Article
Forestry
Dariusz J. Gwiazdowicz, Dariusz Skarzynski, Laurence Fazan, Yann Fragniere, Dany Ghosn, Gregor Kozlowski, Robert Kuzminski, Ilektra Remoundou, Bogna Zawieja
Summary: Microarthropod assemblages associated with Zelkova abelicea in different localities on Crete were found to vary, with the most distinct characteristics observed at the Gerakari site on Mt. Kedros. The most numerous species were the collembolan Xenylla maritima, and a total of 19 previously unreported species were recorded.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Giuliano Bonanomi, Mohamed Idbella, Ahmed M. Abd-ElGawad, Riccardo Motti, Francesca Ippolito, Lucia Santorufo, Paola Adamo, Diana Agrelli, Anna De Marco, Giulia Maisto, Maurizio Zotti
Summary: The study found that prescribed burning and mowing are effective in countering the negative effects of grassland abandonment, including reducing plant diversity and increasing the risk of wildfires. Abandonment management promotes the spread of tall grasses, while prescribed burning and mowing can reduce the amount of tall grasses and increase the abundance of short-lived species. Additionally, burning and mowing also affect soil microbiota and the abundance of soil arthropods.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chelsea Aristone, Hossein Mehdi, Jonathan Hamilton, Kelly L. Bowen, Warren J. S. Currie, Karen A. Kidd, Sigal Balshine
Summary: Treated effluent from municipal wastewater treatment plants has a significant impact on aquatic benthic macroinvertebrate communities. However, the effects during winter have been largely ignored. This study examines the impacts of wastewater effluent on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in two different plants, and finds that the treatment capabilities and receiving environments of the plants dictate the impact on these communities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Patrick Strutzenberger, Gottsberger Brigitte, Florian Bodner, Bartusel Fabian, Jerga Daniel, Konrad Fiedler
Summary: DNA metabarcoding is a commonly used tool for biodiversity assessment and monitoring, but its comparison with traditional morphological species identification is still unclear. This study investigated the concordance between morphological species lists and results obtained from COI metabarcoding. The results showed that species detection rates were influenced by amplicon length and biomass, and there was also evidence of taxonomic bias. However, in terms of community ecology, the overall pattern obtained from metabarcoding results was mostly preserved.
ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fanyu Zhou, Junya Hirai, Koji Hamasaki, Sachiko Horii, Atsushi Tsuda
Summary: By analyzing gut contents and stable isotope analysis, the study found that the dominant euphausiid species in the California Current area and the eastern/western North Pacific subtropical gyre exhibit pronounced omnivorous feeding habits, with their dietary patterns largely determined by phytoplankton prey availability in the environments.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Flavio Monti, Alois Robert, Jean-Marie Dominici, Andrea Sforzi, Rafel Triay Bagur, Antoni Munoz Navarro, Gael Guillou, Olivier Duriez, Ilham Bentaleb
Summary: By combining GPS tracking and SIA analysis, insights into the wintering ecology and habitat use of the Corsican osprey population were gained. The study revealed that 50% of ospreys were resident while the other half were migratory, showing high plasticity in habitat selection across the Mediterranean basin. The integration of SIA and GPS/GSM tracking techniques proved effective in providing comprehensive information for ecological studies of migratory birds in aquatic environments.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
John H. Armstrong, Andy J. Kulikowski, Stacy M. Philpott
Summary: The study found that there is a substantial abundance and diversity of arthropods underneath ground-mounted solar arrays in urban area parking lots, and arrays integrated with vegetation have significantly greater arthropod abundance and more detritivores, parasitoids, and family richness.
Article
Ecology
Philip J. Manlick, Seth D. Newsome
Summary: Animals consume resources through multiple energy channels, connecting food webs and driving trophic structure. Stable isotope 'fingerprints' can trace energy flow in wild systems. This study shows that ΔC-13 fingerprints accurately measure energy flow to vertebrate consumers and can estimate multichannel feeding at various temporal scales.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dane C. Elmquist, Kendall B. Kahl, Jodi L. Johnson-Maynard, Sanford D. Eigenbrode
Summary: Soil arthropods are an important component of soil biodiversity and play a role in regulating processes in the soil ecosystem. However, the effects of cropping system diversification on soil arthropod biodiversity and community structure are rarely evaluated, leading to a lack of consideration for soil arthropods in management decisions.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Melissa Pardi, Larisa R. G. DeSantis
Summary: This synthesis explores the isotopic ecology of North American mammalian herbivores since approximately 7 Ma, revealing that hypsodont taxa often have broader diets that include more browse consumption. The study demonstrates that even generalist taxa may have narrow localized dietary breadth, and that 'grazing-adapted' taxa exhibit dietary flexibility across space and time, potentially reducing competition among ancient herbivores.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Victor Mataigne, Nathan Vannier, Philippe Vandenkoornhuyse, Stephane Hacquard
Summary: Understanding how microorganism-microorganism interactions shape microbial assemblages is crucial in deciphering the evolution of dependencies and co-existence in complex microbiomes. The microbial systems ecology (MSE) framework, relying on integrated-omics data, merges cellular and community scales to untangle microbial coexistence primarily by metabolic modeling. MSE offers new avenues for progress in microbial research, particularly in synthetic biology and microbiome engineering.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Brent C. Emerson, Paulo A. V. Borges, Pedro Cardoso, Peter Convey, Jeremy R. deWaard, Evan P. Economo, Rosemary G. Gillespie, Susan Kennedy, Henrik Krehenwinkel, Rudolf Meier, George K. Roderick, Dominique Strasberg, Christophe Thebaud, Anna Traveset, Thomas J. Creedy, Emmanouil Meramveliotakis, Victor Noguerales, Isaac Overcast, Helene Morlon, Anna Papadopoulou, Alfried P. Vogler, Paula Arribas, Carmelo Andujar
Summary: The current understanding of the ecological and evolutionary processes underlying island biodiversity is largely based on empirical data from plants and birds, overlooking the fact that arthropods constitute the majority of known animal species and can offer crucial insights into biodiversity processes. High throughput sequencing approaches are emerging as powerful tools for overcoming limitations in arthropod biodiversity data, and can provide valuable insights into these processes. This article explores the effective utilization of these tools for comprehensive and comparable inventory and monitoring of arthropod biodiversity on islands.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Brandon D. Hoenig, Brian K. Trevelline, Andrea Kautz, Steven C. Latta, Brady A. Porter
Summary: This study explores the utility of combining molecular and chemical techniques for dietary characterizations. By using DNA metabarcoding and stable isotope analysis, the researchers investigated the dietary niche of breeding Louisiana waterthrush. The results suggest that the waterthrush prefers pollution-intolerant, aquatic prey and the dietary characterizations from each approach were often uncorrelated.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Benjamin Cretois, Ian Avery Bick, Cathleen Balantic, Femke B. Gelderblom, Diego Pavon-Jordan, Julia Wiel, Sarab S. Sethi, Davyd H. Betchkal, Ben Banet, Carolyn M. Rosten, Tor Arne Reinen
Summary: Noise pollution poses a significant threat to ecosystems, and this study focuses on the impact of snowmobile noise on avian vocalizations. The research findings reveal that snowmobile noise leads to a decrease in bird vocalizations, but also highlight the resilience of avian communities. The study emphasizes the need to consider noise impacts in the non-breeding season and provides valuable insights for protecting critical avian habitats.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bin Wang, Xuheng Chen, Zhiyuan Chen, Huiwen Xiao, Jiali Dong, Yuan Li, Xiaozhou Zeng, Jinjian Liu, Guoyun Wan, Saijun Fan, Ming Cui
Summary: In this study, the researchers found that stable colonization of live A. muciniphila at lesion sites is essential for its anti-inflammatory function. They also developed a modified A. muciniphila that had enhanced inflammation targeting and intestinal colonization under an external magnetic field, leading to improved therapeutic efficacy against intestinal diseases. The findings further revealed that this modified A. muciniphila could drive M2 macrophage polarization by upregulating the protein level of IL-4 at inflammatory loci. These results demonstrate the importance of A. muciniphila in treating intestinal diseases.
EXPERIMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Jan Struckmann Poulsen, Nadieh de Jonge, Williane Vieira Macedo, Frederik Rask Dalby, Anders Feilberg, Jeppe Lund Nielsen
Summary: By using protein-SIP, active thermophilic cellulose-degrading microorganisms were identified from a full-scale anaerobic digester fed with maize. The study revealed multiple genes and proteins associated with cellulose degradation, highlighting the importance of members of the order Clostridiales in the process.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Anne Mette Madsen, John Kerr White, Jeppe Lund Nielsen, Mehmet Emin Keskin, Kira Tendal, Margit Wagtberg Frederiksen
Summary: Breeding pigeons is associated with respiratory symptoms, as exposure to bacteria and endotoxin in pigeon coops may contribute to airway issues among breeders. The airborne dust in pigeon coops contained a diverse range of bacterial species, some of which could pose potential health risks.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ines Krohn, Simon Menanteau-Ledouble, Gunhild Hageskal, Yekaterina Astafyeva, Pierre Jouannais, Jeppe Lund Nielsen, Massimo Pizzol, Alexander Wentzel, Wolfgang R. Streit
Summary: This article provides an overview of the health benefits of microalgae and their associated microbiota, highlighting their potential as a source of antimicrobial and prebiotic substances. It suggests that microalgae could be a solution to the shortage of antibiotics for treating antimicrobial resistant bacteria and fungi in clinical settings.
MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Agnieszka Cydzik-Kwiatkowska, Nadieh De Jonge, Jan Struckmann Poulsen, Jeppe Lund Nielsen
Summary: In this study, a gentle extraction approach combined with molecular analysis was used to investigate the composition and functions of microbes in aerobic granules from a wastewater treatment plant. The results revealed the presence of different functional bacteria in different layers of the granules, and the formation of microbial aggregates and extracellular polymeric substances played a crucial role in the structure of the granules.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lichao Feng, Zhiqi Du, Shuang Zhang, Shaoqing Zhang, Qingfan Meng, Karel Tajovsky
Summary: The adaptations of omnivorous insects to food are diverse, and their feeding tendencies are directly influenced by the availability of food resources. This study used stable isotope analysis to confirm the feeding preference of omnivorous beetles in cropland and demonstrated their important role in the dispersal of northern corn leaf blight. The study also showed that water supplementation can extend the contact time between beetles and pathogenic fungi, increasing the potential for pathogen transmission. Additionally, the beetles had opportunities to transmit the pathogen while feeding on corn tissues.
ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. M. S. Oliveira, J. S. Poulsen, E. Foresti, J. L. Nielsen
Summary: A multiple stage anaerobic system was proven effective for reductive decolorization of azo dyes in the presence of sulfate. The system achieved significant bulk color removal and organic matter and sulfate reduction in separate reactors. By utilizing amplicon sequencing and correlation analysis, the microbial communities and pathways involved in azo dye removal were identified, with reductive decolorization being mainly associated with hydrogen-producing pathways and the involvement of an azoreductase from Lactococcus lactis. The findings enhance our understanding of the role of different microbial communities in anaerobic treatment of azo dyes and can aid in the design of improved solutions for textile effluent treatment.
Article
Ecology
Bing Zhang, Haozhen Chen, Mingqin Deng, Xin Li, Ting-Wen Chen, Lingli Liu, Stefan Scheu, Shaopeng Wang
Summary: The study examines the effect of long-term forest plantations on the elemental contents of litter and detritivores, as well as the population size of detritivores. The results show that pine plantations change the elemental contents of litter and lead to severe stoichiometric mismatches for earthworms and millipedes. This mismatch results in lower population density and biomass for both detritivore taxa in pine plantations.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sandro Castronovo, Lissa Helmholz, David Wolff, Jan Struckmann Poulsen, Jeppe Lund Nielsen, Thomas A. Ternes, Torsten C. Schmidt, Arne Wick
Summary: The enzymatic processes involved in the degradation of the artificial sweetener acesulfame (ACE) in municipal wastewater treatment have been poorly understood. In this study, two bacterial taxa, an unknown Chelatococcus species and Ensifer adhaerens, were enriched from activated sludge using ACE as the carbon source, and cell-free lysates were analyzed to demonstrate enzymatically catalyzed ACE degradation. The fractionation of the lysate succeeded in separating the enzymes responsible for the initial transformation of ACE and further transformation pathway, providing evidence that the cleavage of the sulfuric ester moiety of ACE is the initial step. The analysis of the unfractionated lysate revealed proteins possibly involved in ACE transformation, including a highly abundant amidase and an ABC transporter substrate-binding protein.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jan Struckmann Poulsen, Jeppe Lund Nielsen
Summary: Synthetic plastics, such as PET, are widely used but pose a major threat due to their environmental persistence. The bacterium I. sakaiensis has been discovered to solely thrive on degrading PET films and its monomers. By analyzing protein expression, it was revealed that PET and its monomers induce the MHETase and affect two major pathways: the TCA cycle and the beta-oxidation pathway. The increased expression of proteins involved in these pathways suggests their importance in the degradation process.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Jan Struckmann Poulsen, Alba Trueba-Santiso, Juan M. Lema, Simon Gregersen Echers, Reinhard Wimmer, Jeppe Lund Nielsen
Summary: In this study, the biodegradability of PBAT monomers in thermophilic conditions was investigated using anaerobic digester sludge. 13C-labelled monomers and proteogenomics were used to track labelled carbon and identify the microorganisms involved in the process. Bacteroides, Ichthyobacterium, and Methanosarcina were found to be directly involved in the metabolization of at least one monomer.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jan Struckmann Poulsen, Christina Kjaerager Nielsen, Nina Ahrendt Pedersen, Reinhard Wimmer, Teis Esben Sondergaard, Nadieh de Jonge, Jeppe Lund Nielsen
Summary: Proteomics analysis revealed that combining methicillin with three cannabinoid compounds could decrease energy production and increase the production of penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP2), which is associated with antibiotic resistance in MRSA.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Takman, Ola Svahn, Catherine Paul, Michael Cimbritz, Stefan Blomqvist, Jan Struckmann Poulsen, Jeppe Lund Nielsen, Asa Davidsson
Summary: This study examined a full-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) with ultrafiltration and granular activated carbon (GAC) for the potential reuse of treated water as drinking water or for irrigation. The MBR removed most of the bacteria, while the GAC removed a significant amount of organic micropollutants. Seasonal variations in inflow and infiltration resulted in concentrated influent during summer and diluted influent in winter. The effluent concentrations of E. coli met irrigation water standards but exceeded drinking water standards in Sweden.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Troels Pank Arboll, Sophie Lund Rasmussen, Nadieh de Jonge, Anne Haslund Hansen, Cino Pertoldi, Jeppe Lund Nielsen
Summary: The recent development of ancient DNA sequencing techniques has provided valuable insights into previous civilizations, but their full potential has not yet been realized. In this study, researchers extracted ancient DNA from a 2900-year-old clay brick from the palace of King Ashurnasirpal II in Nimrud, Iraq. They identified 34 unique taxonomic groups of plants, making the pioneering discovery that ancient DNA can be effectively protected and successfully extracted from well-preserved clay. Future research in this area has significant scientific prospects and could lead to a deeper understanding of ancient and lost civilizations.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jan Struckmann Poulsen, Williane Vieira Macedo, Torben Bonde, Jeppe Lund Nielsen
Summary: This study used genomic techniques and engineered systems to investigate the biogas production potential and microbial communities involved in anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic-rich residues, revealing the key roles of diverse microbial populations in cellulose degradation and methane production.
BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Xin Gong, Ting-Wen Chen, Lili Zhang, Vaclav Pizl, Karel Tajovsky, Miloslav Devetter
Summary: The study found that the differences in adaptability of two earthworm species in caves may be related to their gut microbiota, suggesting that interactions between host and gut microbiome are crucial for soil animals in adapting to new environments. The functional gene diversity provided by earthworm gut microbiome is more important than taxonomic or phylogenetic diversity in regulating host adaptability. A stable and high-efficient gut microbiome, including microbiota and metabolism genes, plays a key role in helping animal hosts adapt to and establish in cave environments.