scholarly journals More than a stick in the mud: Eelgrass leaf and root bacterial communities are distinct from those on physical mimics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa R Kardish ◽  
John J Stachowicz
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Zostera Marina ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Intact Plants ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Marine Angiosperm

We examine the role of physical structure vs. biotic interactions in structuring host-associated microbial communities on a marine angiosperm, Zostera marina, eelgrass. Across several months and sites, we compared microbiomes on physical mimics of eelgrass roots and leaves to those on intact plants. We find large, consistent differences in the microbiome of mimics and plants, especially on roots, but also on leaves. Key taxa that are more abundant on leaves have been associated with microalgal and macroalgal disease and merit further investigation to determine their role in mediating plant-microalgal-pathogen interactions. Root associated taxa were associated with sulfur and nitrogen cycling, potentially ameliorating environmental stresses for the plant. Our work identifies targets for future work on the functional role of the seagrass microbiome in promoting the success of these angiosperms in the sea.

scholarly journals Plumage iridescence is associated with distinct feather microbiota in a tropical passerine

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Gvoždíková Javůrková ◽  
Erik D. Enbody ◽  
Jakub Kreisinger ◽  
Kryštof Chmel ◽  
Jakub Mrázek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Plumage Coloration ◽  
Microbial Load ◽  
Sexual Dichromatism ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Future Work

Abstract Birds present a stunning diversity of plumage colors that have long fascinated evolutionary ecologists. Although plumage coloration is often linked to sexual selection, it may impact a number of physiological processes, including microbial resistance. At present, the degree to which differences between pigment-based vs. structural plumage coloration may affect the feather microbiota remains unanswered. Using quantitative PCR and DGGE profiling, we investigated feather microbial load, diversity and community structure among two allopatric subspecies of White-shouldered Fairywren, Malurus alboscapulatus that vary in expression of melanin-based vs. structural plumage coloration. We found that microbial load tended to be lower and feather microbial diversity was significantly higher in the plumage of black iridescent males, compared to black matte females and brown individuals. Moreover, black iridescent males had distinct feather microbial communities compared to black matte females and brown individuals. We suggest that distinctive nanostructure properties of iridescent male feathers or different investment in preening influence feather microbiota community composition and load. This study is the first to point to structural plumage coloration as a factor that may significantly regulate feather microbiota. Future work might explore fitness consequences and the role of microorganisms in the evolution of avian sexual dichromatism, with particular reference to iridescence.

scholarly journals Characterization of bacterial communities of rhizosphere and rhizoplane of Early Zhukovsky potato

2020 ◽  
Vol 222 ◽  
pp. 02050
Author(s):  
Marat Lutfulin ◽  
Darya Zaripova ◽  
Oksana Moiseeva ◽  
Semen Vologin ◽  
Ayslu Mardanova
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Potato Root ◽  
Bacterial Microbiota ◽  
16S R Rna ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Dominant Bacteria

Identification of patterns of formation of bacterial communities of the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), the most important agricultural crop, is necessary for the introduction and maintenance of sustainable organic farming. The purpose of this work was the study of the biodiversity of the bacterial microbiota of the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of Early Zhukovsky potato, cultivated on gray forest soils. Comparative analysis based on sequencing of the 16S R RNA gene showed a significant difference in the representation of different groups of bacteria in these potato root compartments. Thus, the proportions of the dominant bacteria in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of the Proteobacteria phylum reach 47.66% ± 7.22 % and 86.35 % ± 0.53%, respectively (P < 0.05). In contrast, the representation of phylum Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in the rhizosphere is significantly higher and reaches 41.45 % ± 10.42% and 6.49 % ± 3.23%, respectively, compared to the rhizoplane (7.84 % ± 1.24 % and 0.43 % ± 0.48 %, (P < 0.05). At the same time, Actinobacteria phylum bacteria are present in both compartments in approximately equal amounts (4.40 % ± 1.81% in the rhizosphere and 5.37 % ± 1.42% in the rhizoplane). Thus, it was found that potato forms different bacterial communities in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane in quantitative proportions, which is probably determined by the functional role of these microorganisms in the plant physiology.

scholarly journals Concord begets concord: A Bayesian model of nominal concord typology

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 541
Author(s):  
Kyle Mahowald ◽  
Dan Jurafsky ◽  
Mark Norris
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Model ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Mixed Effect Model ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Effect Model ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Number Case

Nominal concord is a phenomenon whereby nominal modifiers (e.g., adjectives, demonstratives, numerals) agree with their nominals along various dimensions (e.g., gender, number, case, definiteness). Here, drawing on a rich and typologically diverse database of nominal concord (Norris 2020), we build a Bayesian mixed effect model of nominal concord. Specifically, we consider two competing hypotheses regarding the statistical relationship between different types of concord within a language: (1) concord begets concord: the presence of some type of concord in a language makes it more likely that it has other types of concord vs. (2) a little concord goes a long way: if a language has some kind of concord, it is less likely to have other types of concord. We present evidence strongly in favor of the first hypothesis, that concord begets concord. Languages with nominal concord tend to have concord in more than one place and of more than one type. Using posterior draws from our model, we also provide quantitative evidence for a number of the tendencies described by Norris (2019a). Future work will build on this model to understand the functional role of nominal concord in language systems, how it evolves, and how it co-evolves with other typological features.

scholarly journals Host dietary specialization and neutral assembly shape gut bacterial communities of wild dragonflies

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rittik Deb ◽  
Ashwin Nair ◽  
Deepa Agashe
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Dietary Specialization ◽  
Wild Host ◽  
Dragonfly Species

ABSTRACTHost-associated gut microbial communities can have large impacts on host ecology and evolution, and are typically shaped by host taxonomy and diet. Different host species often harbor distinct microbial communities, potentially because (1) host dietary specialization determines microbial colonization, (2) host-specific selection acts on diet-acquired microbiota, and (3) a combination of both processes. While the first possibility involves passive community structuring, the other two may arise from a functional association and should produce stable microbial communities. However, these alternatives have rarely been tested in wild host populations. We used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to characterize the gut bacterial communities of six dragonfly species collected across multiple seasons and locations. We found that variation in bacterial community composition was predominantly explained by sampling season and location, and secondarily by host species. To distinguish the role of host dietary specialization and host-imposed selection, we used insect-specific primers to identify prey in the gut contents of three focal dragonfly species. We found that these dragonflies – considered to be generalist predators – consumed distinct prey, with seasonal diet variation. Together, the patterns of host dietary specialization and spatial and temporal variation suggest a strong role of passive processes in shaping the gut bacterial community. Indeed, the abundance and distribution of ~76% of the bacterial community members were consistent with neutral community assembly. Our results contradict the pervasive expectation that host-imposed selection shapes gut microbial communities, and highlight the importance of joint analyses of variation in host diet and gut microbial communities of natural host populations.

scholarly journals Hand bacterial communities vary across two different human populations

Microbiology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 160 (6) ◽  
pp. 1144-1152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denina Hospodsky ◽  
Amy J. Pickering ◽  
Timothy R. Julian ◽  
Dana Miller ◽  
Sisira Gorthala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Bacterial Population ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Distinct Group ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Skin Microbiome ◽  
Associated Bacteria ◽  
European Populations

This study utilized pyrosequencing-based phylogenetic library results to assess bacterial communities on the hands of women in Tanzania and compared these communities with bacteria assemblages on the hands of US women. Bacterial population profiles and phylogenetically based ordinate analysis demonstrated that the bacterial communities on hands were more similar for selected populations within a country than between the two countries considered. Organisms that have commonly been identified in prior human skin microbiome studies, including members of the Propionibacteriaceae, Staphylococcaceae and Streptococceacea families, were highly abundant on US hands and drove the clustering of US hand microbial communities into a distinct group. The most abundant bacterial taxa on Tanzanian hands were the soil-associated Rhodobacteraceae and Nocardioidaceae. These results help to expand human microbiome results beyond US and European populations, and the identification and abundance of soil-associated bacteria on Tanzanian hands demonstrated the important role of the environment in shaping the microbial communities on human hands.

Intrinsic neuromodulation in the Tritonia swim CPG: serotonin mediates both neuromodulation and neurotransmission by the dorsal swim interneurons

1995 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 2281-2294 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. S. Katz ◽  
W. N. Frost
Keyword(s):  
Serotonin Receptors ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Pattern Generator ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential ◽  
Postsynaptic Potential ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Dorsal Flexion

1. Neuromodulation has previously been shown to be intrinsic to the central pattern generator (CPG) circuit that generates the escape swim of the nudibranch mollusk Tritonia diomedea; the dorsal swim interneurons (DSIs) make conventional monosynaptic connections and evoke neuromodulatory effects within the swim motor circuit. The conventional synaptic potentials evoked by a DSI onto cerebral neuron 2 (C2) and onto the dorsal flexion neurons (DFNs) consist of a fast excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) followed by a prolonged slow EPSP. In their neuromodulatory role, the DSIs produce an enhancement of the monosynaptic connections made by C2 onto other CPG circuit interneurons and onto efferent flexion neurons. Previous work showed that the DSIs are immunoreactive for serotonin. Here we provide evidence that both the neurotransmission and the neuromodulation evoked by the DSIs are produced by serotonin, and that these effects may be pharmacologically separable. 2. Previously it was shown that bath-applied serotonin both mimics and occludes the modulation of the C2 synapses by the DSIs. Here we find that pressure-applied puffs of serotonin mimic both the fast and slow EPSPs evoked by a DSI onto a DFN, whereas high concentrations of bath-applied serotonin occlude both of these synaptic components. 3. Consistent with the hypothesis that serotonin mediates the actions of the DSIs, the serotonin reuptake inhibitor imipramine prolongs the duration of the fast DSI-DFN EPSP, increases the amplitude of the slow DSI-DFN EPSP, and increases both the amplitude and duration of the modulation of the C2-DFN synapse by the DSIs. 4.Two serotonergic antagonists were found that block the actions of the DSIs. Gramine blocks the fast DSI-DFN EPSP, and has far less of an effect on the slow EPSP and the modulation. Gramine also diminishes the depolarization evoked by pressure-applied serotonin, showing that it is a serotonin antagonist in this system. In contrast, methysergide greatly reduces both the slow EPSP and the modulation evoked by the DSIs, but has mixed effects on the fast EPSP. Methysergide also blocks the ability of exogenous serotonin to enhance the C2-DFN EPSP, demonstrating that it antagonizes the serotonin receptors responsible for this modulation. 5. Taken together with previous work, these results indicate that serotonin is likely to be responsible for all three actions of the DSIs that were examined: the fast and slow DSI-DFN EPSPs and the neuromodulation of the C2-DFN synapse. These results also indicate that the conventional and neuromodulatory effects of the DSIs may be pharmacologically separable. In future work it may be possible to determine the functional role of each in the swim circuit.

scholarly journals Where microorganisms meet rocks in the Earth's Critical Zone

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 2523-2562 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Akob ◽  
K. Küsel
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Critical Zone ◽  
Deep Subsurface ◽  
Role Changes ◽  
And Function ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Earth’S Critical Zone

Abstract. The Earth's Critical Zone (CZ) is the critical, outer shell of the Earth that provides an arena for the interplay of diverse physical, chemical, and biological processes that are fundamental for sustaining life. As microbes are the principle drivers of biogeochemical cycles, it is necessary to understand the biodiversity of the CZ unseen majority and their impact on life-sustaining processes. This review aims to summarize the factors controlling where microbes (prokaryotes and micro-eukaryotes) live within the CZ and what is known to date about their diversity and function. Microbes live in all regions of the CZ down to 5 km depth, but due to changing habitat complexity, e.g., variability in pore spaces, water, oxygen, and nutrients, their functional role changes with depth. The abundance of prokaryotes and micro-eukaryotes decreases from a maximum of 1010 or 107 cells g soil−1 up to eight orders of magnitude with depth. Symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi and free-living decomposers are best understood in soil habitats, where they are up to 103 cells g soil−1. However, little is known about their identity and impact on weathering in the deep subsurface. The relatively low abundance of micro-eukaryotes in the deep subsurface suggests that these organisms are either limited in space or nutrients or unable to cope with oxygen limitations. Since deep regions of the CZ are limited in the recent input of photosynthesis-derived carbon, microbes are dependent on deposited organic material or on chemolithoautotrophic metabolism that allows for the establishment of a complete food chain independent from the surface. However, the energy flux available might only allow cell growth over tens to thousands of years. The recent development of "omics" technologies has provided microbial ecologists with methods to link the composition and function of in situ microbial communities. We should expect new metabolic discoveries as we have a closer look utilizing a polyphasic approach into the microbial communities of the CZ. Thus, future work is still needed to link microbial biodiversity to the exact role of microbes in weathering and geochemical cycling in the CZ, especially in subsurface habitats.

scholarly journals Floral organs act as environmental filters and interact with pollinators to structure the yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus) floral microbiome

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Rebolleda Gómez ◽  
Tia-Lynn Ashman
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Mimulus Guttatus ◽  
Environmental Filters ◽  
Floral Organs ◽  
Environmental Selection ◽  
Plant Pollinator

AbstractAssembly of microbial communities is the result of neutral and selective processes. However, the relative importance of these processes is still debated. Microbial communities of flowers, in particular, have gained recent attention because of their potential impact to plant fitness and plant-pollinator interactions. However, the role of selection and dispersal in the assembly of these communities remains poorly understood. We evaluated the role of pollinator-mediated dispersal on the contribution of neutral and selective processes in the assembly of floral microbiomes of the yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus). We sampled floral organs from flowers in the presence and absence of pollinators within five different serpentine seeps in CA and obtained 16S amplicon data on the epiphytic bacterial communities. Consistent with strong micro-environment selection within flowers we observed significant differences in community composition across floral organs and only a small effect of geographic distance. Pollinator exposure affected the contribution of environmental selection and depended on the rate and “intimacy” of interactions with flower visitors. This study provides evidence of the importance of dispersal and within-flower heterogeneity in shaping epiphytic bacterial communities of flowers, and highlights the complex interplay between pollinator behavior, environmental selection and additional abiotic factors in shaping the epiphytic bacterial communities of flowers.

scholarly journals A core microbiota of the plant-earthworm interaction conserved across soils

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Jacquiod ◽  
Ruben Puga-Freitas ◽  
Aymé Spor ◽  
Arnaud Mounier ◽  
Cécile Monard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Core Network ◽  
Core Microbiota ◽  
Soil Bacterial Communities ◽  
Community Theory ◽  
Source Sink ◽  
New Framework ◽  
Endogeic Earthworms

AbstractMicroorganisms participate in most crucial soil functions and services benefiting human activities, such as biogeochemical cycles, bioremediation and food production. Their activity happens essentially in hotspots created by major soil macroorganisms, like rhizosphere and cast shaped by plants and earthworms respectively1. While effects of individual macroorganism on soil microbes are documented, no studies attempted to decipher how the mosaic of microhabitats built by multiple macroorganisms and their interaction determine the structure of microbial communities. Here we show a joint shaping of soil bacterial communities by these two macroorganisms, with a prevalent role of plants over earthworms. In a controlled microcosm experiment with three contrasted soils and meticulous microhabitat sampling, we found that the simultaneous presence of barley and endogeic earthworms resulted in non-additive effects on cast and rhizosphere bacterial communities. Using a source-sink approach derived from the meta-community theory2,3, we found specific cast and rhizospherecore microbiota4,5of the plant-eartworm interaction, detected in all soils only when both macroorganisms are present. We also evidenced acore networkof the plant-earthworm interaction, with cosmopolitan OTUs correlated both in cast and rhizosphere of all soils. Our study provides a new framework to explore aboveground-belowground interactions through the prism of microbial communities. This multiple-macroorganisms shaping of bacterial communities also affects fungi and archaea, while being strongly influenced by soil type. Further functional investigations are needed to understand how thesecore microbiotaandcore networkcontribute to the modulation of plant adaptive response to local abiotic and biotic conditions.

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