scholarly journals The Potential Role of Marine Fungi in Plastic Degradation – A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emna Zeghal ◽  
Annika Vaksmaa ◽  
Hortense Vielfaure ◽  
Teun Boekhout ◽  
Helge Niemann
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Marine Fungi ◽  
Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Microbial Colonization ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Marine Realm ◽  
Plastic Degradation ◽  
Marine Plastic Debris

Plastic debris has been accumulating in the marine realm since the start of plastic mass production in the 1950s. Due to the adverse effects on ocean life, the fate of plastics in the marine environment is an increasingly important environmental issue. Microbial degradation, in addition to weathering, has been identified as a potentially relevant breakdown route for marine plastic debris. Although many studies have focused on microbial colonization and the potential role of microorganisms in breaking down marine plastic debris, little is known about fungi-plastic interactions. Marine fungi are a generally understudied group of microorganisms but the ability of terrestrial and lacustrine fungal taxa to metabolize recalcitrant compounds, pollutants, and some plastic types (e.g., lignin, solvents, pesticides, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, polyurethane, and polyethylene) indicates that marine fungi could be important degraders of complex organic matter in the marine realm, too. Indeed, recent studies demonstrated that some fungal strains from the ocean, such as Zalerion maritimum have the ability to degrade polyethylene. This mini-review summarizes the available information on plastic-fungi interactions in marine environments. We address (i) the currently known diversity of fungi colonizing marine plastic debris and provide (ii) an overview of methods applied to investigate the role of fungi in plastic degradation, highlighting their advantages and drawbacks. We also highlight (iii) the underestimated role of fungi as plastic degraders in marine habitats.

scholarly journals Major Role of Surrounding Environment in Shaping Biofilm Community Composition on Marine Plastic Debris

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Basili ◽  
Grazia Marina Quero ◽  
Donato Giovannelli ◽  
Elena Manini ◽  
Carla Vignaroli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Surrounding Environment ◽  
Biofilm Community ◽  
Marine Plastic Debris

Effects of sulfur on arsenic accumulation in seedlings of the mangrove Aegiceras conrniculatum

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guirong Wu ◽  
Haoliang Lu ◽  
Jingchun Liu ◽  
Chongling Yan
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Relative Concentration ◽  
Mangrove Forests ◽  
Arsenic Accumulation ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Anaerobic Soils ◽  
Mangrove Seedlings ◽  
High Concentrations

Levels of arsenic (As) contamination are generally increasing in the sediments of mangrove forests, which represent some of the world’s most threatened marine habitats. The highly anaerobic soils of these important coastal ecosystems are sulfide-rich, yet the potential role of sulfur (S) in the accumulation of As within mangrove tissues is poorly understood. To investigate those dynamics, the present study evaluated the effect of supplemental S on the accumulation of As in mangrove (Aegiceras conrniculatum L.) seedlings. We applied treatments in a 4 × 4 completely randomised factorial design that consisted of four S concentrations (0, 1, 2 and 4 g kg–1, in the form of S monomer) combined with four As concentrations (0, 30, 60 and 150 mg kg–1, in the form of Na2HAsO4·7H2O). Three replicates of each treatment combination were conducted. The experiment demonstrated that the effect of S was inversely related to As accumulation in the seedlings; it enhanced As accumulation when applied at low concentrations, and decreased its accumulation when applied at high concentrations. Moreover, supplying S altered the relative concentration of the different forms of As in seedlings, namely As (V) and As (III), and significantly decreased their concentration in roots (P < 0.01). Taken together, our results suggest that the addition of exiguous S can mitigate the toxicity of As to mangrove seedlings, which has implications for the remediation of polluted coastal areas that are vegetated with mangrove forests.

scholarly journals On the phenology of protists: Recurrent patterns reveal seasonal variation of protistan (Rhizaria: Cercozoa, Endomyxa) communities in tree canopies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Walden ◽  
Robin-Tobias Jauss ◽  
Kai Feng ◽  
Anna Maria Fiore-Donno ◽  
Kenneth Dumack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Microbial Colonization ◽  
Specific Primers ◽  
Phenological Changes ◽  
Tree Canopies ◽  
Microclimatic Conditions ◽  
Recurrent Patterns

AbstractTree canopies are colonized by billions of highly specialized microorganisms that are well adapted to the extreme microclimatic conditions, caused by diurnal fluctuations and seasonal changes. In this study we investigated seasonality patterns of protists in tree canopies of a temperate floodplain forest via high-throughput sequencing with group-specific primers for the phyla Cercozoa and Endomyxa. We observed consistent seasonality and identified divergent spring and autumn taxa. Tree crowns were characterized by a dominance of bacterivores and omnivores, while eukaryvores gained a distinctly larger share in litter and soil communities on the ground. Seasonality was largest among communities detected on the foliar surface. Higher variance within alpha diversity of foliar communities in spring indicated greater heterogeneity during community assembly. However, communities underwent distinct changes during the aging of leaves in autumn, reflecting recurring phenological changes during microbial colonization of leaves. Surprisingly, endomyxan root pathogens appeared to be exceptionally abundant across tree canopies during autumn season, demonstrating a potential role of the canopy surface as an important reservoir for wind-dispersed propagules. Overall, about 80% of detected OTUs could not be assigned to known species – representing only a fraction of dozens of microeukaryotic taxa whose canopy inhabitants are waiting to be discovered.

scholarly journals Biotic Resistance Against Invasive Macroalgae: The Role of Omnivorous Sparid Fishes in the Herbivory on Caulerpa Cylindracea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Santamaría ◽  
Fiona Tomas ◽  
Enric Ballesteros ◽  
Emma Cebrian
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Biotic Resistance ◽  
Sea Bream ◽  
Main Food ◽  
Omnivorous Fish ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Invasive Alga

Abstract Herbivory has long been considered an important component of biotic resistance against macroalgae invasions in marine habitats. However, most of the studies on herbivory of invasive algae refer only to consumption by strictly herbivorous organisms, whereas consumption by omnivorous organisms has been largely ignored and rarely quantified. In this study, we assess whether the commonest omnivorous sparid species in the Mediterranean Sea are consuming the highly invasive alga, Caulerpa cylindracea, and determine its importance in their diet and their electivity towards it as a source of food. Our results confirm that three of the four fish species we studied do, in fact, consume C. cylindracea, but in most cases, the importance of C. cylindracea in the diet was low. Indeed, the low electivity values confirm that all four fish species avoid feeding on the invasive alga and that it is probably consumed accidentally. However, despite animals and detritus being the main food for these sea bream species, several individual specimens were found to have consumed high amounts of C. cylindracea. This suggests a potential role that these fish species may play in controlling, to some extent, the abundance of the invader. We suggest that herbivory by omnivorous fish might complement the higher impact exerted by the strict herbivores, and together, they might contribute to the overall biotic resistance against the invader.

scholarly journals Marine Plastic Debris: A New Surface for Microbial Colonization

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (19) ◽  
pp. 11657-11672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn J. Wright ◽  
Gabriel Erni-Cassola ◽  
Vinko Zadjelovic ◽  
Mira Latva ◽  
Joseph A. Christie-Oleza
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Colonization ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Marine Plastic Debris

scholarly journals Herbivory on the Invasive Alga Caulerpa cylindracea: The Role of Omnivorous Fishes

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Santamaría ◽  
Fiona Tomas ◽  
Enric Ballesteros ◽  
Emma Cebrian
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Biotic Resistance ◽  
Main Food ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Species Being ◽  
Rocky Bottoms ◽  
Invasive Alga

Herbivory has long been considered an important component of biotic resistance against macroalgae invasions in marine habitats. However, most of the studies on herbivory of invasive algae refer only to consumption by strictly herbivorous organisms, whereas consumption by omnivorous species has been largely ignored and rarely quantified. In this study, we assess whether the commonest omnivorous sparid species in the Mediterranean Sea are consuming the highly invasive alga, Caulerpa cylindracea, and determine both, its importance in their diet and their electivity toward it as a source of food. Our results confirm that three of the four fish species studied regularly consume C. cylindracea, but in most cases, the importance of C. cylindracea in the diet is low. Indeed, the low electivity values indicate that all species avoid feeding on the invasive alga and that it is probably consumed accidentally. However, despite animals and detritus being the main food for these sparid species, several individual specimens were found to have consumed high amounts of C. cylindracea. This suggests a potential role that these fish species, being really abundant in shallow rocky bottoms, may play in controlling, to some extent, the abundance of the invader.

POPDC proteins and cardiac function

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 1393-1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Brand
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Striated Muscle ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Muscle Disease ◽  
Disease Genes ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction ◽  
Interaction Partners ◽  
And Function

Abstract The Popeye domain-containing gene family encodes a novel class of cAMP effector proteins in striated muscle tissue. In this short review, we first introduce the protein family and discuss their structure and function with an emphasis on their role in cyclic AMP signalling. Another focus of this review is the recently discovered role of POPDC genes as striated muscle disease genes, which have been associated with cardiac arrhythmia and muscular dystrophy. The pathological phenotypes observed in patients will be compared with phenotypes present in null and knockin mutations in zebrafish and mouse. A number of protein–protein interaction partners have been discovered and the potential role of POPDC proteins to control the subcellular localization and function of these interacting proteins will be discussed. Finally, we outline several areas, where research is urgently needed.

The Effect of Path Length and Display Size on Memory for Spatial Information

2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Guérard ◽  
Sébastien Tremblay
Keyword(s):  
Path Length ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Recall Performance ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Length Effect ◽  
Serial Memory ◽  
Fixed Reference ◽  
A Minor

In serial memory for spatial information, some studies showed that recall performance suffers when the distance between successive locations increases relatively to the size of the display in which they are presented (the path length effect; e.g., Parmentier et al., 2005) but not when distance is increased by enlarging the size of the display (e.g., Smyth & Scholey, 1994). In the present study, we examined the effect of varying the absolute and relative distance between to-be-remembered items on memory for spatial information. We manipulated path length using small (15″) and large (64″) screens within the same design. In two experiments, we showed that distance was disruptive mainly when it is varied relatively to a fixed reference frame, though increasing the size of the display also had a small deleterious effect on recall. The insertion of a retention interval did not influence these effects, suggesting that rehearsal plays a minor role in mediating the effects of distance on serial spatial memory. We discuss the potential role of perceptual organization in light of the pattern of results.

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