Fungal feeding preferences and molecular gut content analysis of two abundant oribatid mite species (Acari: Oribatida) under the canopy of Prosopis laevigata (Fabaceae) in a semi-arid land

Prosopis laevigata (mesquite; Fabaceae) forms fertility islands in soils of semi-arid lands where microbial diversity concentrates in response to the accumulation of resources in the soil beneath individual plants, promoting organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling. This phenomenon provides suitable conditions for the proliferation of key edaphic elements such as fungi and mites. Mite-fungal interactions are central for our understanding of nutrient cycling processes in resource-limited arid food webs; yet, no information is available about fertility islands in semi-arid lands. Thus, we aimed to determine in vitro fungal-based feeding preferences and molecular gut content of the oribatid mite species Zygoribatula cf. floridana and Scheloribates cf. laevigatus, which are abundant under the canopy of P. laevigata in an intertropical semi-arid zone in Central Mexico. Our results on the gut content analysis of these oribatid species resulted in the ITS-based identification of the following fungi: Aspergillus homomorphus, Beauveria bassiana, Filobasidium sp., Mortierella sp., Roussoella sp., Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sclerotiniaceae sp. and Triparticalcar sp. Furthermore, under laboratory conditions both oribatid mite species exhibited feeding preferences on melanized fungi, such as Cladosporium spp., whereas A. homomorphus and Fusarium penzigi were avoided. Our findings indicated that the analyzed oribatid mite species have similar feeding preferences for melanized fungi, which might suggest resource partitioning and a degree of preference, explaining the coexistence of both oribatid species.

Short-Term Evaluation of the Spatial Distribution of Trophic Groups of Amoebae in the Rhizosphere of Zea mays Inoculated with Rhizophagus intraradices

Primary production in terrestrial ecosystems is sustained by plants, microbiota, and fungi, which are the major organic matter providers in the root zone, setting in motion the soil food webs. Predators like soil amoebae voraciously feed on bacteria, fungi, and microbial eukaryotes releasing the nutrients sequestered in their biomass. Early food web setting up is crucial for seedling nutrition and its further development after establishment. Mycorrhizal fungi are more than phosphorus providers, and we wonder what their role is in structuring the predators' trophic groups in the root zone. We evaluated the effect of Rhizophagus intraradices inoculated in Zea mays (mycorrhizosphere), on the structuration of amoebae trophic groups along vertical and horizontal (3, 6, and 9 cm) soil distribution when compared to un-inoculated plants, after 20 days in microcosms. Amoebae species richness was highest in non-mycorrhizal seedlings in the root zone at 6- to 9-cm depth, and 3 cm away from plants. More bacterial species are needed when plants are devoid of mycorrhiza, and their influence is constrained 3 cm away from roots. Higher diversity of trophic groups was recorded at mycorrhizal seedlings and at the compartment influenced by the mycelium at 6- to 9-cm depth. The highest bacterivorous diversity, higher number of rare species and protozoa-eating amoebae, and the absence of fungivorous group recorded at the mycorrhizosphere of Z. mays, indicate that the community was very different from the non-mycorrhizal plants. We conclude that the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus exerts significant changes on the community of trophic groups of amoebae.

Effect of Predation by Colpoda sp. in Nitrogen Fixation Rate of Two Free-Living Bacteria

Biological nitrogen fixation is limited to several groups of prokaryotes, some of them reduce nitrogen as free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Protozoa predation on these latter releases sequestered nitrogen that may enhance the formation of new bacterial biomass and possibly increase nitrogen fixation within soil microbial communities. We aim to evaluate the predation effect of Colpoda sp. on two nitrogen fixers: Azospirillum lipoferum and Stenotrophomonas sp. during their lag, early exponential, and exponential phases. The kinetics of bacterial population growth was determined in the predators' presence or absence and the effect of predation on the rate of N fixation was evaluated through the reduction of acetylene to ethylene technique. Colpoda sp. showed a non-significant difference in preferences between the two species offered as prey. Consequently, the abundance of A. lipoferum and Stenotrophomonas sp. decreased significantly due to predator's pressure and both species responded by increasing their specific growth rate. Likewise, predation promoted greater nitrogen fixation rate by CFU during the lag phase in A. lipoferum (0.20 nM/CFU with predation vs 0.09 nM/CFU without predation) and Stenotrophomonas sp. (0.22 nM/CFU vs 0.09 nM/CFU respectively). During early exponential phase (29 h), the rate diminished to 0.13 and 0.05 nM/CFU in A. lipoferum and to 0.09 nM/CFU and 0.05 nM/CFU in Stenotrophomonas sp. Finally, during the exponential phase (52 h), only A. lipoferum without predation produced 0.003 nM/CFU of ethylene. Thus, the nitrogenase activity was higher in the lag and the early exponential phases when predator activity was involved.

Balamuthia mandrillaris in South America: an emerging potential hidden pathogen in Perú

Balamuthia mandrillaris is a free living amoeba that can be isolated from soil. It is an emerging pathogen causing skin lesions as well as CNS involvement with a fatal outcome if untreated. Further, infections can sometimes can also appear in peripheral areas such as extremities (usually knee), or trunk. Moreover, it often progresses to an infiltrative lesion that occasionally becomes ulcerated. In countries like Peru, a skin lesion will precede other symptoms. This primary cutaneous lesion can be present for weeks or even months. However, the appearance of neurological disease predicts a poor prognosis. Diagnosis requires a high level of suspicion.

Trophic structure of amoeba communities near roots of Medicago sativa after contamination with fuel oil no. 6

Root exudation increases microbial activity, selecting bacterial and fungal communities that metabolize organic matter such as hydrocarbons. However, a strong contamination pulse of hydrocarbons around plant roots may reorganize the soil's microbial trophic structure toward amoebae feeding on bacteria. We conducted a microcosm experiment to elucidate the effect of Medicago sativa on the trophic structure of naked amoebae after a strong pulse of pollution (50,000 ppm of fuel oil no. 6, which is a mixture of long chains ranging from C10 to C28). Plants were seeded 24 h after contamination and species of amoebae in the microcosms were identified at 1, 30, and 60 days after pollution. Several species from three trophic groups of naked amoeba were still alive 24 h after the hydrocarbon pulse. Non-planted microcosms harbored three trophic groups after 60 days, while planted ones nourished four groups. The bacterivore group was the most diverse in all microcosms, followed by protist-eaters and omnivores. The quantity of amoebae was significantly higher (3.4×10(3) organisms/g soil) in the planted pots than in the non-planted ones (1.3×10(3) organisms/g soil after 30 days of pollution (P ≤ 0.01). The shortest hydrocarbon chains (C10-C14) disappeared or diminished in all microcosms, and the longest ones increased in the planted ones. M. sativa thus exerted a positive effect on species richness, quantity, and the composition of amoebae trophic groups in contaminated soil. This indirect effect on bacterial predators is another key factor underlying hydrocarbon assimilation by living organisms during phytoremediation.

In vitro evaluation of the amebicidal activity of Buddleia cordata (Loganiaceae, H.B.K.) on several strains of Acanthamoeba

Infectious diseases produced by free-living amoebae from the genus Acanthamoeba have been recently recognized. The need for antiamebic compounds is urgent as the occurrence of these diseases is being registered more frequently since the late sixties. We screened the aqueous and methanolic extract of a plant used by folk medicine (Buddleia cordata) against eye and skin inflammation for antiamebic activity. We tested the extracts on 29 strains of free-living amoebae, with the result that they were amebostatic for 14 and 15 strains, respectively. We obtained linarin and vanillic acid from the extracts, but only linarin was amebostatic to all the strains and vanillic acid had no activity. However, acetyl vanillic acid had similar effects on amoebae to linarin. Threshold values of these two active compounds ranged from 31.25 microg/ml to 4 mg/ml and from 31.25 microg/ml to 8 mg/ml for linarin and acetyl vanillic acid, respectively. These differences in threshold values were observed even on several strains belonging to the same species (as in the case of A. castellanii and A. polyphaga) indicating the need of susceptibility testing for each clinical isolate of free-living amoebae.

Ecology of free-living amoebae

Small free-living amoebae (FLA) are the main predators controlling bacterial populations in soils. They are distributed in the rhizospheric zone and the surrounding bulk soil; however, they may spread deeper, reaching the vadose zone of groundwater systems, especially where bacterial populations get to high densities. Soil texture is the physical factor controlling the distribution of FLA because it determines the mean bore pore of soil aggregates and other important physical factors. FLA help maintain the high bacterial mineralization rate of organic matter through predation. As attachment onto a surface is necessary for feeding, the quantity of available surfaces is very important for developing this activity. However, the role of protozoa on plant growth promotion is still unclear because they may increase this effect by feeding on both fungi and bacteria. Small FLA are found in soils or sediments, as well as attached to suspended particulate matter in water columns, in the first 30 microns of water surface, or on the bodies of submerged animals and plants. These microorganisms do not distinguish between terrestrial or aquatic environments because they live in the interfaces between them. However, their importance in aquatic systems has been considered as negligible because they are outcompeted by free swimmers. The water conditions affecting amoebae survival are pH, temperature, concentration of sulfhydric acid and salinity. These factors have a strong influence on the structure of amoebae communities in aquatic environments. FLA are considered cosmopolitan as a group, and they live inside vertebrates, in soils, freshwater, marine waters, and on the aerial parts of plants and animals. These microbes, are spread by wind and water currents. Once in the air, cysts and trophozoites behave like any other suspended particulate matter. Therefore, suspension transportation, and removal depend on atmospheric dynamics rather than on their own mechanisms. Ultraviolet light and drought are the main causes of losing viability, but much needs to be learned about the effects of air contaminants on amoebal survival. Naked amoebae also live in the phyllosphere as part of phylloplane community, but their importance and participation in this environment remain unknown. Some species belonging to the genera Acanthamoebae, Naegleria, and Balamuthia cause fatal diseases in humans and are carriers of other pathogens such as Legionella pneumophilia. However, FLA communities can be of some utility in sewage treatment works based in soil filters. FLA's predatory activity in the root zone method may be of greater importance than previously thought, because this is their natural or more favorable environment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)