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Hanusch M, He X, Janssen S, Selke J, Trutschnig W, Junker RR. Exploring the Frequency and Distribution of Ecological Non-monotonicity in Associations among Ecosystem Constituents. Ecosystems 2023; 26:1819-1840. [PMID: 38106357 PMCID: PMC10721710 DOI: 10.1007/s10021-023-00867-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Complex links between biotic and abiotic constituents are fundamental for the functioning of ecosystems. Although non-monotonic interactions and associations are known to increase the stability, diversity, and productivity of ecosystems, they are frequently ignored by community-level standard statistical approaches. Using the copula-based dependence measure qad, capable of quantifying the directed and asymmetric dependence between variables for all forms of (functional) relationships, we determined the proportion of non-monotonic associations between different constituents of an ecosystem (plants, bacteria, fungi, and environmental parameters). Here, we show that up to 59% of all statistically significant associations are non-monotonic. Further, we show that pairwise associations between plants, bacteria, fungi, and environmental parameters are specifically characterized by their strength and degree of monotonicity, for example, microbe-microbe associations are on average stronger than and differ in degree of non-monotonicity from plant-microbe associations. Considering directed and non-monotonic associations, we extended the concept of ecosystem coupling providing more complete insights into the internal order of ecosystems. Our results emphasize the importance of ecological non-monotonicity in characterizing and understanding ecosystem patterns and processes. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10021-023-00867-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Hanusch
- Department of Environment and Biodiversity, Paris-Lodron-University Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Xie He
- Department of Environment and Biodiversity, Paris-Lodron-University Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Stefan Janssen
- Algorithmic Bioinformatics, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany
| | - Julian Selke
- Algorithmic Bioinformatics, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Trutschnig
- Department for Artificial Intelligence & Human Interfaces, Paris-Lodron-University Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Robert R. Junker
- Department of Environment and Biodiversity, Paris-Lodron-University Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Evolutionary Ecology of Plants, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany
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Xu L, Wang R, Jin B, Chen J, Jiang T, Ali W, Tian S, Lu L. Cadmium inhibits powdery mildew colonization and reconstructs microbial community in leaves of the hyperaccumulator plant Sedum alfredii. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 260:115076. [PMID: 37257346 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the influence of the heavy metal cadmium (Cd) on the phyllosphere microbiome of hyperaccumulator plants is crucial for enhancing phytoremediation. The characteristics of the phyllosphere of Sedum alfredii Hance, a hyperaccumulator plant, were investigated using 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer amplicon sequencing of powdery mildew-infected leaves treated or untreated with Cd. The results showed that the colonization of powdery mildew caused severe chlorosis and necrosis in S. alfredii leaves, and the relative abundance of Leotiomycetes in infected leaves increased dramatically and significantly decreased phyllosphere microbiome diversity. However, S. alfredii preferentially accumulated higher concentrations of Cd in the leaves of infected plants than in uninfected plants by powdery mildew, which in turn significantly inhibited powdery mildew colonization in leaves; the relative abundance of the fungal class Leotiomycetes in infected leaves decreased, and alpha and beta diversities of the phyllosphere microbiome significantly increased with Cd treatment in the infected plants. In addition, the inter-kingdom networks in the microbiota of the infected leaves treated with Cd presented many nodes and edges, and the highest inter-kingdom modularity compared to the untreated infected leaves, indicating a highly connected microbial community. These results suggest that Cd significantly inhibits powdery mildew colonization by altering the composition of the phyllosphere microbiome in S. alfredii leaves, paving the way for efficient heavy metal phytoremediation and providing a new perspective on defense strategies against heavy metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingling Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Runze Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Bingjie Jin
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jiuzhou Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Tianchi Jiang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Waqar Ali
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Science's, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Shengke Tian
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resource and Environment of Zhejiang Province, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Lingli Lu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resource and Environment of Zhejiang Province, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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Zhang Z, Li J, Jiang S, Xu M, Ma T, Sun Z, Zhang J. Lactobacillus fermentum HNU312 alleviated oxidative damage and behavioural abnormalities during brain development in early life induced by chronic lead exposure. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 251:114543. [PMID: 36640575 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Lead exposure is a global public health safety issue that severely disrupts brain development and causes damage to the nervous system in early life. Probiotics and gut microbes have been highlighted for their critical roles in mitigating lead toxicity. However, the underlying mechanisms by which they work yet to be fully explored. Here, we designed a two-stage experiment using the probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum HNU312 (Lf312) to uncover how probiotics alleviate lead toxicity to the brain during early life. First, we explored the tolerance and adsorption of Lf312 to lead in vitro. Second, the adsorption capacity of the strain was determined and confirmed in vivo. The shotgun metagenome sequencing showed lead exposure-induced imbalance and dysfunction of the gut microbiome. In contrast, Lf312 intake significantly modulated the structure of the microbiome, increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria, and upregulated function-related metabolic pathways such as antioxidants. Notably, Lf312 enhanced the integrity of the blood-brain barrier by increasing the levels of SCFAs in the gut, alleviated inflammation in the brain, and ultimately improved anxiety-like and depression-like behaviours induced by lead exposure in mice. Subsequently, the effective mechanism was confirmed, highlighting that Lf312 worked through integrated strategies, including ionic adsorption and microbiota-gut-brain axis regulation. Collectively, this work elucidated the mechanism by which the gut microbiota mitigates the toxic effects of lead in the brain and provides preventive measures and intervention measures for brain damage due to mass lead poisoning in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeng Zhang
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Functional Food of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, Hainan, China
| | - Jiahe Li
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Functional Food of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, Hainan, China
| | - Shuaiming Jiang
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Functional Food of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, Hainan, China
| | - Meng Xu
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Functional Food of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, Hainan, China
| | - Teng Ma
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education P. R. C., Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs China, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Zhihong Sun
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education P. R. C., Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs China, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China.
| | - Jiachao Zhang
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Functional Food of Hainan Province, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, Hainan, China; One Health Institute, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China.
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In Vitro Probiotic Characterization and Safety Assessment of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Raw Milk of Japanese-Saanen Goat ( Capra hircus). Animals (Basel) 2022; 13:ani13010007. [PMID: 36611617 PMCID: PMC9817676 DOI: 10.3390/ani13010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Two novel probiotic strains of lactic acid bacteria were successfully isolated from the raw milk of dairy Japanese-Saanen goats. Selection criteria for positive candidates were grown on de Man-Rogosa-Sharpe or M17 selective medium at 30, 35, or 42 °C anaerobically, and characterized based on Gram reaction, catalase test, and tolerance to low pH and bile salts. Among the 101 isolated positive candidates, two strains, YM2-1 and YM2-3, were selected and identified as Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus using 16S rDNA sequence similarity. Culture supernatants of the two strains exhibited antipathogenic activity against Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar. Typhimurium, Shigella sonnei, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli O157. The antipathogenic activities were retained to some extent after neutralization, indicating the presence of antipathogenic substances other than organic acids in the culture supernatants. The two strains were sensitive with coincidental minimum inhibition concentrations (indicated in the parentheses hereafter) to ampicillin (0.25 μg/mL), chloramphenicol (4 μg/mL), gentamycin (4 μg/mL), kanamycin (64 μg/mL), streptomycin (16 μg/mL), and tetracycline (4 μg/mL). Furthermore, the two strains were resistant to clindamycin (16 μg/mL) and erythromycin (4 μg/mL). In addition, both YM2-1 and YM2-3 strains showed less unfavorable activities, including bile acid bioconversion, carcinogenic-related enzymes, mucin degradation, plasminogen activation, and hemolysis, than the detection limits of in vitro evaluation methods used in this study. In summary, L. rhamnosus YM2-1 and YM2-3 are highly safe and promising probiotic strains applicable in the dairy industry, and were first isolated from the raw milk of Japanese-Saanen goats.
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