scholarly journals Discordant Temporal Turnovers of Sediment Bacterial and Eukaryotic Communities in Response to Dredging: Nonresilience and Functional Changes

2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Zhang ◽  
Xian Xiao ◽  
Meng Pei ◽  
Xiang Liu ◽  
Yuting Liang

ABSTRACT To study the stability and succession of sediment microbial and macrobenthic communities in response to anthropogenic disturbance, a time-series sampling was conducted before, during, and 1 year after dredging in the Guan River in Changzhou, China, which was performed with cutter suction dredgers from 10 April to 20 May 2014. The microbial communities were analyzed by sequencing bacterial 16S rRNA and eukaryotic 18S rRNA gene amplicons with Illumina MiSeq, and the macrobenthic community was identified using a morphological approach simultaneously. The results indicated that dredging disturbance significantly altered the composition and structures of sediment communities. The succession rates of communities were estimated by comparing the slopes of time-decay relationships. The temporal turnover of microeukaryotes (w = 0.3251, P < 0.001 [where w is a measure of the rate of log(species turnover) across log(time)]) was the highest, followed by that of bacteria (w = 0.2450, P < 0.001), and then macrobenthos (w = 0.1273, P < 0.001). During dredging, the alpha diversities of both bacterial and microeukaryotic communities were more resistant, but their beta diversities were less resistant than that of macrobenthos. After recovery for 1 year, all three sediment communities were not resilient and had reached an alternative state. The alterations in sediment community structure and stability resulted in functional changes in nitrogen and carbon cycling in sediments. Sediment pH, dissolved oxygen, redox potential, and temperature were the most important factors influencing the stability of sediment communities and ecosystem multifunctionality. This study suggests that discordant temporal turnovers and nonresilience of sediment communities under dredging resulted in functional changes, which are important for predicting sediment ecosystem functions under anthropogenic disturbances. IMPORTANCE Understanding the temporal turnover and stability of biotic communities is crucial for predicting the responses of sediment ecosystems to dredging disturbance. Most studies to date focused on the bacterial or macrobenthic community, only at two discontinuous time points, before and after dredging, and hence, it was difficult to analyze the community succession. This study first compared the stabilities and temporal changes of sediment bacterial, microeukaryotic, and macrobenthic communities at a continuous time course. The results showed that discordant responses of the three communities are mainly related to their different biological inherent attributes, and sensitivities to sediment geochemical variables change with dredging, resulting in changes in sediment ecosystem multifunctionality.

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1694) ◽  
pp. 20150269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago Soliveres ◽  
Peter Manning ◽  
Daniel Prati ◽  
Martin M. Gossner ◽  
Fabian Alt ◽  
...  

Species diversity promotes the delivery of multiple ecosystem functions (multifunctionality). However, the relative functional importance of rare and common species in driving the biodiversity–multifunctionality relationship remains unknown. We studied the relationship between the diversity of rare and common species (according to their local abundances and across nine different trophic groups), and multifunctionality indices derived from 14 ecosystem functions on 150 grasslands across a land-use intensity (LUI) gradient. The diversity of above- and below-ground rare species had opposite effects, with rare above-ground species being associated with high levels of multifunctionality, probably because their effects on different functions did not trade off against each other. Conversely, common species were only related to average, not high, levels of multifunctionality, and their functional effects declined with LUI. Apart from the community-level effects of diversity, we found significant positive associations between the abundance of individual species and multifunctionality in 6% of the species tested. Species-specific functional effects were best predicted by their response to LUI: species that declined in abundance with land use intensification were those associated with higher levels of multifunctionality. Our results highlight the importance of rare species for ecosystem multifunctionality and help guiding future conservation priorities.


2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (1) ◽  
pp. H244-H249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan A. Trueblood ◽  
Patrick R. Inscore ◽  
Daniel Brenner ◽  
Daniel Lugassy ◽  
Carl S. Apstein ◽  
...  

After myocardial infarction (MI), there is progressive left ventricular (LV) remodeling and impaired exercise capacity. We tested the hypothesis that LV remodeling results in structural and functional changes that determine exercise impairment post-MI. Rats underwent coronary artery ligation ( n = 12) or sham ( n = 11) surgery followed by serial exercise tests and echocardiography for 16 wk post-MI. LV pressure-volume relationships were determined using a blood-perfused Langendorff preparation. Exercise capacity was 60% of shams immediately post-MI ( P < 0.05) followed by a recovery to near normal during weeks 5– 8. Thereafter, there was a progressive decline in exercise capacity to ±40% of shams ( P < 0.01). At both 8 and 16 wk post-MI, fractional shortening (FS) was reduced and end-diastolic diameter (EDD) was increased ( P < 0.01). However, neither FS nor EDD correlated with exercise at 8 or 16 wk ( r2 < 0.12, P > 0.30). LV septal wall thickness was increased at both 8 ( P = 0.17 vs. shams) and 16 wk ( P = 0.035 vs. shams) post-MI and correlated with exercise at both times ( r2 ≥ 0.50 and P ≤ 0.02 at 8 and 16 wk). Neither end-diastolic volume nor maximum LV developed pressure at 16 wk correlated with exercise capacity. Exercise capacity follows a biphasic time course post-MI. An immediate decrease is followed by an early recovery phase that is associated with compensatory LV hypertrophy. Subsequently, there is a progressive decrease in exercise capacity that is independent of further changes in LV volume or contractile function.


Folia Medica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-399
Author(s):  
Ali Javadi ◽  
Mohamad Reza Pourmand ◽  
Javad Hamedi ◽  
Fatemeh Gharebaghi ◽  
Zohre Baseri ◽  
...  

Introduction: Bacterial natural products such as biosurfactants and surface-active agents are important compounds which exhibit many applications in the &#64257;elds of medicine.Aim: The aim of the present study was to isolate and identify Nocardia strains with high biosurfactant production and antibiofilm ability.Materials and methods: In the present study, a biosurfactant producing Nocardia species was isolated and identi&#64257;ed by a laboratory method. Nocardia species were initially screened and then tested for their ability to produce biosurfactant. The oil spreading test and the surface tension measurements showed that one strain was a biosurfactant producer. The strain with the best surface activity results was selected for further studies and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and compositional analysis proved a biosurfactant structure.Results: Oil spreading test and blue agar plate test confirmed biosurfactants and extracellular anionic glycolipids. E24% assay using olive oil revealed strong emulsifying characteristic of the extracted biosurfactant with 100% emulsifying strength. FTIR spectrum indicated the presence of aliphatic hydrocarbon chain (lipid) along with the polysaccharide portion, confirming the glycolipid nature of the biosurfactant. The stability of the biosurfactant produced in different conditions was significant. Increasing concentration of BS significantly inhibited Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm.Conclusions: N. coubleae can be a representative of the genus Nocardia for the production of biosurfactants with beneficial physicochemical properties.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia U. Mason ◽  
Patrick Chanton ◽  
Loren N. Knobbe ◽  
Julian Zaugg ◽  
Behzad Mortazavi

AbstractCoastal salt marshes are some of the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing numerous services such as soil carbon storage, flood protection and nutrient filtering, several of which are mediated by the sediment microbiome associated with marsh vegetation. Here, nutrient filtering (nitrate removal through denitrification) was examined by determining microbial community structure (16S rRNA gene iTag sequencing), diversity, denitrification rates and metabolic potential (assembled metagenomic sequences) in collocated patches of Spartina alterniflora (Spartina) and Juncus roemerianus (Juncus) sediments. The iTag data showed that diversity and richness in Spartina and Juncus sediment microbial communities were highly similar. However, microbial community evenness differed significantly, with the most even communities observed in Juncus sediments. Further, denitrification rates were significantly higher in Juncus compared to Spartina, suggesting oscillations in microbial abundances and in particular the core microbiome identified herein, along with plant diversity influence marsh nitrogen (N) removal. Amplicon and assembled metagenome sequences pointed to a potentially important, yet unappreciated Planctomycetes role in N removal in the salt marsh. Thus, perturbations, such as sea-level rise, that can alter marsh vegetation distribution could impact microbial diversity and may ultimately influence the ecologically important ecosystem functions the marsh sediment microbiome provides.


Author(s):  
Ravichandra Vemuri ◽  
Chrissy Sherrill ◽  
Matthew A Davis ◽  
Kylie Kavanagh

Abstract Age-related changes in gut microbiome impact host health. The interactive relationship between the microbiome and physiological systems in an aged body system remains to be clearly defined, particularly in the context of inflammation. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate systemic inflammation, microbial translocation (MT), and differences between fecal and mucosal microbiomes. Ascending colon mucosal biopsies, fecal samples, and blood samples from healthy young and old female vervet monkeys were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing, MT, and cytokine analyses, respectively. To demonstrate microbial co-occurrence patterns, we used Kendall’s tau correlation measure of interactions between microbes. We found elevated levels of plasma LBP-1, MCP-1, and CRP in old monkeys, indicative of higher MT and systemic inflammation. Microbiome analysis revealed significant differences specific to age. At the phylum level, abundances of pathobionts such as Proteobacteria were increased in the mucosa of old monkeys. At the family level, Helicobacteriaceae was highly abundant in mucosal samples (old); in contrast, Ruminococcaceae were higher in the fecal samples of old monkeys. We found significantly lower Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio and lower abundance of butyrate-producing microbes in old monkeys, consistent with less healthy profiles. Microbial community co-occurrence analysis on mucosal samples revealed 13 nodes and 41 associations in the young monkeys, but only 12 nodes and 21 associations in the old monkeys. Our findings provide novel insights into systemic inflammation and gut microbial interactions, highlight the importance of the mucosal niche, and facilitate further understanding of the decline in the stability of the microbial community with aging.


mSystems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mao-Ke Liu ◽  
Yu-Ming Tang ◽  
Xiao-Jiao Guo ◽  
Ke Zhao ◽  
Petri Penttinen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The Chinese alcoholic beverage strong-flavor baijiu (SFB) gets its characteristic flavor during fermentation in cellars lined with pit mud. Microbes in the pit mud produce key precursors of flavor esters. The maturation time of natural pit mud of over 20 years has promoted attempts to produce artificial pit mud (APM) with a shorter maturation time. However, knowledge about the molecular basis of APM microbial dynamics and associated functional variation during SFB brewing is limited, and the role of this variability in high-quality SFB production remains poorly understood. We studied APM maturation in new cellars until the fourth brewing batch using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, quantitative PCR, metaproteomics, and metabolomics techniques. A total of 36 prokaryotic classes and 195 genera were detected. Bacilli and Clostridia dominated consistently, and the relative abundance of Bacilli decreased along with the APM maturation. Even though both amplicon sequencing and quantitative PCR showed increased abundance of Clostridia, the levels of most of the Clostridium proteins were similar in both the first- and fourth-batch APM samples. Six genera correlated with eight or more major flavor compounds in SFB samples. Functional prediction suggested that the prokaryotic communities in the fourth-batch APM samples were actively engaged in organic acid metabolism, and the detected higher concentrations of proteins and metabolites in the corresponding metabolic pathways supported the prediction. This multi-omics approach captured changes in the abundances of specific microbial species, proteins, and metabolites during APM maturation, which are of great significance for the optimization of APM culture technique. IMPORTANCE Strong-flavor baijiu (SFB) accounts for more than 70% of all Chinese liquor production. In the Chinese baijiu brewing industry, artificial pit mud (APM) has been widely used since the 1960s to construct fermentation cellars for production of high-quality SFB. To gain insights at the systems level into the mechanisms driving APM prokaryotic taxonomic and functional dynamics and into how this variation is connected with high-quality SFB production, we performed the first combined metagenomic, metaproteomic, and metabolomic analyses of this brewing microecosystem. Together, the multi-omics approach enabled us to develop a more complete picture of the changing metabolic processes occurring in APM microbial communities during high-quality SFB production, which will be helpful for further optimization of APM culture technique and improvement of SFB quality.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Weigang Hu ◽  
Jinzhi Ran ◽  
Longwei Dong ◽  
Qiajun Du ◽  
Mingfei Ji ◽  
...  

AbstractRelationships between biodiversity and multiple ecosystem functions (that is, ecosystem multifunctionality) are context-dependent. Both plant and soil microbial diversity have been reported to regulate ecosystem multifunctionality, but how their relative importance varies along environmental gradients remains poorly understood. Here, we relate plant and microbial diversity to soil multifunctionality across 130 dryland sites along a 4,000 km aridity gradient in northern China. Our results show a strong positive association between plant species richness and soil multifunctionality in less arid regions, whereas microbial diversity, in particular of fungi, is positively associated with multifunctionality in more arid regions. This shift in the relationships between plant or microbial diversity and soil multifunctionality occur at an aridity level of ∼0.8, the boundary between semiarid and arid climates, which is predicted to advance geographically ∼28% by the end of the current century. Our study highlights that biodiversity loss of plants and soil microorganisms may have especially strong consequences under low and high aridity conditions, respectively, which calls for climate-specific biodiversity conservation strategies to mitigate the effects of aridification.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1853
Author(s):  
Christian K. Tipsmark ◽  
Andreas M. Nielsen ◽  
Maryline C. Bossus ◽  
Laura V. Ellis ◽  
Christina Baun ◽  
...  

When euryhaline fish move between fresh water (FW) and seawater (SW), the intestine undergoes functional changes to handle imbibed SW. In Japanese medaka, the potential transcellular aquaporin-mediated conduits for water are paradoxically downregulated during SW acclimation, suggesting paracellular transport to be of principal importance in hyperosmotic conditions. In mammals, intestinal claudin-15 (CLDN15) forms paracellular channels for small cations and water, which may participate in water transport. Since two cldn15 paralogs, cldn15a and cldn15b, have previously been identified in medaka, we examined the salinity effects on their mRNA expression and immunolocalization in the intestine. In addition, we analyzed the drinking rate and intestinal water handling by adding non-absorbable radiotracers, 51-Cr-EDTA or 99-Tc-DTPA, to the water. The drinking rate was >2-fold higher in SW than FW-acclimated fish, and radiotracer experiments showed anterior accumulation in FW and posterior buildup in SW intestines. Salinity had no effect on expression of cldn15a, while cldn15b was approximately 100-fold higher in FW than SW. Despite differences in transcript dynamics, Cldn15a and Cldn15b proteins were both similarly localized in the apical tight junctions of enterocytes, co-localizing with occludin and with no apparent difference in localization and abundance between FW and SW. The stability of the Cldn15 protein suggests a physiological role in water transport in the medaka intestine.


2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 1061-1067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura B Regassa ◽  
Kimberly M Stewart ◽  
April C Murphy ◽  
Frank E French ◽  
Tao Lin ◽  
...  

Spiroplasma species (Mollicutes: Spiroplasmataceae) are associated with a wide variety of insects, and serology has classified this genus into 34 groups, 3 with subgroups. The 16S rRNA gene has been used for phylogenetic analysis of spiroplasmas, but this approach is uninformative for group VIII because the serologically distinct subgroups generally have similarity coefficients >0.990. Therefore, we investigated the utility of the 16S–23S rRNA spacer region as a means to differentiate closely related subgroups or strains. We generated intergenic sequences and detailed serological profiles for 8 group VIII Spiroplasma strains. Sequence analyses using Maximum Parsimony, Neighbor Joining, and Maximum Likelihood placed the strains into 2 clades. One clade consisted of strains BARC 2649 and GSU5367. The other clade was divided into clusters containing representatives of the 3 designated group VIII subgroups (EA-1, DF-1, and TAAS-1) and 3 previously unclassified strains. The stability of the positions of the strains in various analytical models and the ability to provide robust support for groupings tentatively supported by serology indicates that the 16S–23S intergenic rDNA sequence will prove useful in intragroup analysis of group VIII spiroplasmas.Key words: Mollicutes, Spiroplasma, phylogeny, Tabanidae.


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