Omics-based methods are increasingly used in current ecotoxicology. Therefore, a large number of observations for various toxic substances and organisms are available and may be used for identifying modes of action, adverse outcome pathways, or novel biomarkers. For these purposes, good statistical analysis of toxicogenomic data is vital. In contrast to established ecotoxicological techniques, concentration-response modeling is rarely used for large datasets. Instead, statistical hypothesis testing is prevalent, which provides only a limited scope for inference. The present study therefore applied automated concentration-response modeling for 3 different ecotoxicotranscriptomic and ecotoxicometabolomic datasets. The modeling process was performed by simultaneously applying 9 different regression models, representing distinct mechanistic, toxicological, and statistical ideas that result in different curve shapes. The best-fitting models were selected by using Akaike's information criterion. The linear and exponential models represented the best data description for more than 50% of responses. Models generating U-shaped curves were frequently selected for transcriptomic signals (30%), and sigmoid models were identified as best fit for many metabolomic signals (21%). Thus, selecting the models from an array of different types seems appropriate, because concentration-response functions may vary because of the observed response type, and they also depend on the compound, the organism, and the investigated concentration and exposure duration range. The application of concentration-response models can help to further tap the potential of omics data and is a necessary step for quantitative mixture effect assessment at the molecular response level.

• Klíčová slova
• Biostatistics, Dose-response modeling, Ecotoxicogenomics, Mixture toxicity, Myriophyllum, Zebrafish embryo,
• MeSH
• dánio pruhované růst a vývoj   metabolismus   MeSH
• ekosystém * MeSH
• embryo nesavčí účinky léků   metabolismus   MeSH
• genomika * MeSH
• látky znečišťující životní prostředí toxicita   MeSH
• lineární modely MeSH
• metabolomika * MeSH
• rychlé screeningové testy MeSH
• sekvenční analýza hybridizací s uspořádaným souborem oligonukleotidů MeSH
• tetrachlorethylen toxicita   MeSH
• transkriptom účinky léků   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• látky znečišťující životní prostředí MeSH
• tetrachlorethylen MeSH

Understanding the dynamics of communities in space and time requires reconciling ecological and evolutionary processes, including colonization, adaptation, speciation and extinction. In practice, this has been challenging because empirical data obtained by traditional methods and predictive models typically focus on particular processes driving local community assembly and biogeographical structure. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, by using phylogenomics, population genomics and phenomics approaches, Darwell et al. show that ant community assembly on islands is governed by predictable eco-evolutionary trends of geographical range expansion, adaptive radiation and local population decline. The authors provide one of the most robust lines of evidence that the evolutionary progression of island communities may often be directional and repeatable, as predicted by the concept of taxon cycles.

• Klíčová slova
• adaptation, ants, colonization, community assembly, speciation, taxon cycle,
• MeSH
• biologická evoluce MeSH
• fenomika MeSH
• Formicidae * MeSH
• genomika MeSH
• ostrovy MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• komentáře MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• zprávy MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• ostrovy MeSH

Anaerobic fungi (phylum Neocallimastigomycota) are common inhabitants of the digestive tract of mammalian herbivores, and in the rumen, can account for up to 20% of the microbial biomass. Anaerobic fungi play a primary role in the degradation of lignocellulosic plant material. They also have a syntrophic interaction with methanogenic archaea, which increases their fiber degradation activity. To date, nine anaerobic fungal genera have been described, with further novel taxonomic groupings known to exist based on culture-independent molecular surveys. However, the true extent of their diversity may be even more extensively underestimated as anaerobic fungi continue being discovered in yet unexplored gut and non-gut environments. Additionally many studies are now known to have used primers that provide incomplete coverage of the Neocallimastigomycota. For ecological studies the internal transcribed spacer 1 region (ITS1) has been the taxonomic marker of choice, but due to various limitations the large subunit rRNA (LSU) is now being increasingly used. How the continued expansion of our knowledge regarding anaerobic fungal diversity will impact on our understanding of their biology and ecological role remains unclear; particularly as it is becoming apparent that anaerobic fungi display niche differentiation. As a consequence, there is a need to move beyond the broad generalization of anaerobic fungi as fiber-degraders, and explore the fundamental differences that underpin their ability to exist in distinct ecological niches. Application of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics to their study in pure/mixed cultures and environmental samples will be invaluable in this process. To date the genomes and transcriptomes of several characterized anaerobic fungal isolates have been successfully generated. In contrast, the application of proteomics and metabolomics to anaerobic fungal analysis is still in its infancy. A central problem for all analyses, however, is the limited functional annotation of anaerobic fungal sequence data. There is therefore an urgent need to expand information held within publicly available reference databases. Once this challenge is overcome, along with improved sample collection and extraction, the application of these techniques will be key in furthering our understanding of the ecological role and impact of anaerobic fungi in the wide range of environments they inhabit.

• Klíčová slova
• (meta) transcriptomics, Neocallimastigomycota, anaerobic fungi, genomics, metabolomics, phylogeny, proteomics, rumen,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

For several decades, researchers are working to develop improved major crops with better adaptability and tolerance to environmental stresses. Forage legumes have been widely spread in the world due to their great ecological and economic values. Abiotic and biotic stresses are main factors limiting legume production, however, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) shows relatively high level of tolerance to drought and salt stress. Efforts focused on alfalfa improvements have led to the release of cultivars with new traits of agronomic importance such as high yield, better stress tolerance or forage quality. Alfalfa has very high nutritional value due to its efficient symbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, while deep root system can help to prevent soil water loss in dry lands. The use of modern biotechnology tools is challenging in alfalfa since full genome, unlike to its close relative barrel medic (Medicago truncatula Gaertn.), was not released yet. Identification, isolation, and improvement of genes involved in abiotic or biotic stress response significantly contributed to the progress of our understanding how crop plants cope with these environmental challenges. In this review, we provide an overview of the progress that has been made in high-throughput sequencing, characterization of genes for abiotic or biotic stress tolerance, gene editing, as well as proteomic and metabolomics techniques bearing biotechnological potential for alfalfa improvement.

• Klíčová slova
• Medicago sativa, alfalfa, genomics, metabolomics, proteomics, stress resistance genes,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

Biocrusts are crucial components of Arctic ecosystems, playing significant roles in carbon and nitrogen cycling, especially in regions where plant growth is limited. However, the microbial communities within Arctic biocrusts and their strategies for surviving the harsh conditions remain poorly understood. In this study, the microbial profiles of Arctic biocrusts across different seasons (summer, autumn, and winter) were investigated in order to elucidate their survival strategies in extreme conditions. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses revealed significant differences in microbial community composition among the sites located in different elevations. The bacterial communities were dominated by Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, while the fungal communities were mainly represented by Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, with lichenized and saprotrophic traits prevailing. Cyanobacteria were primarily composed of heterocystous cyanobacteria. Furthermore, the study identified molecular mechanisms underlying cold adaptation, including the expression of heat shock proteins and cold-inducible RNA helicases in cyanobacteria and fungi. Overall, the microbial communities appear to be permanently well adapted to the extreme environment.

• Klíčová slova
• Cold adaptation, Environmental parameters, Meta-omics, Polar, Seasons, soil microbial communities,
• MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• houby * genetika   klasifikace   MeSH
• mikrobiota * MeSH
• roční období * MeSH
• sinice * genetika   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Arktida MeSH

The metabolome represents an important functional trait likely important to plant invasion success, but we have a limited understanding of whether the entire metabolome or targeted groups of compounds confer an advantage to invasive as compared to native taxa. We conducted a lipidomic and metabolomic analysis of the cosmopolitan wetland grass Phragmites australis. We classified features into metabolic pathways, subclasses, and classes. Subsequently, we used Random Forests to identify informative features to differentiate five phylogeographic and ecologically distinct lineages: European native, North American invasive, North American native, Gulf, and Delta. We found that lineages had unique phytochemical fingerprints, although there was overlap between the North American invasive and North American native lineages. Furthermore, we found that divergence in phytochemical diversity was driven by compound evenness rather than metabolite richness. Interestingly, the North American invasive lineage had greater chemical evenness than the Delta and Gulf lineages but lower evenness than the North American native lineage. Our results suggest that metabolomic evenness may represent a critical functional trait within a plant species. Its role in invasion success, resistance to herbivory, and large-scale die-off events common to this and other plant species remain to be investigated.

• Klíčová slova
• Common Reed, Ecological Omics, Invasion Ecology, Invasive Plant Species, Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (LC–MS), Phytochemistry,
• MeSH
• fenotyp MeSH
• fytonutrienty MeSH
• lipnicovité * MeSH
• mokřady * MeSH
• rostliny MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• fytonutrienty MeSH

Lipid metabolism is recognised as being central to growth, disease and health. Lipids, therefore, have an important place in current research on globally significant topics such as food security and biodiversity loss. However, answering questions in these important fields of research requires not only identification and measurement of lipids in a wider variety of sample types than ever before, but also hypothesis-driven analysis of the resulting 'big data'. We present a novel pipeline that can collect data from a wide range of biological sample types, taking 1 000 000 lipid measurements per 384 well plate, and analyse the data systemically. We provide evidence of the power of the tool through proof-of-principle studies using edible fish (mackerel, bream, seabass) and colonies of Bombus terrestris. Bee colonies were found to be more like mini-ecosystems and there was evidence for considerable changes in lipid metabolism in bees through key developmental stages. This is the first report of either high throughput LCMS lipidomics or systemic analysis in individuals, colonies and ecosystems. This novel approach provides new opportunities to analyse metabolic systems at different scales at a level of detail not previously feasible, to answer research questions about societally important topics.

• MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• lipidomika * metody   MeSH
• lipidy analýza   MeSH
• metabolismus lipidů * MeSH
• ryby metabolismus   MeSH
• včely metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• lipidy MeSH

Coastal upwelling regions are among the most productive marine ecosystems but may be threatened by amplified ocean acidification. Increased acidification is hypothesized to reduce iron bioavailability for phytoplankton thereby expanding iron limitation and impacting primary production. Here we show from community to molecular levels that phytoplankton in an upwelling region respond to short-term acidification exposure with iron uptake pathways and strategies that reduce cellular iron demand. A combined physiological and multi-omics approach was applied to trace metal clean incubations that introduced 1200 ppm CO2 for up to four days. Although variable, molecular-level responses indicate a prioritization of iron uptake pathways that are less hindered by acidification and reductions in iron utilization. Growth, nutrient uptake, and community compositions remained largely unaffected suggesting that these mechanisms may confer short-term resistance to acidification; however, we speculate that cellular iron demand is only temporarily satisfied, and longer-term acidification exposure without increased iron inputs may result in increased iron stress.

• MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• fytoplankton * metabolismus   MeSH
• koncentrace vodíkových iontů MeSH
• mořská voda * MeSH
• železo metabolismus   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
• Názvy látek
• železo MeSH

We lack a predictive understanding of the environmental drivers determining the structure and function of archaeal communities as well as the proteome associated with these important soil organisms. Here, we characterized the structure (by 16S rRNA gene sequencing) and function (by metaproteomics) of archaea from 32 soil samples across terrestrial ecosystems with contrasting climate and vegetation types. Our multi-"omics" approach unveiled that genes from Nitrosophaerales and Thermoplasmata dominated soils collected from four continents, and that archaea comprise 2.3 ± 0.3% of microbial proteins in these soils. Aridity positively correlated with the proportion of Nitrosophaerales genes and the number of archaeal proteins. The interaction of climate x vegetation shaped the functional profile of the archaeal community. Our study provides novel insights into the structure and function of soil archaea across climates, and highlights that these communities may be influenced by increasing global aridity.

• Klíčová slova
• 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, Archaea, Climate, Metaproteomics, Soil, Vegetation,
• MeSH
• Archaea * genetika   MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• půda * MeSH
• půdní mikrobiologie MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 16S MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• půda * MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 16S MeSH

Tree growth and survival are dependent on their ability to perceive signals, integrate them, and trigger timely and fitted molecular and growth responses. While ectomycorrhizal symbiosis is a predominant tree-microbe interaction in forest ecosystems, little is known about how and to what extent it helps trees cope with environmental changes. We hypothesized that the presence of Laccaria bicolor influences abiotic cue perception by Populus trichocarpa and the ensuing signaling cascade. We submitted ectomycorrhizal or non-ectomycorrhizal P. trichocarpa cuttings to short-term cessation of watering or ozone fumigation to focus on signaling networks before the onset of any physiological damage. Poplar gene expression, metabolite levels, and hormone levels were measured in several organs (roots, leaves, mycorrhizas) and integrated into networks. We discriminated the signal responses modified or maintained by ectomycorrhization. Ectomycorrhizas buffered hormonal changes in response to short-term environmental variations systemically prepared the root system for further fungal colonization and alleviated part of the root abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. The presence of ectomycorrhizas in the roots also modified the leaf multi-omics landscape and ozone responses, most likely through rewiring of the molecular drivers of photosynthesis and the calcium signaling pathway. In conclusion, P. trichocarpa-L. bicolor symbiosis results in a systemic remodeling of the host's signaling networks in response to abiotic changes. In addition, ectomycorrhizal, hormonal, metabolic, and transcriptomic blueprints are maintained in response to abiotic cues, suggesting that ectomycorrhizas are less responsive than non-mycorrhizal roots to abiotic challenges.

• Klíčová slova
• Laccaria bicolor, co-expression modules, hormonal profiling, metabolome, mycorrhizas, ozone, poplar, soil water deficit,
• MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• kořeny rostlin metabolismus   MeSH
• mykorhiza * fyziologie   MeSH
• ozon * MeSH
• podněty MeSH
• Populus * genetika   MeSH
• symbióza MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• ozon * MeSH