Bioturbation by the marine polychaete Capitella teleta alters the sediment microbial community by ingestion and defecation of sediment particles

Observations from compound, confocal, and scanning electron microscopy reveal that the buccal organ in Capitella teleta Blake, Grassle & Eckelbarger, 2009 should be classified as a dorsal pharynx. This buccal organ is an eversible proboscis that has the following characters: (1) dorsal ciliated pad, (2) well-developed pharyngeal retractor muscles, (3) pharyngeal gland-like structures, (4) cuticular fold surrounding the dorsal ciliated pad, and (5) unciliated buccal cavity and anterior ventral epithelium. All of these features are characteristic of dorsal pharyngeal organs present in oligochaetes and one terrestrial polychaete. Our observations in C. teleta confirm the presence of a dorsal pharynx in larvae, juveniles, and adults. C. teleta is a subsurface deposit feeder and a dorsal pharynx may have evolved independently in Capitellidae through selection of feeding mode in benthic marine habitats. Our results represent the first detailed description of a dorsal pharynx in a marine polychaete.

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A peek in the micro-sized world: a review of design principles, engineering tools, and applications of engineered microbial community

Biochemical Society Transactions ◽

10.1042/bst20190172 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 399-409

Author(s):

Baizhen Gao ◽

Rushant Sabnis ◽

Tommaso Costantini ◽

Robert Jinkerson ◽

Qing Sun

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Environmental Remediation ◽

Real Life ◽

Design Principles ◽

Microbial Interactions ◽

Potential Applications ◽

New Gene ◽

Global Biogeochemical Cycles ◽

Synthetic Microbial Communities

Microbial communities drive diverse processes that impact nearly everything on this planet, from global biogeochemical cycles to human health. Harnessing the power of these microorganisms could provide solutions to many of the challenges that face society. However, naturally occurring microbial communities are not optimized for anthropogenic use. An emerging area of research is focusing on engineering synthetic microbial communities to carry out predefined functions. Microbial community engineers are applying design principles like top-down and bottom-up approaches to create synthetic microbial communities having a myriad of real-life applications in health care, disease prevention, and environmental remediation. Multiple genetic engineering tools and delivery approaches can be used to ‘knock-in' new gene functions into microbial communities. A systematic study of the microbial interactions, community assembling principles, and engineering tools are necessary for us to understand the microbial community and to better utilize them. Continued analysis and effort are required to further the current and potential applications of synthetic microbial communities.

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