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Richards SC, King WL, Sutherland JL, Bell TH. Leveraging aquatic-terrestrial interfaces to capture putative habitat generalists. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2024; 371:fnae025. [PMID: 38553956 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnae025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Habitat type is a strong determinant of microbial composition. Habitat interfaces, such as the boundary between aquatic and terrestrial systems, present unique combinations of abiotic factors for microorganisms to contend with. Aside from the spillover of certain harmful microorganisms from agricultural soils into water (e.g. fecal coliform bacteria), we know little about the extent of soil-water habitat switching across microbial taxa. In this study, we developed a proof-of-concept system to facilitate the capture of putatively generalist microorganisms that can colonize and persist in both soil and river water. We aimed to examine the phylogenetic breadth of putative habitat switchers and how this varies across different source environments. Microbial composition was primarily driven by recipient environment type, with the strongest phylogenetic signal seen at the order level for river water colonizers. We also identified more microorganisms colonizing river water when soil was collected from a habitat interface (i.e. soil at the side of an intermittently flooded river, compared to soil collected further from water sources), suggesting that environmental interfaces could be important reservoirs of microbial habitat generalists. Continued development of experimental systems that actively capture microorganisms that thrive in divergent habitats could serve as a powerful tool for identifying and assessing the ecological distribution of microbial generalists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Richards
- Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States
- International Agriculture and Development Graduate Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States
| | - William L King
- Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy L Sutherland
- Department of Plant Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States
| | - Terrence H Bell
- Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States
- International Agriculture and Development Graduate Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States
- Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C1A4, Canada
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Evans T, Kumschick S, Dyer E, Blackburn T. Comparing determinants of alien bird impacts across two continents: implications for risk assessment and management. Ecol Evol 2014; 4:2957-67. [PMID: 25165531 PMCID: PMC4130451 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Revised: 05/19/2014] [Accepted: 05/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasive alien species can have serious adverse impacts on both the environment and the economy. Being able to predict the impacts of an alien species could assist in preventing or reducing these impacts. This study aimed to establish whether there are any life history traits consistently correlated with the impacts of alien birds across two continents, Europe and Australia, as a first step toward identifying life history traits that may have the potential to be adopted as predictors of alien bird impacts. A recently established impact scoring system was used in combination with a literature review to allocate impact scores to alien bird species with self-sustaining populations in Australia. These scores were then tested for correlation with a series of life history traits. The results were compared to data from a previous study in Europe, undertaken using the same methodology, in order to establish whether there are any life history traits consistently correlated with impact across both continents. Habitat generalism was the only life history trait found to be consistently correlated with impact in both Europe and Australia. This trait shows promise as a potential predictor of alien bird impacts. The results support the findings of previous studies in this field, and could be used to inform decisions regarding the prevention and management of future invasions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Evans
- Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, U.K
| | - Sabrina Kumschick
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1 Matieland, 7602, South Africa
| | - Ellie Dyer
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park London, NW1 4RY, U.K ; Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London London, WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Tim Blackburn
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park London, NW1 4RY, U.K ; Distinguished Scientist Fellowship Program, King Saud University Riyadh, 1145, Saudi Arabia ; Environment Institute, School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
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