Article
Engineering, Environmental
Huang Yu, Zhenzhen He, Zhili He, Qingyun Yan, Longfei Shu
Summary: This study found that soil protists can influence the cycling of Cr and Fe in soil through selective predation pressure on metal-reducing bacteria, expanding our understanding of the predation of protists on soil metal cycling.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Hidetoshi Inamine, Adam Miller, Stephen Roxburgh, Angus Buckling, Katriona Shea
Summary: This study examines the effects of disturbances on species diversity and proposes a classification method for pulse and press disturbances. The research found that the two types of disturbances have different impacts on coexistence mechanisms, although their asymptotic diversity patterns are similar. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of using theoretical modeling to guide and interpret empirical research.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hsun-Yi Hsieh, John Vandermeer, Ivette Perfecto
Summary: This study investigates how cascading higher-order interactions (HOIs) affect the population dynamics of a focal species and finds that the 2nd degree HOI significantly reduces survival rate and changes sex ratio. Bayesian analysis suggests unexpected results may arise from complex eco-evolutionary dynamics involving the 1st and 2nd degree HOIs.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Longfei Shu, Zhenzhen He, Xiaotong Guan, Xueqin Yang, Yuehui Tian, Siyi Zhang, Chenyuan Wu, Zhili He, Qingyun Yan, Cheng Wang, Yijing Shi
Summary: Soil protists, the invisible majority of soil eukaryotes, play key roles in microbial food webs by predating on other soil microbes. In this study, the soil amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum was used to investigate selective discrimination and predation of different bacteria. The findings suggest that dormant D. discoideum can selectively sense and predate on different soil bacteria, likely mediated through active amoeba preference and bacterial inhibition.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Xuehua Wang, Zhongmin Dai, Jiahui Lin, Haochun Zhao, Haodan Yu, Bin Ma, Lingfei Hu, Jiachun Shi, Xiaoyun Chen, Manqiang Liu, Xin Ke, Yijun Yu, Randy A. Dahlgren, Jianming Xu
Summary: The soil microbial food web is crucial for soil health, nutrient cycling, and agricultural productivity. However, the effects of heavy metal contamination on the trophic-level interactions within this food web in agricultural soils, which are globally contaminated, have not been well-studied. This study examined the interactions among predators, preys, and competitors under different metal contamination levels and found that metal contamination altered the growth of different prey groups, resulting in changes in the diversity and abundance of consumers and their interactions. Lab experiments confirmed these findings, indicating the collapse of trophic-level interactions due to heavy metal contamination.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Fabio Cianferoni, Enrico Lunghi
Summary: This article discusses the foraging behavior of European cave salamanders through a detailed analysis of published datasets. It is found that flying insects are the most consumed prey, while strictly-cave prey are rare. The study suggests that Speleomantes mainly forage in surface environments, but also engage in predatory activity in shallow water bodies. The morphology of the prey and their defenses influence the salamanders' prey choice.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Kathryn Mulvey, Katherine Brosnan, Mackenzie Galvin, Sydney Mohr, Lauren Muldowney, Molly Oser, Laura E. Williams
Summary: Bdellovibrio evolved to better withstand nutrient limitation in response to long-term coculture with Pseudomonas, rather than improving its killing efficiency. High-frequency mutations were identified in several evolved Bdellovibrio populations, which did not alter their prey range and predation efficiency but enhanced starvation survival.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Nicola Mayrhofer, Gregory J. Velicer, Kaitlin A. Schaal, Marie Vasse
Summary: The study found that the predatory bacterium Myxococcus xanthus has a repellent effect on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, causing it to avoid patches that would normally be attractive. Additionally, the nematode influences the predatory behavior of the bacterium, increasing its swarming rate in response to worm density and prey identity. These findings suggest that nematodes and bacterial predators mutually influence each other's behavior, with potential implications for coevolution within complex microbial food webs.
Article
Ecology
Yu Zhao, Rong Wang, Enlou Zhang, Baohua Guan, Min Xu
Summary: Due to climate change and increasing anthropogenic activities, lakes are frequently disturbed by press and pulse disturbances, which can have severe impacts on lake ecosystems. This study assessed the effect of press and pulse disturbances of phosphorus on a microcosmic aquatic ecosystem, and found that the ecosystem had a lower resistance to pulse disturbances compared to press disturbances.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Yi Yang, Hong Tao, Wenwen Ma, Nana Wang, Xiaolin Chen, Wenhui Wang
Summary: In this study, the predation diameter and lysis spectra of 62 typical soil bacteria by Myxococcus sp. PT13 were determined using the lawn predation method. The results showed that PT13 had a predation diameter greater than 15 mm against various soil microorganisms and had a significant lysis effect. The high-throughput sequencing results demonstrated that PT13 predation significantly changed the microbial community structure, providing a theoretical foundation for regulating soil microecology.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Debora Pires Paula, David Alan Andow
Summary: The search for effective biological control agents has been limited by impractical or imprecise methods. This review explores the application of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) methods, such as metabarcoding and Lazaro, in determining prey range, predation rates, and food web structure to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of biological control agents. The lack of knowledge, expertise, and high cost of analysis are key limiting factors. The article discusses the potential and limitations of HTS methods in biological control research.
NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Daisuke Inoue, Naoto Hiroshima, So Nakamura, Hidehiro Ishizawa, Michihiko Ike
Summary: This study isolated and characterized two predatory bacteria from a freshwater pond, Bacteriovorax stolpii HI3 and Myxococcus sp. MH1. The findings showed that these bacteria can prey on a wide range of bacteria, regardless of their phylogeny. The study also revealed that the two strains have slightly different temperature preferences but commonly prefer slightly alkaline pH.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Haley K. Epperly, Michael Clinchy, Liana Y. Zanette, Robert A. McCeery
Summary: The experiment showed that the fear large carnivores inspire in large ungulates can cause trophic cascades, with ungulates perceiving less fear from large carnivores in open habitats. This has implications for ecosystem properties.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Xiaoxiao Li, Wei Yang, Ursula Gaedke, Peter C. Ruiter
Summary: Food web stability and resilience are crucial for understanding ecosystem functioning, with empirical food webs shown to be more stable than random ones due to the presence of strong interactions within weak interactions. Analysis of trophic interaction loops reveals that patterns of interaction strengths can prevent destabilizing loops, enhancing resilience. The mechanisms behind these patterns that enhance food web resilience are still unknown.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Randall Brian Langerhans, Taylor R. Goins, Kenzi M. Stemp, Rudiger Riesch, Marcio S. Araujo, Craig A. Layman
Summary: Research suggests that many animals, even non-specialized ones, consume hard-shelled prey. This phenomenon may be partially explained by optimal foraging and compensatory growth mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Xin You, Rene Kallies, Ingolf Kuehn, Matthias Schmidt, Hauke Harms, Antonis Chatzinotas, Lukas Y. Wick
Summary: The study found that lytic phages can co-transport with bacteria, promoting bacterial colonization of new habitats. This co-transport is analogous to invasion processes in macroecology. In water-unsaturated systems, hyphal transport of bacteria and associated phages plays a crucial role in regulating microbial population fitness and composition.
Article
Virology
Xin You, Niclas Klose, Rene Kallies, Hauke Harms, Antonis Chatzinotas, Lukas Y. Wick
Summary: Recent studies have shown that phages can be transported with non-host bacteria, allowing them to invade biofilms and control their composition. A novel approach was developed to isolate non-host bacteria that can co-transport phages from soil. Five phage-carrying bacterial species were identified, and Viridibacillus sp. showed a higher phage adsorption efficiency.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dirk Nickisch Born Gericke, Bjorn Christian Rall, Alexander Singer, Roman Ashauer
Summary: In the regulatory environmental risk assessment of plant protection products, the sensitivity of fish species to a substance is affected by the dynamics of exposure, and the sensitivity rankings can vary among different exposure profiles.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Bi-Jing Xiong, Claire E. Stanley, Christian Dusny, Dietmar Schlosser, Hauke Harms, Lukas Y. Wick
Summary: Using a microfluidic system and pH-sensitive whole-cell bioreporters, researchers studied the dynamic changes of surface pH along growing hyphae of Coprinopsis cinerea. The pH along hyphal surfaces varied significantly, with the pH at hyphal tips being lower compared to more mature hyphal parts. This study provides important insights into the spatial and pH-dependent hyphal processes, such as organic matter degradation or mineral weathering.
Editorial Material
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaokai Zhang, Damia Barcelo, Robert J. Clougherty, Bin Gao, Hauke Harms, Boris Tefsen, Meththika Vithanage, Hailong Wang, Zhenyu Wang, Mona Wells
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Hieu Linh Duong, Sven Paufler, Hauke Harms, Dietmar Schlosser, Thomas Maskow
Summary: This study investigated the functional traits of free-living saprotrophic decomposer fungi using a non-invasive metabolic heat flux analysis, and identified parameters related to fungal biomass production and ecological strategies. These parameters provide insights into the life history traits of fungi and their impacts on ecosystem processes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexander Singer, Dirk Nickisch, Andre Gergs
Summary: In environmental risk assessment, cross-species extrapolation is necessary to account for variability in sensitivity to toxicants. The general unified threshold model of survival (GUTS) only addresses the impact of a single compound on a single species. We extend the existing theory and show that the shape parameter ss of the log-logistic threshold distribution in individual tolerance (IT) is also constant.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Washington Logrono, Paul Kluge, Sabine Kleinsteuber, Hauke Harms, Marcell Nikolausz
Summary: The diversity of the inoculum significantly influences methane production and process stability, with higher diversity cultures producing more methane and accumulating fewer volatile fatty acids.
BIOENGINEERING-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Bin Liu, Heike Straeuber, Florian Centler, Hauke Harms, Ulisses Nunes da Rocha, Sabine Kleinsteuber
Summary: The effects of pH alterations on microbial chain elongation in anaerobic mixed cultures were investigated. The community composition shifted dramatically when the pH increased from 5.5 to 6.5, but the product range and yields returned to previous states after transient fluctuations. The study highlights the importance of pH in shaping the abundance of key players and community functioning in microbial chain elongation.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Caroline K. Glidden, Canan Karakoc, Chenyang Duan, Yuan Jiang, Brianna Beechler, Abdul Jabbar, Anna E. Jolles
Summary: Individual animals in natural populations tend to host diverse parasite species concurrently over their lifetimes. In free-living ecological communities, organismal life histories shape interactions with their environment, which ultimately forms the basis of ecological succession. Here, we studied community dynamics of 12 subtypes of protozoan microparasites (Theileria spp.) in a herd of African buffalo.
Article
Cell Biology
Juan Lopez-Galvez, Konstanze Schiessl, Michael D. Besmer, Carmen Bruckmann, Hauke Harms, Susann Mueller
Summary: Cell density is crucial in microbiome research and biotechnological processes. The traditional offline determination of cell density causes delays and hinders quick action. An online automated flow cytometry procedure is proposed to address this issue, enabling real-time high-resolution analysis of bacterial communities and differentiation between cell subsets. The method combines the OC-300 automation device with the CytoFLEX flow cytometer to perform automatic sampling, dilution, fixation, and staining before measurement. The method allows for reproducible measurement of cell density and fingerprint-like patterns, facilitating automated data analysis and correlation analysis.
Article
Microbiology
Daniela Becker, Denny Popp, Fabian Bonk, Sabine Kleinsteuber, Hauke Harms, Florian Centler
Summary: Analyzing microbial communities using metagenomes is a powerful approach to understand compositional structures and functional connections in anaerobic digestion (AD) microbiomes. The hybrid sequencing approach of combining short-read and long-read sequencing provides better assembly statistics and generates more high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). It is the preferable option for dealing with complex microbiomes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marc Breulmann, Rene Kallies, Katy Bernhard, Andrea Gasch, Roland Arno Mueller, Hauke Harms, Antonis Chatzinotas, Manfred van Afferden
Summary: Wastewater-based monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 is a promising tool for tracking the potential spread of the virus. Recent studies have shown that passive samplers are effective in detecting SARS-CoV-2 genome copies in wastewater and can provide timely data. This study evaluated the suitability of passive samplers for long-term detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater at both city-scale and small-scale levels, and found that passive samplers can accurately indicate the level of positive infections in the population.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Bruna Grosch Schroeder, Havva Betuel Istanbullu, Matthias Schmidt, Washington Logrono, Hauke Harms, Marcell Nikolausz
Summary: To mimic the lignocellulose pretreatment process in the gut system of Pachnoda marginata larvae, two wheat straw pretreatments were tested. The combination of size reduction and alkaline pretreatment resulted in the highest methane production. SEM analysis showed that alkaline pretreatment promoted biofilm formation and microbial growth on the wheat straw fibers. Mechanical and alkaline pretreatments led to increased methane yield, but the effects were not superimposed.
FERMENTATION-BASEL
(2023)
