantly influenced the carbon fixation rate and were associated with key abiotic factors such as pH and C: N. The findings contribute to a better understanding of microbial networks in carbon fixation function.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Johannes B. Herpell, Ajtena Alickovic, Bocar Diallo, Florian Schindler, Wolfram Weckwerth
Summary: Plant growth promoting bacteria, such as Paraburkholderia dioscoreae Msb3, can colonize the phyllosphere of tomato plants and promote plant growth by degrading ACC, a precursor of the plant hormone ethylene. The application of ACC deaminase-containing bacteria to the phyllosphere may be a promising strategy for increasing plant stress resistance, pathogen control, and harvest yields.
Article
Forestry
Lin Qin, Yufeng Wang, Angang Ming, Shouhong Xi, Zhirou Xiao, Jinqian Teng, Ling Tan
Summary: The soil profile is a significant factor affecting bacterial community structure and function in planted forests, but little is known about this in subtropical China. In this study, we investigated the molecular ecological network structure and bacterial community function at different soil depths within native tree plantations. Our results showed that the bacterial network scale, interaction strength, and key bacterial groups varied with soil depth, and the dominant functional groups were related to soil carbon and nitrogen cycling. Furthermore, the molecular ecological network structure and bacterial functional groups were mainly influenced by soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus availability. This study provides valuable insights into bacterial community structure and function within soil profiles of native tree plantations in subtropical regions.
Article
Ecology
Anna K. Simonsen
Summary: Bacteria show continuous reduction in genome content under environmental stress, with genes predicted to be superfluous more likely lost in high stress conditions. Gene loss is widespread across the entire genome, with high gene-retention hotspots near core genes to stabilize viability during genomic decay.
Article
Ecology
Tina Parkhurst, Rachel J. Standish, Alan N. Andersen, Suzanne M. Prober
Summary: This study in semi-arid southwestern Australia found that ant species composition and abundance in planted old fields diverged from fallow croplands towards reference woodlands, yet full convergence had not been achieved after 10 years. Tree-associated functional group Subordinate Camponotini had higher abundance and richness under trees, while differences were observed in the Hot Climate Specialists group between planted old fields and reference woodlands, suggesting that the impact of planted trees on microclimates may require further investigation. Further research on older plantings is needed to determine the long-term effects on ant assemblages.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Jason Beringer, Caitlin E. Moore, Jamie Cleverly, David Campbell, Helen Cleugh, Martin G. De Kauwe, Miko U. F. Kirschbaum, Anne Griebel, Sam Grover, Alfredo Huete, Lindsay B. Hutley, Johannes Laubach, Tom Van Niel, Stefan K. Arndt, Alison C. Bennett, Lucas A. Cernusak, Derek Eamus, Cacilia M. Ewenz, Jordan P. Goodrich, Mingkai Jiang, Nina Hinko-Najera, Peter Isaac, Sanaa Hobeichi, Juergen Knauer, Georgia R. Koerber, Michael Liddell, Xuanlong Ma, Craig Macfarlane, Ian D. McHugh, Belinda E. Medlyn, Wayne S. Meyer, Alexander J. Norton, Jyoteshna Owens, Andy Pitman, Elise Pendall, Suzanne M. Prober, Ram L. Ray, Natalia Restrepo-Coupe, Sami W. Rifai, David Rowlings, Louis Schipper, Richard P. Silberstein, Lina Teckentrup, Sally E. Thompson, Anna M. Ukkola, Aaron Wall, Ying-Ping Wang, Tim J. Wardlaw, William Woodgate
Summary: The Australian and New Zealand flux research and monitoring network, OzFlux, celebrated its 20th anniversary by reflecting on the lessons learned from two decades of ecosystem studies on global change biology. The network has provided valuable knowledge, information, and data not only for ecosystem researchers, but also for other users. This article focuses on eight key lessons in various areas of research and highlights the importance of long-term flux observations.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Qiaoyun Xie, Jamie Cleverly, Caitlin E. Moore, Yanling Ding, Christopher C. Hall, Xuanlong Ma, Luke A. Brown, Cong Wang, Jason Beringer, Suzanne M. Prober, Craig Macfarlane, Wayne S. Meyer, Gaofei Yin, Alfredo Huete
Summary: This study used a modified algorithm to extract LSP metrics from MODIS data in arid and semi-arid regions of Australia, improving the spatial extent of LSP retrievals. The results revealed that vegetation growth in these ecosystems is highly irregular and can occur at any time, with a correlation to annual precipitation.
ISPRS JOURNAL OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Review
Agronomy
Felipe E. Albornoz, Suzanne M. Prober, Megan H. Ryan, Rachel J. Standish
Summary: This review critically examines microbe-microbe interactions among functional guilds within the plant-soil system. The review confirms that the nature of microbial interactions is explained by niche theory, where competitive relationships are likely when benefits to plants and nutrient scavenging mechanisms overlap, while neutral-to-facilitative relationships are likely when these microbial traits differ or complement each other.
Article
Plant Sciences
Carl R. Gosper, Ben P. Miller, Rachael Gallagher, Janine Kinloch, Richard van Dongen, Emma Adams, Sarah Barrett, Anne Cochrane, Sarah Comer, Lachlan McCaw, Russell G. Miller, Suzanne M. Prober, Colin J. Yates
Summary: Short fire intervals can cause declines in plant populations due to immaturity risk. By quantifying the time required for obligate-seeding species to reach reproductive maturity after a fire (juvenile period), we can determine the risk of population decline under specific fire intervals. The juvenile period depends on environmental productivity, which can be predicted using a model applicable at a regional scale. Environmental productivity factors such as precipitation, temperature, and gross primary productivity influence the length of the juvenile period and can help predict the minimum tolerable fire intervals for conserving slow-maturing plants. Future climate scenarios indicate a substantial increase in juvenile period length, posing a high risk of short fire interval impacts. Historic fire interval data can be used to identify locations at risk of short fire intervals, as shown in a case study of Stirling Range National Park.
Article
Ecology
Lynda L. Sharpe, Suzanne M. Prober, Janet L. Gardner
Summary: Anthropogenic climate change is threatening biodiversity, especially in hot, arid regions, by increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves. While behavioral thermoregulation helps organisms cope with heat, its effectiveness in buffering them from unprecedented temperatures is uncertain. The costs associated with behavioral thermoregulation may become intolerable in the face of greater heat exposure, and effective cooling may depend on specific microhabitats.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Tina Parkhurst, Suzanne M. Prober, Mark Farrell, Rachel J. Standish
Summary: Ecological restoration of former agricultural land can be accelerated by adding mulch and logs. Mulch had a positive effect on soil moisture but suppressed growth of native herbaceous plants, while logs decreased decomposition rates and increased species richness of disturbance specialist ants. However, effects on other response variables may require longer time frames to be detected.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jodi N. Price, Judith Sitters, Timothy Ohlert, Pedro M. Tognetti, Cynthia S. Brown, Eric W. Seabloom, Elizabeth T. Borer, Suzanne M. Prober, Elisabeth S. Bakker, Andrew S. MacDougall, Laura Yahdjian, Daniel S. Gruner, Harry Olde Venterink, Isabel C. Barrio, Pamela Graff, Sumanta Bagchi, Carlos Alberto Arnillas, Jonathan D. Bakker, Dana M. Blumenthal, Elizabeth H. Boughton, Lars A. Brudvig, Miguel N. Bugalho, Marc W. Cadotte, Maria C. Caldeira, Chris R. Dickman, Ian Donohue, Sonnier Gregory, Yann Hautier, Ingibjorg S. Jonsdottir, Luciola S. Lannes, Rebecca L. McCulley, Joslin L. Moore, Sally A. Power, Anita C. Risch, Martin Schutz, Rachel Standish, Carly J. Stevens, G. F. Veen, Risto Virtanen, Glenda M. Wardle
Summary: A NutNet experiment in 57 grasslands across six continents shows that when herbivores are excluded from grasslands with a long coevolutionary history of grazing plant diversity is reduced, while in grasslands without a long grazing history the evolutionary history of the plant species regulates the response of plant diversity.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Suzanne M. Prober, Brad M. Potts, Peter A. Harrison, Georg Wiehl, Tanya G. Bailey, Joao Costa e Silva, Meridy R. Price, Jane Speijers, Dorothy A. Steane, Rene E. Vaillancourt
Summary: With climate change impacting trees worldwide, enhancing adaptation capacity has become an important goal. This study compares genetic-based population variation, climate-trait associations, and genomic differentiation of two widespread tree species. The results show that different species have different patterns of variation and correlation, and climate-based plantings should consider multiple dimensions of climate change unless species-specific information is available.
Article
Forestry
Rachel J. Standish, Ryan Borrett, Tim Morald, Richard J. Hobbs, Suzanne M. Prober
Summary: This study measured plant diversity and carbon storage in yate (Eucalyptus occidentalis) trees and shrubs ten years after planting, finding that diverse yate plantings sequestered as much carbon as yate monocultures, with no apparent trade-off between carbon storage and plant diversity.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zoe. A. A. Parshuram, Tia. L. L. Harrison, Anna. K. K. Simonsen, John. R. R. Stinchcombe, Megan. E. E. Frederickson
Summary: Both mutualism and polyploidy can influence plant invasion success, but their joint effects have been rarely studied. This study showed that polyploid legume species have been successfully introduced to new ranges, but their range expansion is constrained by interactions with rhizobia. In contrast, diploid legume species have limited spread regardless of symbiotic status with rhizobia.
Article
Agronomy
Felipe E. Albornoz, Rachel J. Standish, Andrew Bissett, Suzanne M. Prober
Summary: The study shows that degraded ecosystems can be maintained and hindered recovery by abiotic and biotic legacies, including changes in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). To understand potential restoration pathways, the study aimed to elucidate differences in AMF between intact and degraded ecosystems, their responses to modified soils, and their interactions with invasive plants. By characterizing AMF communities, native and exotic plant cover, and soil physicochemical properties, the study found significant differences in AMF communities among different ground-layer states, with CN-enriched states being the most distinct.
Article
Biology
Pooja Nathan, Evan P. Economo, Benoit Guenard, Anna K. Simonsen, Megan E. Frederickson
Summary: Mutualism plays an important role in the spread and adaptation of species in new environments. Generalized mutualisms increase the likelihood of species establishing and thriving beyond native ranges, while specialized mutualisms do not affect or even reduce non-native spread.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Samuel C. Andrew, Pieter A. Arnold, Anna K. Simonsen, Veronica F. Briceno
Summary: This study investigated the heat tolerance of Acacia species in response to heatwaves and found that they displayed significant heat acclimation responses, which may explain their diversity and ubiquity in arid Australian ecosystems.
FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)