Origin of volatile organic compound emissions from subarctic tundra under global warming

Warming occurs in the Arctic twice as fast as the global average, which in turn leads to a large enhancement in terpenoid emissions from vegetation. Volatile terpenoids are the main class of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that play crucial roles in atmospheric chemistry and climate. However, the biochemical mechanisms behind the temperature-dependent increase in VOC emissions from subarctic ecosystems are largely unexplored. Using ¹³ CO₂ -labeling, we studied the origin of VOCs and the carbon (C) allocation under global warming in the soil-plant-atmosphere system of contrasting subarctic heath tundra vegetation communities characterized by dwarf shrubs of the genera Salix or Betula. The projected temperature rise of the subarctic summer by 5°C was realistically simulated in sophisticated climate chambers. VOC emissions strongly depended on the plant species composition of the heath tundra. Warming caused increased VOC emissions and significant changes in the pattern of volatiles toward more reactive hydrocarbons. The ¹³ C was incorporated to varying degrees in different monoterpene and sesquiterpene isomers. We found that de novo monoterpene biosynthesis contributed to 40%-44% (Salix) and 60%-68% (Betula) of total monoterpene emissions under the current climate, and that warming increased the contribution to 50%-58% (Salix) and 87%-95% (Betula). Analyses of above- and belowground ^12/13 C showed shifts of C allocation in the plant-soil systems and negative effects of warming on C sequestration by lowering net ecosystem exchange of CO₂ and increasing C loss as VOCs. This comprehensive analysis provides the scientific basis for mechanistically understanding the processes controlling terpenoid emissions, required for modeling VOC emissions from terrestrial ecosystems and predicting the future chemistry of the arctic atmosphere. By changing the chemical composition and loads of VOCs into the atmosphere, the current data indicate that global warming in the Arctic may have implications for regional and global climate and for the delicate tundra ecosystems.

Effects of industrial effluents containing moderate levels of antibiotic mixtures on the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial community composition in exposed creek sediments

Environmental discharges of very high (mg/L) antibiotic levels from pharmaceutical production contributed to the selection, spread and persistence of antibiotic resistance. However, the effects of less antibiotic-polluted effluents (μg/L) from drug-formulation on exposed aquatic microbial communities are still scarce. Here we analyzed formulation effluents and sediments from the receiving creek collected at the discharge site (DW0), upstream (UP) and 3000 m downstream of discharge (DW3000) during winter and summer season. Chemical analyses indicated the largest amounts of trimethoprim (up to 5.08 mg/kg) and azithromycin (up to 0.39 mg/kg) at DW0, but sulfonamides accumulated at DW3000 (total up to 1.17 mg/kg). Quantitative PCR revealed significantly increased relative abundance of various antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) against β-lactams, macrolides, sulfonamides, trimethoprim and tetracyclines in sediments from DW0, despite relatively high background levels of some ARGs already at UP site. However, only sulfonamide (sul2) and macrolide ARG subtypes (mphG and msrE) were still elevated at DW3000 compared to UP. Sequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed pronounced changes in the sediment bacterial community composition from both DW sites compared to UP site, regardless of the season. Numerous taxa with increased relative abundance at DW0 decreased to background levels at DW3000, suggesting die-off or lack of transport of effluent-originating bacteria. In contrast, various taxa that were more abundant in sediments than in effluents increased in relative abundance at DW3000 but not at DW0, possibly due to selection imposed by high sulfonamide levels. Network analysis revealed strong correlation between some clinically relevant ARGs (e.g. bla_GES, bla_OXA, ermB, tet39, sul2) and taxa with elevated abundance at DW sites, and known to harbour opportunistic pathogens, such as Acinetobacter, Arcobacter, Aeromonas and Shewanella. Our results demonstrate the necessity for improved management of pharmaceutical and rural waste disposal for mitigating the increasing problems with antibiotic resistance.

Shifts in reclamation management strategies shape the role of exopolysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide-producing bacteria during soil formation

Polymeric substances produced by microbes play a key role for the development of soil aggregates. Here, we investigated the dynamics of bacterial families contributing to the formation of exopolysaccharides and lipopolysaccharides, major constituents of polymeric substances, at a managed land reclamation site of a post-mining area. We collected soil samples from the initial and the agricultural management phase and expected a peak in the abundance of bacteria capable for exopolysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide production at the points of the biggest disturbances. We used shotgun metagenomic sequencing in combination with measurements of exopolysaccharide concentrations. Our results underline the importance of exopolysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide-producing bacteria after nutrient input combined with structural disturbance events, caused here by the initial planting of alfalfa and the introduction of a tillage regime together with organic fertilization in the agricultural management phase. Moreover, the changes in management caused a shift in the exopolysaccharide/lipopolysaccharide-producing community. The initial phase was dominated by typical colonizers of oligotrophic environments, specifically nitrogen fixers (Rhizobiaceae, Comamonadaceae, Hyphomicrobiaceae), while bacteria common in agricultural soils, such as Sphingomonadaceae, Oxalobacteraceae and Nitrospiraceae, prevailed in the agricultural management phase.

Environmental factors determining distribution and activity of anammox bacteria in minerotrophic fen soils

In contrast to the pervasive occurrence of denitrification in soils, anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) is a spatially restricted process that depends on specific ecological conditions. To identify the factors that constrain the distribution and activity of anammox bacteria in terrestrial environments, we investigated four different soil types along a catena with opposing ecological gradients of nitrogen and water content, from an amended pasture to an ombrotrophic bog. Anammox was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) only in the nitrophilic wet meadow and the minerotrophic fen, in soil sections remaining water-saturated for most of the year and whose interstitial water contained inorganic nitrogen. Contrastingly, aerobic ammonia oxidizing microorganisms were present in all examined samples and outnumbered anammox bacteria usually by at least one order of magnitude. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed a relatively high diversity of anammox bacteria with one Ca. Brocadia cluster. Three additional clusters could not be affiliated to known anammox genera, but have been previously detected in other soil systems. Soil incubations using 15N-labeled substrates revealed that anammox processes contributed about <2% to total N2 formation, leaving nitrification and denitrification as the dominant N-removal mechanism in these soils that represent important buffer zones between agricultural land and ombrotrophic peat bogs.

Biological Soil Crusts from Different Soil Substrates Harbor Distinct Bacterial Groups with the Potential to Produce Exopolysaccharides and Lipopolysaccharides

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) play an important role in improving soil stability and resistance to erosion by promoting aggregation of soil particles. During initial development, biocrusts are dominated by bacteria. Some bacterial members of the biocrusts can contribute to the formation of soil aggregates by producing exopolysaccharides and lipopolysaccharides that act as "glue" for soil particles. However, little is known about the dynamics of "soil glue" producers during the initial development of biocrusts. We hypothesized that different types of initial biocrusts harbor distinct producers of adhesive polysaccharides. To investigate this, we performed a microcosm experiment, cultivating biocrusts on two soil substrates. High-throughput shotgun sequencing was used to obtain metagenomic information on microbiomes of bulk soils from the beginning of the experiment, and biocrusts sampled after 4 and 10 months of incubation. We discovered that the relative abundance of genes involved in the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides and lipopolysaccharides increased in biocrusts compared with bulk soils. At the same time, communities of potential "soil glue" producers that were highly similar in bulk soils underwent differentiation once biocrusts started to develop. In the bulk soils, the investigated genes were harbored mainly by Betaproteobacteria, whereas in the biocrusts, the major potential producers of adhesive polysaccharides were, aside from Alphaproteobacteria, either Cyanobacteria or Chloroflexi and Acidobacteria. Overall, our results indicate that the potential to form exopolysaccharides and lipopolysaccharides is an important bacterial trait for initial biocrusts and is maintained despite the shifts in bacterial community composition during biocrust development.

A T-DNA mutant screen that combines high-throughput phenotyping with the efficient identification of mutated genes by targeted genome sequencing

BACKGROUND

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) triggers hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death in Arabidopsis thaliana. A high-throughput mutant screen was established to identify genes involved in this type of programmed cell death.

RESULTS

Altogether 14,282 lines of SALK T-DNA insertion mutants were screened. Growing 1000 pooled mutant lines per tray and simultaneous NO₂ fumigation of 4 trays in parallel facilitated high-throughput screening. Candidate mutants were selected based on visible symptoms. Sensitive mutants showed lesions already after fumigation for 1 h with 10 ppm (ppm) NO₂ whereas tolerant mutants were hardly damaged even after treatment with 30 ppm NO₂. Identification of T-DNA insertion sites by adapter ligation-mediated PCR turned out to be successful but rather time consuming. Therefore, next generation sequencing after T-DNA-specific target enrichment was tested as an alternative screening method. The targeted genome sequencing was highly efficient due to (1.) combination of the pooled DNA from 124 candidate mutants in only two libraries, (2.) successful target enrichment using T-DNA border-specific 70mer probes, and (3.) stringent filtering of the sequencing reads. Seventy mutated genes were identified by at least 3 sequencing reads. Ten corresponding mutants were re-screened of which 8 mutants exhibited NO₂-sensitivity or -tolerance confirming that the screen yielded reliable results. Identified candidate genes had published functions in HR, pathogen resistance, and stomata regulation.

CONCLUSIONS

The presented NO₂ dead-or-alive screen combined with next-generation sequencing after T-DNA-specific target enrichment was highly efficient. Two researchers finished the screen within 3 months. Moreover, the target enrichment approach was cost-saving because of the limited number of DNA libraries and sequencing runs required. The experimental design can be easily adapted to other screening approaches e.g. involving high-throughput treatments with abiotic stressors or phytohormones.

Reduced microbial potential for the degradation of phenolic compounds in the rhizosphere of apple plantlets grown in soils affected by replant disease

BACKGROUND

Apple replant disease (ARD) is a syndrome that occurs in areas where apple plants or closely related species have been previously cultivated. Even though ARD is a well-known phenomenon, which has been observed in different regions worldwide and occurs independent of the soil type, its causes still remain unclear.

RESULTS

As expected, the biomass of plants grown in replant soil was significantly lower compared to those grown in control (virgin) soil. A shotgun metagenome analysis showed a clear differentiation between the rhizosphere and bulk soil compartments independent from the soil used. However, significant differences associated with apple replant disease were only observed in the rhizosphere compartment, for which we detected changes in the abundance of major bacterial genera. Interestingly, reads assigned to Actinobacteria were significantly reduced in relative abundance in rhizosphere samples of the soil affected by replant disease. Even though reads assigned to pathogenic fungi were detected, their relative abundance was low and did not differ significantly between the two different soils. Differences in microbiome structure also resulted in shifts in functional pattern. We observed an increase in genes related to stress sensing in the rhizosphere of soils affected by replant disease, whereas genes linked to nutrient sensing and uptake dominated in control soils. Moreover, we observed a lower abundance of genes coding for enzymes which trigger the degradation of aromatic compounds in rhizosphere of soils affected by replant disease, which is probably connected with higher concentration of phenolic compounds, generally associated with disease progression.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows, for the first time, how apple replanting affects soil functioning by altering the soil microbiome. Particularly, the decrease in the abundance of genes which code for enzymes catalyzing the degradation of aromatic compounds, observed in the rhizosphere of plants grown in soil affected by apple replant disease, is of interest. Apple rootstocks are known to synthetize many phenolic compounds, including defense related phytoalexins, which have been considered for long to be connected with the emergence of replant disease. The knowledge gained in this study might help to develop targeted strategies to overcome or at least reduce the effects of ARD symptoms.

Winter warming is ecologically more relevant than summer warming in a cool-temperate grassland

Climate change affects all seasons, but warming is more pronounced in winter than summer at mid- and high latitudes. Winter warming can have profound ecological effects, which are rarely compared to the effects of summer warming, and causal explanations are not well established. We compared mild aboveground infrared warming in winter to warming in summer in a semi-natural, cool-temperate grassland in Germany for four years. Aboveground plant biomass increased following winter warming (+18%) and was unaffected by summer warming. Winter warming affected the composition of the plant community more than summer warming, favoring productive species. Winter warming increased soil respiration more than summer warming. Prolonged growing seasons and changes in plant-community composition accounted for the increased aboveground biomass production. Winter warming stimulated ecological processes, despite causing frost damage to plant roots and microorganisms during an extremely cold period when warming reduced the thermal insulation provided by snow. Future warming beyond such intermittent frosts may therefore further increase the accelerating effects of winter warming on ecological processes.

Biotic interactions, community assembly, and eco-evolutionary dynamics as drivers of long-term biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships

The functioning and service provisioning of ecosystems in the face of anthropogenic environmental and biodiversity change is a cornerstone of ecological research. The last three decades of biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) research have provided compelling evidence for the significant positive role of biodiversity in the functioning of many ecosystems. Despite broad consensus of this relationship, the underlying ecological and evolutionary mechanisms have not been well understood. This complicates the transition from a description of patterns to a predictive science. The proposed Research Unit aims at filling this gap of knowledge by applying novel experimental and analytical approaches in one of the longest-running biodiversity experiments in the world: the Jena Experiment. The central aim of the Research Unit is to uncover the mechanisms that determine BEF relationships in the short- and in the long-term. Increasing BEF relationships with time in long-term experiments do not only call for a paradigm shift in the appreciation of the relevance of biodiversity change, they likely are key to understanding the mechanisms of BEF relationships in general. The subprojects of the proposed Research Unit fall into two tightly linked main categories with two research areas each that aim at exploring variation in community assembly processes and resulting differences in biotic interactions as determinants of the long-term BEF relationship. Subprojects under “Microbial community assembly” and “Assembly and functions of animal communities” mostly focus on plant diversity effects on the assembly of communities and their feedback effects on biotic interactions and ecosystem functions. Subprojects under “Mediators of plant-biotic interactions” and “Intraspecific diversity and micro-evolutionary changes” mostly focus on plant diversity effects on plant trait expression and micro-evolutionary adaptation, and subsequent feedback effects on biotic interactions and ecosystem functions. This unification of evolutionary and ecosystem processes requires collaboration across the proposed subprojects in targeted plant and soil history experiments using cutting-edge technology and will produce significant synergies and novel mechanistic insights into BEF relationships. The Research Unit of the Jena Experiment is uniquely positioned in this context by taking an interdisciplinary and integrative approach to capture whole-ecosystem responses to changes in biodiversity and to advance a vibrant research field.

Characterization of Extracellular Biosurfactants Expressed by a Pseudomonas putida Strain Isolated from the Interior of Healthy Roots from Sida hermaphrodita Grown in a Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil

Pseudomonas putida E41 isolated from root interior of Sida hermaphrodita (grown on a field contaminated with heavy metals) showed high biosurfactant activity. In this paper, we describe data from mass spectrometry and genome analysis, to improve our understanding on the phenotypic properties of the strain. Supernatant derived from P. putida E41 liquid culture exhibited a strong decrease in the surface tension accompanied by the ability for emulsion stabilization. We identified extracellular lipopeptides, putisolvin I and II expression but did not detect rhamnolipids. Their presence was confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization (MALDI) TOF/TOF technique. Moreover, ten phospholipids (mainly phosphatidylethanolamines PE 33:1 and PE 32:1) which were excreted by vesicles were also detected. In contrast the bacterial cell pellet was dominated by phosphatidylglycerols (PGs), which were almost absent in the supernatant. It seems that the composition of extracellular (secreted to the environment) and cellular lipids in this strain differs. Long-read sequencing and complete genome reconstruction allowed the identification of a complete putisolvin biosynthesis pathway. In the genome of P. putida E41 were also found all genes involved in glycerophospholipid biosynthesis, and they are likely responsible for the production of detected phospholipids. Overall this is the first report describing the expression of extracellular lipopeptides (identified as putisolvins) and phospholipids by a P. putida strain, which might be explained by the need to adapt to the highly contaminated environment.

Effect of the Nursing Mother on the Gut Microbiome of the Offspring During Early Mouse Development

The development of the gut microbiome is influenced by several factors. It is acquired during and after birth and involves both maternal and environmental factors as well as the genetic disposition of the offspring. However, it is unclear if the microbiome development is directly triggered by the mode of delivery and very early contact with the mother or mostly at later stages of initial development mainly by breast milk provided by the mother. To investigate to what extent the gut microbiome composition of the offspring is determined by the nursing mother, providing breast milk, compared to the birth mother during early development, a cross-fostering experiment involving two genetically different mouse lines was developed, being prone to be obese or lean, respectively. The microbiome of the colon was analyzed by high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing, when the mice were 3 weeks old. The nursing mother affected both α- and β-diversity of the offspring's gut microbiome and shaped its composition. Especially bacterial families directly transferred by breast milk, like Streptococcaceae, or families which are strongly influenced by the quality of the breast milk like Rikenellaceae, showed a strong response. The core microbiome transferred from the obese nursing mother showed a higher robustness in comparison to the microbiome transferred from the lean nursing mother. Overall, the nursing mother impacts the gut microbial composition of the offspring during early development and might play an important role for health and disease of the animals at later stages of life.

A long-term field experiment demonstrates the influence of tillage on the bacterial potential to produce soil structure-stabilizing agents such as exopolysaccharides and lipopolysaccharides

BACKGROUND

Stable soil aggregates are essential for optimal crop growth and preventing soil erosion. However, tillage is often used in agriculture to loosen the soil, which disrupts the integrity of these aggregates. Soil aggregation can be enhanced by bacteria through their ability to produce exopolysaccharides and lipopolysaccharides. These compounds stabilize soil aggregates by "gluing" soil particles together. However, it has yet to be shown how tillage influences the bacterial potential to produce aggregate-stabilizing agents. Therefore, we sampled conventional and reduced tillage treatments at 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm and 20-50 cm from a long-term field trial in Frick, Switzerland. We compared the stable aggregate fraction of the soil and the bacterial potential to produce exopolysaccharides (EPS) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) under different tillage regimes by employing a shotgun metagenomic approach. We established a method which combines hidden Markov model searches with blasts against sequences derived from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database to analyze genes specific for the biosynthesis of these compounds.

RESULTS

Our data revealed that the stable aggregate fraction as well as the bacterial potential to produce EPS and LPS were comparable under both tillage regimes. The highest potential to produce these compounds was found in the upper soil layer, which was disturbed by tillage, but had higher content of organic carbon compared to the layer below the tillage horizon. Additionally, key players of EPS and LPS production differed at different sampling depths. Some families with high potential to produce EPS and LPS, such as Chitinophagaceae and Bradyrhizobiaceae, were more abundant in the upper soil layers, while others, e.g. Nitrospiraceae and Planctomycetaceae, preferred the lowest sampled soil depth. Each family had the potential to form a limited number of different aggregate-stabilizing agents.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that conventional tillage and reduced tillage equally promote the bacterial potential to produce EPS and LPS in the tillage horizon. However, as major bacterial groups triggering EPS and LPS formation were not the same, it is likely that gene expression pattern differ in the different treatments due to various pathways of gene induction and transcription in different bacterial species.

Influence of rewetting on microbial communities involved in nitrification and denitrification in a grassland soil after a prolonged drought period

The frequency of extreme drought and heavy rain events during the vegetation period will increase in Central Europe according to future climate change scenarios, which will affect the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems in multiple ways. In this study, we simulated an extreme drought event (40 days) at two different vegetation periods (spring and summer) to investigate season-related effects of drought and subsequent rewetting on nitrifiers and denitrifiers in a grassland soil. Abundance of the microbial groups of interest was assessed by quantification of functional genes (amoA, nirS/nirK and nosZ) via quantitative real-time PCR. Additionally, the diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea was determined based on fingerprinting of the archaeal amoA gene. Overall, the different time points of simulated drought and rewetting strongly influenced the obtained response pattern of microbial communities involved in N turnover as well as soil ammonium and nitrate dynamics. In spring, gene abundance of nirS was irreversible reduced after drought whereas nirK and nosZ remained unaffected. Furthermore, community composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea was altered by subsequent rewetting although amoA gene abundance remained constant. In contrast, no drought/rewetting effects on functional gene abundance or diversity pattern of nitrifying archaea were observed in summer. Our results showed (I) high seasonal dependency of microbial community responses to extreme events, indicating a strong influence of plant-derived factors like vegetation stage and plant community composition and consequently close plant-microbe interactions and (II) remarkable resistance and/or resilience of functional microbial groups involved in nitrogen cycling to extreme weather events what might indicate that microbes in a silty soil are better adapted to stress situations as expected.

Oral administration of antibiotics increased the potential mobility of bacterial resistance genes in the gut of the fish Piaractus mesopotamicus

BACKGROUND

Aquaculture is on the rise worldwide, and the use of antibiotics is fostering higher production intensity. However, recent findings suggest that the use of antibiotics comes at the price of increased antibiotic resistance. Yet, the effect of the oral administration of antibiotics on the mobility of microbial resistance genes in the fish gut is not well understood. In the present study, Piaractus mesopotamicus was used as a model to evaluate the effect of the antimicrobial florfenicol on the diversity of the gut microbiome as well as antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) using a metagenomic approach.

RESULTS

The total relative abundance of ARGs and MGEs significantly increased during the antibiotic exposure. Additionally, phage integrases, transposases, and transposons flanking ARGs accumulated in the gut microbiome of P. mesopotamicus because of the antibiotic exposure. MGEs co-occurring with ARGs showed a significant positive correlation with the total ARGs found. Furthermore, shifts in the gut microbiome towards well-known putative pathogens such as Salmonella, Plesiomonas, and Citrobacter were observed following florfenicol treatment. Mainly Plesiomonas and Citrobacter harbored genes that code for multidrug and phenicol efflux pumps. Moreover, several genes related to RNA processing and modification, cell motility, SOS response, and extracellular structure were enriched due to the antibiotic application. The observed effects were visible during the complete application phase and disappeared at the post-exposure phase.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the oral administration of antibiotics increases the potential for MGE-mediated exchange of ARGs in the gut of fish and could contribute to the enrichment and dispersion of ARGs in aquaculture systems. Importantly, this increase in the potential for ARGs exchange could be an effect of changes in community structure and/or ARG mobilization.

Pollution from azithromycin-manufacturing promotes macrolide-resistance gene propagation and induces spatial and seasonal bacterial community shifts in receiving river sediments

Effluents from antibiotic manufacturing may contain high concentrations of antibiotics, which are the main driving force behind the selection and spread of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment. However, our knowledge about the impact of such effluent discharges on the antibiotic resistome and bacterial communities is still limited. To gain insight into this impact, we collected effluents from an azithromycin-manufacturing industry discharge site as well as upstream and downstream sediments from the receiving Sava river during both winter and summer season. Chemical analyses of sediment and effluent samples indicated that the effluent discharge significantly increased the amount of macrolide antibiotics, heavy metals and nutrients in the receiving river sediments. Quantitative PCR revealed a significant increase of relative abundances of macrolide-resistance genes and class 1 integrons in effluent-impacted sediments. Amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes showed spatial and seasonal bacterial community shifts in the receiving sediments. Redundancy analysis and Mantel test indicated that macrolides and copper together with nutrients significantly correlated with community shift close to the effluent discharge site. The number of taxa that were significantly increased in relative abundance at the discharge site decreased rapidly at the downstream sites, showing the resilience of the indigenous sediment bacterial community. Seasonal changes in the chemical properties of the sediment along with changes in effluent community composition could be responsible for sediment community shifts between winter and summer. Altogether, this study showed that the discharge of pharmaceutical effluents altered physicochemical characteristics and bacterial community of receiving river sediments, which contributed to the enrichment of macrolide-resistance genes and integrons.

Management versus site effects on the abundance of nitrifiers and denitrifiers in European mountain grasslands

It is well established that the abundances of nitrogen (N) transforming microbes are strongly influenced by land-use intensity in lowland grasslands. However, their responses to management change in less productive and less fertilized mountain grasslands are largely unknown. We studied eight mountain grasslands, positioned along gradients of management intensity in Austria, the UK, and France, which differed in their historical management trajectories. We measured the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) as well as nitrite-reducing bacteria using specific marker genes. We found that management affected the abundance of these microbial groups along each transect, though the specific responses differed between sites, due to different management histories and resulting variations in environmental parameters. In Austria, cessation of management caused an increase in nirK and nirS gene abundances. In the UK, intensification of grassland management led to 10-fold increases in the abundances of AOA and AOB and doubling of nirK gene abundance. In France, ploughing of previously mown grassland caused a 20-fold increase in AOA abundance. Across sites the abundance of AOB was most strongly related to soil NO₃^--N availability, and AOA were favored by higher soil pH. Among the nitrite reducers, nirS abundance correlated most strongly with N parameters, such as soil NO₃^--N, microbial N, leachate NH₄⁺-N, while the abundance of nirK-denitrifiers was affected by soil total N, organic matter (SOM) and water content. We conclude that alteration of soil environmental conditions is the dominant mechanism by which land management practices influence the abundance of each group of ammonia oxidizers and nitrite reducers.

Multiple forest attributes underpin the supply of multiple ecosystem services

Trade-offs and synergies in the supply of forest ecosystem services are common but the drivers of these relationships are poorly understood. To guide management that seeks to promote multiple services, we investigated the relationships between 12 stand-level forest attributes, including structure, composition, heterogeneity and plant diversity, plus 4 environmental factors, and proxies for 14 ecosystem services in 150 temperate forest plots. Our results show that forest attributes are the best predictors of most ecosystem services and are also good predictors of several synergies and trade-offs between services. Environmental factors also play an important role, mostly in combination with forest attributes. Our study suggests that managing forests to increase structural heterogeneity, maintain large trees, and canopy gaps would promote the supply of multiple ecosystem services. These results highlight the potential for forest management to encourage multifunctional forests and suggest that a coordinated landscape-scale strategy could help to mitigate trade-offs in human-dominated landscapes.

Transcriptome-Stable Isotope Probing Provides Targeted Functional and Taxonomic Insights Into Microaerobic Pollutant-Degrading Aquifer Microbiota

While most studies using RNA-stable isotope probing (SIP) to date have focused on ribosomal RNA, the detection of ¹³C-labeled mRNA has rarely been demonstrated. This approach could alleviate some of the major caveats of current non-target environmental “omics.” Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of total RNA-SIP in an experiment where hydrocarbon-degrading microbes from a BTEX-contaminated aquifer were studied in microcosms with ¹³C-labeled toluene under microoxic conditions. From the total sequencing reads (∼30 mio. reads per density-resolved RNA fraction), an average of 1.2% of reads per sample were identified as non-rRNA, including mRNA. Members of the Rhodocyclaceae (including those related to Quatrionicoccus spp.) were most abundant and enriched in ¹³C-rRNA, while well-known aerobic degraders such as Pseudomonas spp. remained unlabeled. Transcripts related to cell motility, secondary metabolite formation and xenobiotics degradation were highly labeled with ¹³C. mRNA of phenol hydroxylase genes were highly labeled and abundant, while other transcripts of toluene-activation were not detected. Clear labeling of catechol 2,3-dioxygenase transcripts supported previous findings that some of these extradiol dioxygenases were adapted to low oxygen concentrations. We introduce a novel combination of total RNA-SIP with calculation of transcript-specific enrichment factors (EFs) in ¹³C-RNA, enabling a targeted approach to process-relevant gene expression in complex microbiomes.

The Microbiome and Preterm Birth: A Change in Paradigm with Profound Implications for Pathophysiologic Concepts and Novel Therapeutic Strategies

Preterm birth poses a global challenge with a continuously increasing disease burden during the last decades. Advances in understanding the etiopathogenesis did not lead to a reduction of prematurely born infants so far. A balanced development of the host microbiome in early life is key for the maturation of the immune system and many other physiological functions. With the tremendous progress in new diagnostic possibilities, the contribution of microbiota changes to preterm birth and the acute and long-term sequelae of prematurity have come into the research focus. This review summarizes the latest advances in the understanding of microbiomes in the amniotic cavity and the female lower genital tract and how changes in microbiota structures contribute to preterm delivery. The exhibition of these highly vulnerable infants to the hostile environment in the neonatal intensive care unit necessarily entails the rapid colonization with a nonbalanced microbiome in a situation where the organism is still very prone and at an early stage of development. The global research efforts to decipher pathologic changes will pave the way to new pre- and postnatal therapeutic concepts.

Apple Replant Disease: Causes and Mitigation Strategies

After replanting apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) on the same site severe growth suppressions, and a decline in yield and fruit quality are observed in all apple producing areas worldwide. The causes of this complex phenomenon, called apple replant disease (ARD), are only poorly understood up to now which is in part due to inconsistencies in terms and methodologies. Therefore we suggest the following definition for ARD: ARD describes a harmfully disturbed physiological and morphological reaction of apple plants to soils that faced alterations in their (micro-) biome due to the previous apple cultures. The underlying interactions likely have multiple causes that extend beyond common analytical tools in microbial ecology. They are influenced by soil properties, faunal vectors, and trophic cascades, with genotype-specific effects on plant secondary metabolism, particularly phytoalexin biosynthesis. Yet, emerging tools allow to unravel the soil and rhizosphere (micro-) biome, to characterize alterations of habitat quality, and to decipher the plant reactions. Thereby, deep insights into the reactions taking place at the root rhizosphere interface will be gained. Counteractions are suggested, taking into account that culture management should emphasize on improving soil microbial and faunal diversity as well as habitat quality rather than focus on soil disinfection.

Organic Amendments in a Long-term Field Trial-Consequences for the Bulk Soil Bacterial Community as Revealed by Network Analysis

This study intended to elucidate the long-term effects of organic soil amendments on bacterial co-occurrence in bulk soil with and without addition of mineral fertiliser. Previous research mostly neglected the bacterial co-occurrence structure and focussed mainly on the parameters species diversity and abundance changes of species. Here we present a systematic comparison of two frequently used soil amendments, manure and straw, with regard to their impact on bacterial co-occurrence in a long-term field trial in Speyer, Germany. The approach involved 16S amplicon sequencing in combination with a bacterial network analysis, comparing the different fertiliser regimes. The results show an increase of bacterial diversity as well as an accumulation of bacteria of the order Bacillales in plots fertilised with manure compared to a control treatment. In the straw-amended plots neither an increase in diversity was found nor were indicative species detectable. Furthermore, network analysis revealed a clear impact of mineral fertiliser addition on bacterial co-occurrence structure. Most importantly, both organic amendments increased network complexity irrespective of mineral fertilisation regime. At the same time, the effects of manure and straw exhibited differences that might be explained by differences in their nutritional/chemical contents. It is concluded that bacterial interactions are a crucial parameter for the assessment of amendment effects regarding soil health and sustainability.