The decomposition of wood and detritus is challenging to most macroscopic organisms due to the recalcitrant nature of lignocellulose. Moreover, woody plants often protect themselves by synthesizing toxic or nocent compounds which infuse their tissues. Termites are essential wood decomposers in warmer terrestrial ecosystems and, as such, they have to cope with high concentrations of plant toxins in wood. In this paper, we evaluated the influence of wood age on the gut microbial (bacterial and fungal) communities associated with the termites Reticulitermes flavipes (Rhinotermitidae) (Kollar, 1837) and Microcerotermes biroi (Termitidae) (Desneux, 1905). We confirmed that the secondary metabolite concentration decreased with wood age. We identified a core microbial consortium maintained in the gut of R. flavipes and M. biroi and found that its diversity and composition were not altered by the wood age. Therefore, the concentration of secondary metabolites had no effect on the termite gut microbiome. We also found that both termite feeding activities and wood age affect the wood microbiome. Whether the increasing relative abundance of microbes with termite activities is beneficial to the termites is unknown and remains to be investigated. IMPORTANCE Termites can feed on wood thanks to their association with their gut microbes. However, the current understanding of termites as holobiont is limited. To our knowledge, no studies comprehensively reveal the influence of wood age on the termite-associated microbial assemblage. The wood of many tree species contains high concentrations of plant toxins that can vary with their age and may influence microbes. Here, we studied the impact of Norway spruce wood of varying ages and terpene concentrations on the microbial communities associated with the termites Reticulitermes flavipes (Rhinotermitidae) and Microcerotermes biroi (Termitidae). We performed a bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS2 metabarcoding study to reveal the microbial communities associated with R. flavipes and M. biroi and their impact on shaping the wood microbiome. We noted that a stable core microbiome in the termites was unaltered by the feeding substrate, while termite activities influenced the wood microbiome, suggesting that plant secondary metabolites have negligible effects on the termite gut microbiome. Hence, our study shed new insights into the termite-associated microbial assemblage under the influence of varying amounts of terpene content in wood and provides a groundwork for future investigations for developing symbiont-mediated termite control measures.
- MeSH
- Bacteria genetika MeSH
- dřevo * metabolismus MeSH
- ekosystém MeSH
- Isoptera * mikrobiologie MeSH
- RNA ribozomální 16S genetika metabolismus MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
As most eukaryotic genomes are yet to be sequenced, the mechanisms underlying their contribution to different ecosystem processes remain untapped. Although approaches to recovering Prokaryotic genomes have become common in genome biology, few studies have tackled the recovery of eukaryotic genomes from metagenomes. This study assessed the reconstruction of microbial eukaryotic genomes using 6000 metagenomes from terrestrial and some transition environments using the EukRep pipeline. Only 215 metagenomic libraries yielded eukaryotic bins. From a total of 447 eukaryotic bins recovered 197 were classified at the phylum level. Streptophytes and fungi were the most represented clades with 83 and 73 bins, respectively. More than 78% of the obtained eukaryotic bins were recovered from samples whose biomes were classified as host-associated, aquatic, and anthropogenic terrestrial. However, only 93 bins were taxonomically assigned at the genus level and 17 bins at the species level. Completeness and contamination estimates were obtained for a total of 193 bins and consisted of 44.64% (σ = 27.41%) and 3.97% (σ = 6.53%), respectively. Micromonas commoda was the most frequent taxon found while Saccharomyces cerevisiae presented the highest completeness, probably because more reference genomes are available. Current measures of completeness are based on the presence of single-copy genes. However, mapping of the contigs from the recovered eukaryotic bins to the chromosomes of the reference genomes showed many gaps, suggesting that completeness measures should also include chromosome coverage. Recovering eukaryotic genomes will benefit significantly from long-read sequencing, development of tools for dealing with repeat-rich genomes, and improved reference genomes databases.
- MeSH
- ekosystém MeSH
- Eukaryota * genetika MeSH
- genom mikrobiální MeSH
- houby genetika MeSH
- metagenom * MeSH
- metagenomika MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Despite several efforts to unravel the microbial diversity of soil, most microbes are still unknown. A recent large-scale effort based on genome-resolved metagenomics by Nayfach et al. has demonstrated how this approach can expand our understanding of novel bacterial lineages, including those from soils. Genomic catalogs of soil microbiomes are now enabling a deeper investigation of the evolutionary and functional role of high-complex soil microbiomes, promoting new knowledge from the reuse and sharing of multi-omics data.
The objective of the present study was to evaluate how altitudinal gradients shape the composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities, humus forms and soil properties across six altitude levels in Hyrcanian forests. Soil microbiomes were characterized by sequencing amplicons of selected molecular markers. Soil chemistry and plant mycorrhizal type were the two dominant factors explaining variations in bacterial and fungal diversity, respectively. The lowest altitude level had more favorable conditions for the formation of mull humus and exhibited higher N and Ca contents. These conditions were also associated with a higher proportion of Betaproteobacteria, Acidimicrobia, Acidobacteria and Nitrospirae. Low soil and forest floor quality as well as lower bacterial and fungal diversity characterized higher altitude levels, along with a high proportion of shared bacterial (Thermoleophilia, Actinobacteria and Bacilli) and fungal (Eurotiomycetes and Mortierellomycota) taxa. Beech-dominated sites showed moderate soil quality and high bacterial (Alphaproteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes and Bacteroidetes) and fungal (Basidiomycota) diversity. Particularly, the Basidiomycota were well represented in pure beech forests at an altitude of 1500 m. In fertile and nitrogen rich soils with neutral pH, soil quality decreased along the altitudinal gradient, indicating that microbial diversity and forest floor decomposition were likely constrained by climatic conditions.
- MeSH
- Bacteria genetika MeSH
- houby genetika MeSH
- lesy MeSH
- mykobiom * MeSH
- mykorhiza * MeSH
- půda MeSH
- půdní mikrobiologie MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Mycorrhizal fungi are mutualists that play crucial roles in nutrient acquisition in terrestrial ecosystems. Mycorrhizal symbioses arose repeatedly across multiple lineages of Mucoromycotina, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota. Considerable variation exists in the capacity of mycorrhizal fungi to acquire carbon from soil organic matter. Here, we present a combined analysis of 135 fungal genomes from 73 saprotrophic, endophytic and pathogenic species, and 62 mycorrhizal species, including 29 new mycorrhizal genomes. This study samples ecologically dominant fungal guilds for which there were previously no symbiotic genomes available, including ectomycorrhizal Russulales, Thelephorales and Cantharellales. Our analyses show that transitions from saprotrophy to symbiosis involve (1) widespread losses of degrading enzymes acting on lignin and cellulose, (2) co-option of genes present in saprotrophic ancestors to fulfill new symbiotic functions, (3) diversification of novel, lineage-specific symbiosis-induced genes, (4) proliferation of transposable elements and (5) divergent genetic innovations underlying the convergent origins of the ectomycorrhizal guild.
- MeSH
- ekosystém MeSH
- fungální proteiny genetika MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- fyziologie rostlin MeSH
- genom fungální * MeSH
- houby klasifikace genetika fyziologie MeSH
- molekulární evoluce MeSH
- mykorhiza klasifikace genetika fyziologie MeSH
- rostliny mikrobiologie MeSH
- symbióza * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
Alien plants represent a potential threat to environment and society. Understanding the process of alien plants naturalization is therefore of primary importance. In alien plants, successful establishment can be constrained by the absence of suitable fungal partners. Here, we used 42 independent datasets of ectomycorrhizal fungal (EcMF) communities associated with alien Pinaceae and Eucalyptus spp., as the most commonly introduced tree species worldwide, to explore the strategies these plant groups utilize to establish symbioses with EcMF in the areas of introduction. We have also determined the differences in composition of EcMF communities associated with alien ectomycorrhizal plants in different regions. While alien Pinaceae introduced to new regions rely upon association with co-introduced EcMF, alien Eucalyptus often form novel interactions with EcMF species native to the region where the plant was introduced. The region of origin primarily determines species composition of EcMF communities associated with alien Pinaceae in new areas, which may largely affect invasion potential of the alien plants. Our study shows that alien ectomycorrhizal plants largely differ in their ability to interact with co-introduced and native ectomycorrhizal fungi in sites of introduction, which may potentially affect their invasive potential.
- MeSH
- mykorhiza * MeSH
- rostliny MeSH
- stromy MeSH
- symbióza MeSH
- zavlečené druhy MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
The evolutionary and environmental factors that shape fungal biogeography are incompletely understood. Here, we assemble a large dataset consisting of previously generated mycobiome data linked to specific geographical locations across the world. We use this dataset to describe the distribution of fungal taxa and to look for correlations with different environmental factors such as climate, soil and vegetation variables. Our meta-study identifies climate as an important driver of different aspects of fungal biogeography, including the global distribution of common fungi as well as the composition and diversity of fungal communities. In our analysis, fungal diversity is concentrated at high latitudes, in contrast with the opposite pattern previously shown for plants and other organisms. Mycorrhizal fungi appear to have narrower climatic tolerances than pathogenic fungi. We speculate that climate change could affect ecosystem functioning because of the narrow climatic tolerances of key fungal taxa.
Soil microorganisms are important mediators of carbon cycling in nature. Although cellulose- and hemicellulose-degrading bacteria have been isolated from Algerian ecosystems, the information on the composition of soil bacterial communities and thus the potential of their members to decompose plant residues is still limited. The objective of the present study was to describe and compare the bacterial community composition in Algerian soils (crop, forest, garden, and desert) and the activity of cellulose- and hemicellulose-degrading enzymes. Bacterial communities were characterized by high-throughput 16S amplicon sequencing followed by the in silico prediction of their functional potential. The highest lignocellulolytic activity was recorded in forest and garden soils whereas activities in the agricultural and desert soils were typically low. The bacterial phyla Proteobacteria (in particular classes α-proteobacteria, δ-proteobacteria, and γ-proteobacteria), Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria dominated in all soils. Forest and garden soils exhibited higher diversity than agricultural and desert soils. Endocellulase activity was elevated in forest and garden soils. In silico analysis predicted higher share of genes assigned to general metabolism in forest and garden soils compared with agricultural and arid soils, particularly in carbohydrate metabolism. The highest potential of lignocellulose decomposition was predicted for forest soils, which is in agreement with the highest activity of corresponding enzymes.
- MeSH
- Bacteria klasifikace enzymologie genetika izolace a purifikace MeSH
- bakteriální proteiny genetika metabolismus MeSH
- celulasa genetika metabolismus MeSH
- ekosystém MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- glykosidhydrolasy genetika metabolismus MeSH
- lesy MeSH
- půda chemie MeSH
- půdní mikrobiologie * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Alžírsko MeSH
"Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum" (CPp) is a highly destructive phytopathogenic agent in many stone fruit-growing regions in Europe and the surrounding countries. In this work, we focused on documenting entire bacterial community in the phloem tissues of 60 stone fruit trees. Nested PCR and two real-time PCR assays were used to select CPp-positive (group A) and CPp-negative samples (group B). Afterwards, high-throughput amplicon sequencing was performed to assess bacterial community compositions in phloem tissues. The bacterial composition in phloem tissue consisted of 118 distinct genera, represented mainly by Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Methylobacterium, Sphingomonas, and Rhizobium. Statistics showed that CPp influenced the bacterial composition of infected plants (group A) and that the bacterial community depended on the geographical origin of the sample. This is the first work focusing on an analysis of the influence of CPp on the bacteria coexisting in the phloem tissues of stone fruit trees.
The concept of operational taxonomic units (OTUs), which constructs "mathematically" defined taxa, is widely accepted and applied to describe bacterial communities using amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. OTUs are often used to infer functional traits since they are considered to fairly represent of community members. However, the link between molecular taxa, real taxa, and OTUs seems to be much more complicated. Strains of the same bacterial species (ideally belonging to the same OTU) typically only share some genes (the core genome), while other genes are strain-specific and unique. It is thus unclear to what extent are important functional traits homogeneous within an OTU and how correctly can functional traits be inferred for individual OTU members. Here, we have tested in silico the similarity of all genes and, more specifically, the set of genes encoding for glycoside hydrolases (GH) in bacterial genomes that belong to the same OTU. Genome similarity varied among OTUs, but as many as 5-78% of genes were not shared between the two bacterial genomes in the pair. The complement of GH families (the presence of gene families and the number of genes per family) differed in 95% of OTUs. In average, 43% of GH families either differed in gene counts or were present in one genome and absent in the other. These results show a serious limitation of the OTU-based approaches when used to infer the functional traits of bacterial communities and open the questions how to link environmental sequencing data and microbial functions.
- MeSH
- Bacteria klasifikace genetika MeSH
- bakteriální geny genetika MeSH
- databáze nukleových kyselin MeSH
- DNA bakterií genetika MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- genetická variace MeSH
- genom bakteriální genetika MeSH
- glykosidhydrolasy genetika MeSH
- metagenomika * MeSH
- mikrobiota MeSH
- RNA ribozomální 16S genetika MeSH
- sekvenční analýza DNA MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
