Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Feilun Wu, Yuanchi Ha, Andrea Weiss, Meidi Wang, Jeffrey Letourneau, Shangying Wang, Nan Luo, Shuquan Huang, Charlotte T. Lee, Lawrence A. David, Lingchong You
Summary: Spatial partitioning modulates the dynamics of microbial communities, promoting the persistence of populations with negative interactions and suppressing those with positive interactions. An intermediate level of partitioning maximizes the overall diversity of the community.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nittay Meroz, Nesli Tovi, Yael Sorokin, Jonathan Friedman
Summary: Managing and engineering microbial communities requires the ability to predict their composition. While little work has been done on predicting compositions on evolutionary timescales, this study shows that community composition typically changes during evolution, but the composition of replicate communities remains similar. These changes were also predictable, suggesting that it may be possible to forecast the evolution of microbial communities even on long timescales.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rok Sturm, Behare Rexhepi, Juan Jose Lopez Diez, Andrej Blejec, Jernej Polajnar, Jerome Sueur, Meta Virant-Doberlet
Summary: Our experiences shape our understanding of the world. The vibroscape, which humans cannot perceive, is rich in species-specific vibrational signals and plays a crucial role in communication and ecology. Different plant species in a temperate hay meadow exhibit unique vibroscape compositions that change seasonally and based on spatial position, with species partitioning vibrational space to avoid interference.
Article
Entomology
Elia Guariento, Konrad Fiedler
Summary: This study assessed ant assemblages along the tree line at five mountains in the south-central Alps of Italy, with the highest ant species richness and functional diversity found directly at the ecotone. Ant community composition was influenced by elevation and shrub cover around the tree line ecotone.
Article
Microbiology
David J. Pascall, Matthew C. Tinsley, Bethany L. Clark, Darren J. Obbard, Lena Wilfert
Summary: This study investigates the diversity of newly discovered bumblebee viruses in Scotland and finds that they are more genetically diverse than viruses shared with honeybees. The presence of multiple infections and environmental factors such as temperature and UV radiation play important roles in shaping viral prevalence. This research represents an initial step in understanding predictors of bumblebee infection in the wild.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emiliano Donadio, Sebastian Di Martino, Sofia Heinonen
Summary: A foundation is reintroducing native species to restore ecosystems and develop ecotourism.
Article
Ecology
Sana Romdhane, Ayme Spor, Julie Aubert, David Bru, Marie-Christine Breuil, Sara Hallin, Arnaud Mounier, Sarah Ouadah, Myrto Tsiknia, Laurent Philippot
Summary: This study utilized a top-down manipulation approach to investigate the role of biotic interactions in shaping soil microbial communities, revealing the importance of such interactions and identifying microbial community assembly rules. Modified biotic interactions had a greater impact on activities related to nitrogen cycling than carbon cycling, providing insights into microbial interactions in complex ecosystems and their relationship with ecosystem function.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Daniel B. Raudabaugh, Nelda A. Rivera, Gretchen C. Anchor, Elizabeth Bach, Andrew N. Miller, Nohra E. Mateus-Pinilla
Summary: The study found that storage time was more crucial than storage temperature for isolating a diverse range of geophilic fungal taxa. It also revealed that changing storage conditions can alter the types and abundance of fungal taxa, highlighting the importance of employing similar storage conditions for comparative studies. Future research should utilize multiple genetic markers to improve species-level resolution within common Illinois geophilic fungal genera.
Article
Ecology
Rita L. Grunberg
Summary: The study investigated the concordance of community similarity patterns among parasites, fish hosts, and environmental factors. It found concordance in community composition patterns between parasites and fish hosts, but not in community abundance patterns. Additionally, concordance was observed between fish communities and the physical river environment.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Matt Lloyd Jones, Damian William Rivett, Alberto Pascual-Garcia, Thomas Bell
Summary: This study found that naturally occurring microbial communities with well-growing combinations of bacteria can drive invasion resistance, mirroring results seen in artificial communities grown in the lab. The results suggest that productivity is a key factor underpinning invasion resistance in naturally-occurring microbial communities.
Article
Parasitology
Pilate N. Kwi, Elvis E. Ewane, Marcel N. Moyeh, Livinus N. Tangi, Vincent N. Ntui, Francis Zeukeng, Denis D. Sofeu-Feugaing, Eric A. Achidi, Fidelis Cho-Ngwa, Alfred Amambua-Ngwa, Jude D. Bigoga, Tobias O. Apinjoh
Summary: The vectorial diversity, dynamics, and infectivity of mosquitoes in the slopes of Mount Cameroon vary across different seasons and altitudes, which has implications for malaria transmission and control.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elizaveta Koroleva, Aza Zizipo Mqulwa, Scott Norris-Jones, Sidney Reed, Zahraa Tambe, Aiden Visagie, Karin Jacobs
Summary: The study revealed that biodegradable cigarette butts had a significant impact on the bacterial community composition of soil compared to non-biodegradable butts, likely due to higher concentrations of certain metals and metalloids in their leachate. Cigarette butts primarily contain microplastics, toxic metals, and metalloids, which can leach into the soil.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Stephanie D. Jurburg, Francois Buscot, Antonis Chatzinotas, Narendrakumar M. Chaudhari, Adam T. Clark, Magda Garbowski, Matthias Grenie, Erik F. Y. Hom, Canan Karakoc, Susanne Marr, Steffen Neumann, Mika Tarkka, Nicole M. van Dam, Alexander Weinhold, Anna Heintz-Buschart
Summary: This article examines the impact of technical biases and noise introduced during sample preparation and data collection on the estimation of molecular diversity. It also explores how novel methods from community ecology can improve the interpretation and integration of multivariate molecular data.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Carla Bellomo, Daniel Oscar Alonso, Tamara Ricardo, Rocio Coelho, Sebastian Kehl, Natalia Periolo, Viviana Azogaray, Natalia Casas, Mariano Ottonelli, Laura Cristina Bergero, Maria Carolina Cudos, Maria Andrea Previtali, Valeria Paula Martinez
Summary: Orthohantaviruses are emerging rodent-borne pathogens that cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in humans. New hantaviruses have been reported in Argentina, including the first HPS case infected with Alto Paraguay virus. A novel orthohantavirus was found in the native rodent Scapteromys aquaticus, along with a new reservoir for Leyes orthohantavirus identified. These findings indicate the need for epidemiological warning regarding new orthohantaviruses circulating in Central Argentina.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Steven A. Wilbert, Dianne K. Newman
Summary: Microbial communities are widely distributed in the biosphere and exhibit reproducible spatial patterns. This study demonstrates the important role of redox-active metabolites in shaping microbial communities and shows how oxygen availability can tune metabolic cross-feeding and fitness outcomes in these communities.