Phylogenomic Insights into Distribution and Adaptation of Bdellovibrionota in Marine Waters

Effect of long-term exposure to non-biodegradable and biodegradable microplastics in continuous anoxic/aerobic bioreactors: Nitrogen removal performance, microbial communities and functional gene responses

The environmental hazards caused by microplastics (MPs) have received widespread attention, but the effects of non-biodegradable and biodegradable MPs of long-term presence on continuously operating sewage treatment bioreactors are not well known. In this study, we investigated the effect of a representative non-biodegradable MP, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and a biodegradable MP, polylactic acid (PLA), on the nitrogen removal performance of conventional anoxic/aerobic (A/O) process. The NH4+-N removal efficiencies were suppressed to 91.7 ± 5.5% and 80.8 ± 4.1% at concentrations of 10 and 100 mg/L PLA, significantly (p < 0.05) lower than 96.3 ± 1.0% and 95.0 ± 1.5% with the presence of PET. PLA resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in adenosine triphosphate of living cells (cATP) and dehydrogenase activities. PLA enhanced redox stress and induced a series of oxidative stress reactions that were detrimental to the normal growth and metabolism of microorganisms. The relative abundance of several functional microorganisms (Nitrosomonas,Nitrospira and Ellin6067) and genes (amoA, amoB and amoC) associated with NH4+-N conversion were reduced. The potential risk of biodegradable MPs to the long-term wastewater treatment process cannot be ignored and needs to be emphasized.

Gut microbiota of children with autism spectrum disorder and healthy siblings: A comparative study

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental abnormality that impairs social communication. The human gut microbiome (GM) influences a variety of local processes, including dysbiosis and the defense against pathogenic microorganisms. The aim of the present study was to categorize and identify molecular biomarkers for ASD. In the present study, metagenomics whole genome shotgun sequencing was used to identify the gut microbiota in autistic individuals. Fecal samples from four children with ASD and four healthy control siblings, aged 3-10 years old, were examined using bioinformatics analysis. A total of 673,091 genes were cataloged, encompassing 25 phyla and 2 kingdoms based on the taxonomy analysis. The results revealed 257 families, 34 classes, 84 orders, and 1,314 genera among 4,339 species. The top 10 most abundant genes and corresponding functional genes for each group were determined after the abundance profile was screened. The results showed that children with ASD had a higher abundance of certain gut microbiomes than their normal siblings and vice versa. The phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the most abundant in ASD. The Thermoanaerobacteria class was also restricted to younger healthy individuals. Moreover, the Lactobacillaceae family was more abundant in children with ASD. Additionally, it was discovered that children with ASD had a higher abundance of the Bacteroides genus and a lower abundance of the Bifidobacterium and Prevotella genera. In conclusion, there were more pathogenic genera and species and higher levels of biomass, diversity and richness in the GM of children with ASD.

The Saint-Leonard Urban Glaciotectonic Cave Harbors Rich and Diverse Planktonic and Sedimentary Microbial Communities

The terrestrial subsurface harbors unique microbial communities that play important biogeochemical roles and allow for studying a yet unknown fraction of the Earth's biodiversity. The Saint-Leonard cave in Montreal City (Canada) is of glaciotectonic origin. Its speleogenesis traces back to the withdrawal of the Laurentide Ice Sheet 13,000 years ago, during which the moving glacier dislocated the sedimentary rock layers. Our study is the first to investigate the microbial communities of the Saint-Leonard cave. By using amplicon sequencing, we analyzed the taxonomic diversity and composition of bacterial, archaeal and eukaryote communities living in the groundwater (0.1 µm- and 0.2 µm-filtered water), in the sediments and in surface soils. We identified a microbial biodiversity typical of cave ecosystems. Communities were mainly shaped by habitat type and harbored taxa associated with a wide variety of lifestyles and metabolic capacities. Although we found evidence of a geochemical connection between the above soils and the cave's galleries, our results suggest that the community assembly dynamics are driven by habitat selection rather than dispersal. Furthermore, we found that the cave's groundwater, in addition to being generally richer in microbial taxa than sediments, contained a considerable diversity of ultra-small bacteria and archaea.

Seasonal and anthropogenic influences on bacterioplankton communities: ecological impacts in the coastal waters of Qinhuangdao, Northern China

Marine bacterioplankton play a crucial role in the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in coastal waters. And the impact of environmental factors on bacterial community structure and ecological functions is a dynamic ongoing process. To systematically assess the relationship between environmental changes and bacterioplankton communities, this study delved into the spatiotemporal distribution and predicted metabolic characteristics of bacterioplankton communities at two estuarine beaches in Northern China. Coastal water samples were collected regularly in spring, summer, and autumn, and were analyzed in combination with environmental parameters and bacterioplankton community. Results indicated significant seasonal variations in bacterioplankton communities as Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were enriched in spring, Cyanobacteria proliferated in summer. While Pseudomonadota and microorganisms associated with organic matter decomposition prevailed in autumn, closely linked to seasonal variation of temperature, light and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Particularly in summer, increased tourism activities and riverine inputs significantly raised nutrient levels, promoting the proliferation of specific photosynthetic microorganisms, potentially linked to the occurrence of phytoplankton blooms. Spearman correlation analysis further revealed significant correlations between bacterioplankton communities and environmental factors such as salinity, chlorophyll a, and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP). Additionally, the metabolic features of the spring bacterioplankton community were primarily characterized by enhanced activities in the prokaryotic carbon fixation pathways, reflecting rapid adaptation to increased light and temperature, as well as significant contributions to primary productivity. In summer, the bacterial communities were involved in enhanced glycolysis and biosynthetic pathways, reflecting high energy metabolism and responses to increased light and biomass. In autumn, microorganisms adapted to the accelerated decomposition of organic matter and the seasonal changes in environmental conditions through enhanced amino acid metabolism and material cycling pathways. These findings demonstrate that seasonal changes and human activities significantly influence the structure and function of bacterioplankton communities by altering nutrient dynamics and physical environmental conditions. This study provides important scientific insights into the marine biological responses under global change.

Antimicrobial resistance in rural rivers: Comparative study of the Coquet (Northumberland) and Eden (Cumbria) River catchments

Many studies have characterised resistomes in river microbial communities. However, few have compared resistomes in parallel rural catchments that have few point-source inputs of antimicrobial genes (ARGs) and organisms (i.e., AMR) - catchments where one can contrast more nebulous drivers of AMR in rural rivers. Here, we used quantitative microbial profiling (QMP) to compare resistomes and microbiomes in two rural river catchments in Northern England, the Coquet and Eden in Northumberland and Cumbria, respectively, with different hydrological and geographical conditions. The Eden has higher flow rates, higher annual surface runoff, and longer periods of soil saturation, whereas the Coquet is drier and has lower flowrates. QMP analysis showed the Eden contained significantly more abundant microbes associated with soil sources, animal faeces, and wastewater than the Coquet, which had microbiomes like less polluted rivers (Wilcoxon test, p < 0.01). The Eden also had greater ARG abundances and resistome diversity (Kruskal Wallis, p < 0.05), and higher levels of potentially clinically relevant ARGs. The Eden catchment had greater and flashier runoff and more extensive agricultural land use in its middle reach, which explains higher levels of AMR in the river. Hydrological and geographic factors drive AMR in rural rivers, which must be considered in environmental monitoring programmes.

Evolution and adaptation of terrestrial plant-associated Plantibacter species into remote marine environments

Microbes are thought to be distributed and circulated around the world, but the connection between marine and terrestrial microbiomes remains largely unknown. We use Plantibacter, a representative genus associated with plants, as our research model to investigate the global distribution and adaptation of plant-related bacteria in plant-free environments, particularly in the remote Southern Ocean and the deep Atlantic Ocean. The marine isolates and their plant-associated relatives shared over 98% whole-genome average nucleotide identity (ANI), indicating recent divergence and ongoing speciation from plant-related niches to marine environments. Comparative genomics revealed that the marine strains acquired new genes via horizontal gene transfer from non-Plantibacter species and refined existing genes through positive selection to improve adaptation to new habitats. Meanwhile, marine strains retained the ability to interact with plants, such as modifying root system architecture and promoting germination. Furthermore, Plantibacter species were found to be widely distributed in marine environments, revealing an unrecognized phenomenon that plant-associated microbiomes have colonized the ocean, which could serve as a reservoir for plant growth-promoting microbes. This study demonstrates the presence of an active reservoir of terrestrial plant growth-promoting bacteria in remote marine systems and advances our understanding of the microbial connections between plant-associated and plant-free environments at the genome level.

Bacterial community distribution and functional potentials provide key insights into their role in the ecosystem functioning of a retreating Eastern Himalayan glacier

Himalayan glaciers are receding at an exceptional rate, perturbing the local biome and ecosystem processes. Understanding the microbial ecology of an exclusively microbe-driven biome provides insights into their contributions to the ecosystem functioning through biogeochemical fluxes. Here, we investigated the bacterial communities and their functional potential in the retreating East Rathong Glacier (ERG) of Sikkim Himalaya. Amplicon-based taxonomic classification revealed the dominance of the phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, and candidate Patescibacteria in the glacial sites. Further, eight good-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Proteobacteria, Patescibacteria, Acidobacteriota, and Choloflexota retrieved from the metagenomes elucidated the microbial contributions to nutrient cycling. The ERG MAGs showed aerobic respiration as a primary metabolic feature, accompanied by carbon fixation and complex carbon degradation potentials. Pathways for nitrogen metabolism, chiefly dissimilatory nitrate reduction and denitrification, and a complete sulphur oxidation enzyme complex for sulphur metabolism were identified in the MAGs. We observed that DNA repair and oxidative stress response genes complemented with osmotic and periplasmic stress and protein chaperones were vital for adaptation against the intense radiation and stress conditions of the extreme Himalayan niche. Current findings elucidate the microbiome and associated functional potentials of a vulnerable glacier, emphasizing their significant ecological roles in a changing glacial ecosystem.

The Arctic summer microbiome across Fram Strait: Depth, longitude, and substrate concentrations structure microbial diversity in the euphotic zone

The long-term dynamics of microbial communities across geographic, hydrographic, and biogeochemical gradients in the Arctic Ocean are largely unknown. To address this, we annually sampled polar, mixed, and Atlantic water masses of the Fram Strait (2015-2019; 5-100 m depth) to assess microbiome composition, substrate concentrations, and oceanographic parameters. Longitude and water depth were the major determinants (~30%) of microbial community variability. Bacterial alpha diversity was highest in lower-photic polar waters. Community composition shifted from west to east, with the prevalence of, for example, Dadabacteriales and Thiotrichales in Arctic- and Atlantic-influenced waters, respectively. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon peaked in the western, compared to carbohydrates in the chlorophyll-maximum of eastern Fram Strait. Interannual differences due to the time of sampling, which varied between early (June 2016/2018) and late (September 2019) phytoplankton bloom stages, illustrated that phytoplankton composition and resulting availability of labile substrates influence bacterial dynamics. We identified 10 species clusters with stable environmental correlations, representing signature populations of distinct ecosystem states. In context with published metagenomic evidence, our microbial-biogeochemical inventory of a key Arctic region establishes a benchmark to assess ecosystem dynamics and the imprint of climate change.

Phylogenetic Revisit to a Review on Predatory Bacteria

Predatory bacteria, along with the biology of their predatory behavior, have attracted interest in terms of their ecological significance and industrial applications, a trend that has been even more pronounced since the comprehensive review in 2016. This mini-review does not cover research trends, such as the role of outer membrane vesicles in myxobacterial predation, but provides an overview of the classification and newly described taxa of predatory bacteria since 2016, particularly with regard to phylogenetic aspects. Among them, it is noteworthy that in 2020 there was a major phylogenetic reorganization that the taxa hosting Bdellovibrio and Myxococcus, formerly classified as Deltaproteobacteria, were proposed as the new phyla Bdellovibrionota and Myxococcota, respectively. Predatory bacteria have been reported from other phyla, especially from the candidate divisions. Predatory bacteria that prey on cyanobacteria and predatory cyanobacteria that prey on Chlorella have also been found. These are also covered in this mini-review, and trans-phylum phylogenetic trees are presented.

Potential impacts of environmental bacteria on the microbiota of loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtle eggs and their hatching success

Sea turtle hatching success can be affected by many variables, including pathogenic microbes, but it is unclear which microbes are most impactful and how they are transmitted into the eggs. This study characterized and compared the bacterial communities from the (i) cloaca of nesting sea turtles (ii) sand within and surrounding the nests; and (iii) hatched and unhatched eggshells from loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) turtles. High throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene V4 region amplicons was performed on samples collected from 27 total nests in Fort Lauderdale and Hillsboro beaches in southeast Florida, United States. Significant differences were identified between hatched and unhatched egg microbiota with the differences caused predominately by Pseudomonas spp., found in higher abundances in unhatched eggs (19.29% relative abundance) than hatched eggs (1.10% relative abundance). Microbiota similarities indicate that the nest sand environment, particularly nest distance from dunes, played a larger role than the nesting mother's cloaca in influencing hatched and unhatched egg microbiota. Pathogenic bacteria potentially derive from mixed-mode transmission or additional sources not included in this study as suggested by the high proportion (24%-48%) of unhatched egg microbiota derived from unknown sources. Nonetheless, the results suggest Pseudomonas as a candidate pathogen or opportunistic colonizer associated with sea turtle egg-hatching failure.

Deciphering basic and key traits of antibiotic resistome in influent and effluent of hospital wastewater treatment systems

Hospital wastewater treatment system (HWTS) is an important source and environmental reservoir of clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, how antibiotic resistome of clinical wastewater changed in HWTS is poorly understood. Herein, the basic quantitative traits (i.e., diversity and abundance) of ARGs in three HWTSs were profiled by metagenomics. In total, 709 ARG subtypes belonging to 20 ARG types were detected with relative abundance ranging from 1.12 × 10^-5 to 7.33 × 10^-1 copies/cell. Notably, most ARGs could not be significantly removed by chlorination treatment in the HWTS. These ARGs were identified to confer resistance to almost all major classes of antibiotics and include ARGs of last-resort antibiotics, such as bla_NDM, mcr and tet(X) which were abundantly occurred in HWTS with 19, 5 and 7 variants, respectively. Moreover, qualitative analysis based on metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) analysis revealed that the putative hosts of the identified ARGs were broadly distributed into at least 8 dominant bacterial phyla. Of the 107 ARG-carrying MAGs recovered, 39 encoded multi-antibiotic resistance and 16 belonged to antibiotic resistant pathogens. Further analysis of co-occurrence patterns of ARGs with mobile genetic elements suggested their potential mobility. These key qualitative traits of ARGs provided further information about their phylogeny and genetic context. This study sheds light on the key traits of ARGs associated with resistance dissemination and pathogenicity and health risks of clinical wastewater.

Genome-centric view of the microbiome in a new deep-sea glass sponge species Bathydorus sp

Sponges are widely distributed in the global ocean and harbor diverse symbiotic microbes with mutualistic relationships. However, sponge symbionts in the deep sea remain poorly studied at the genome level. Here, we report a new glass sponge species of the genus Bathydorus and provide a genome-centric view of its microbiome. We obtained 14 high-quality prokaryotic metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) affiliated with the phyla Nitrososphaerota, Pseudomonadota, Nitrospirota, Bdellovibrionota, SAR324, Bacteroidota, and Patescibacteria. In total, 13 of these MAGs probably represent new species, suggesting the high novelty of the deep-sea glass sponge microbiome. An ammonia-oxidizing Nitrososphaerota MAG B01, which accounted for up to 70% of the metagenome reads, dominated the sponge microbiomes. The B01 genome had a highly complex CRISPR array, which likely represents an advantageous evolution toward a symbiotic lifestyle and forceful ability to defend against phages. A sulfur-oxidizing Gammaproteobacteria species was the second most dominant symbiont, and a nitrite-oxidizing Nitrospirota species could also be detected, but with lower relative abundance. Bdellovibrio species represented by two MAGs, B11 and B12, were first reported as potential predatory symbionts in deep-sea glass sponges and have undergone dramatic genome reduction. Comprehensive functional analysis indicated that most of the sponge symbionts encoded CRISPR-Cas systems and eukaryotic-like proteins for symbiotic interactions with the host. Metabolic reconstruction further illustrated their essential roles in carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles. In addition, diverse putative phages were identified from the sponge metagenomes. Our study expands the knowledge of microbial diversity, evolutionary adaption, and metabolic complementarity in deep-sea glass sponges.

The effects of biochar aging on rhizosphere microbial communities in cadmium-contaminated acid soil

Biochars are widely used in the remediation of Cd-contaminated soils. However, changes in the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere contaminated with Cd in response to biochar aging are poorly studied. Addressing this gap in knowledge is important to improving micro-ecological services on healthy growth of plants with mitigation strategies against Cd contamination. An aging experiment (270 days) was conducted with biochars derived from poultry litter and sugar-gum wood added to a Cd-contaminated acid soil. Bacterial communities in the rhizosphere of Brassica rapa and bulk soils were investigated after 1, 90 and 270 days of biochar aging. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in bacterial Shannon and Simpson indices between the control and biochar treatments. However, compared to the no-Cd control, the addition of Cd decreased the relative abundances of Firmicutes, Chloroflexi and Acidobacteriota but increased those of Actinobacteriota and Proteobacteria. Poultry-litter biochar had the largest effect on bacterial community composition, especially in the rhizosphere. Aging of poultry-litter biochar increased the abundance of Armatimonadota over time more than the sugar-gum-wood biochar, which was attributed to a lower pH and higher bioavailability of Cd in the sugar-gum-wood biochar treatment. The addition of poultry-litter biochar to the contaminated soil mitigated the bioaccumulation of Cd by increasing soil pH and restoring soil bacterial ecology in contaminated acid soils over time.

Biogeographical survey of soil microbiomes across sub-Saharan Africa: structure, drivers, and predicted climate-driven changes

BACKGROUND

Top-soil microbiomes make a vital contribution to the Earth's ecology and harbor an extraordinarily high biodiversity. They are also key players in many ecosystem services, particularly in arid regions of the globe such as the African continent. While several recent studies have documented patterns in global soil microbial ecology, these are largely biased towards widely studied regions and rely on models to interpolate the microbial diversity of other regions where there is low data coverage. This is the case for sub-Saharan Africa, where the number of regional microbial studies is very low in comparison to other continents.

RESULTS

The aim of this study was to conduct an extensive biogeographical survey of sub-Saharan Africa's top-soil microbiomes, with a specific focus on investigating the environmental drivers of microbial ecology across the region. In this study, we sampled 810 sample sites across 9 sub-Saharan African countries and used taxonomic barcoding to profile the microbial ecology of these regions. Our results showed that the sub-Saharan nations included in the study harbor qualitatively distinguishable soil microbiomes. In addition, using soil chemistry and climatic data extracted from the same sites, we demonstrated that the top-soil microbiome is shaped by a broad range of environmental factors, most notably pH, precipitation, and temperature. Through the use of structural equation modeling, we also developed a model to predict how soil microbial biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa might be affected by future climate change scenarios. This model predicted that the soil microbial biodiversity of countries such as Kenya will be negatively affected by increased temperatures and decreased precipitation, while the fungal biodiversity of Benin will benefit from the increase in annual precipitation.

CONCLUSION

This study represents the most extensive biogeographical survey of sub-Saharan top-soil microbiomes to date. Importantly, this study has allowed us to identify countries in sub-Saharan Africa that might be particularly vulnerable to losses in soil microbial ecology and productivity due to climate change. Considering the reliance of many economies in the region on rain-fed agriculture, this study provides crucial information to support conservation efforts in the countries that will be most heavily impacted by climate change. Video Abstract.

Bacillus pumilus Group Comparative Genomics: Toward Pangenome Features, Diversity, and Marine Environmental Adaptation

Background

Members of the Bacillus pumilus group (abbreviated as the Bp group) are quite diverse and ubiquitous in marine environments, but little is known about correlation with their terrestrial counterparts. In this study, 16 marine strains that we had isolated before were sequenced and comparative genome analyses were performed with a total of 52 Bp group strains. The analyses included 20 marine isolates (which included the 16 new strains) and 32 terrestrial isolates, and their evolutionary relationships, differentiation, and environmental adaptation.

Results

Phylogenomic analysis revealed that the marine Bp group strains were grouped into three species: B. pumilus, B. altitudinis and B. safensis. All the three share a common ancestor. However, members of B. altitudinis were observed to cluster independently, separating from the other two, thus diverging from the others. Consistent with the universal nature of genes involved in the functioning of the translational machinery, the genes related to translation were enriched in the core genome. Functional genomic analyses revealed that the marine-derived and the terrestrial strains showed differences in certain hypothetical proteins, transcriptional regulators, K⁺ transporter (TrK) and ABC transporters. However, species differences showed the precedence of environmental adaptation discrepancies. In each species, land specific genes were found with possible functions that likely facilitate survival in diverse terrestrial niches, while marine bacteria were enriched with genes of unknown functions and those related to transcription, phage defense, DNA recombination and repair.

Conclusion

Our results indicated that the Bp isolates show distinct genomic features even as they share a common core. The marine and land isolates did not evolve independently; the transition between marine and non-marine habitats might have occurred multiple times. The lineage exhibited a priority effect over the niche in driving their dispersal. Certain intra-species niche specific genes could be related to a strains adaptation to its respective marine or terrestrial environment(s). In summary, this report describes the systematic evolution of 52 Bp group strains and will facilitate future studies toward understanding their ecological role and adaptation to marine and/or terrestrial environments.