scholarly journals Biogeography rather than substrate type determines bacterial colonization dynamics of marine plastics

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12135
Author(s):  
Ashley K. Coons ◽  
Kathrin Busch ◽  
Mark Lenz ◽  
Ute Hentschel ◽  
Erik Borchert

Since the middle of the 20th century, plastics have been incorporated into our everyday lives at an exponential rate. In recent years, the negative impacts of plastics, especially as environmental pollutants, have become evident. Marine plastic debris represents a relatively new and increasingly abundant substrate for colonization by microbial organisms, although the full functional potential of these organisms is yet to be uncovered. In the present study, we investigated plastic type and incubation location as drivers of marine bacterial community structure development on plastics, i.e., the Plastisphere, via 16S rRNA amplicon analysis. Four distinct plastic types: high-density polyethylene (HDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polyamide (PA), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and glass-slide controls were incubated for five weeks in the coastal waters of four different biogeographic locations (Cape Verde, Chile, Japan, South Africa) during July and August of 2019. The primary driver of the coastal Plastisphere composition was identified as incubation location, i.e., biogeography, while substrate type did not have a significant effect on bacterial community composition. The bacterial communities were consistently dominated by the classes Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Bacteroidia, irrespective of sampling location or substrate type, however a core bacterial Plastisphere community was not observable at lower taxonomic levels. Overall, this study sheds light on the question of whether bacterial communities on plastic debris are shaped by the physicochemical properties of the substrate they grow on or by the marine environment in which the plastics are immersed. This study enhances the current understanding of biogeographic variability in the Plastisphere by including biofilms from plastics incubated in the previously uncharted Southern Hemisphere.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janina Lange ◽  
Sebastian Fraune ◽  
Thomas C.G. Bosch ◽  
Tim Lachnit

AbstractMany multicellular organisms are closely associated with a specific bacterial community and therefore considered “metaorganisms”. Controlling the bacterial community composition is essential for the stability and function of metaorganisms, but the factors contributing to the maintenance of host specific bacterial colonization are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that in Hydra the most dominant bacterial colonizer Curvibacter sp. is associated with an intact prophage which can be induced by different environmental stressors both in vitro and in vivo. Differences in the induction capacity of Curvibacter phage TJ1 in culture (in vitro) and on Hydra (in vivo) imply that the habitat of the prokaryotic host and/or bacterial frequency dependent factors influence phage inducibility. Moreover, we show that phage TJ1 features a broad host range against other bacterial colonizer and is directly capable to affect bacterial colonization on Hydra. From these results we conclude that prophages are hidden part of the microbiome interfering with bacteria-bacteria interactions and have the potential to influence the composition of host associated bacterial communities.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1465
Author(s):  
Chao Shen ◽  
Liuyan Huang ◽  
Guangwu Xie ◽  
Yulai Wang ◽  
Zongkai Ma ◽  
...  

Increasing discharge of plastic debris into aquatic ecosystems and the worsening ecological risks have received growing attention. Once released, plastic debris could serve as a new substrate for microbes in waters. The complex relationship between plastics and biofilms has aroused great interest. To confirm the hypothesis that the presence of plastic in water affects the composition of biofilm in natural state, in situ biofilm culture experiments were conducted in a lake for 40 days. The diversity of biofilm attached on natural (cobble stones (CS) and wood) and plastic substrates (Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)) were compared, and the community structure and composition were also analyzed. Results from high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA showed that the diversity and species richness of biofilm bacterial communities on natural substrate (observed species of 1353~1945, Simpson index of 0.977~0.989 and Shannon–Wiener diversity index of 7.42~8.60) were much higher than those on plastic substrates (observed species of 900~1146, Simpson index of 0.914~0.975 and Shannon–Wiener diversity index of 5.47~6.99). The NMDS analyses were used to confirm the taxonomic significance between different samples, and Anosim (p = 0.001, R = 0.892) and Adonis (p = 0.001, R = 808, F = 11.19) demonstrated that this classification was statistically rigorous. Different dominant bacterial communities were found on plastic and natural substrates. Alphaproteobacterial, Betaproteobacteria and Synechococcophycideae dominated on the plastic substrate, while Gammaproteobacteria, Phycisphaerae and Planctomycetia played the main role on the natural substrates. The bacterial community structure of the two substrates also showed significant difference which is consistent with previous studies using other polymer types. Our results shed light on the fact that plastic debris can serve as a new habitat for biofilm colonization, unlike natural substrates, pathogens and plastic-degrading microorganisms selectively attached to plastic substrates, which affected the bacterial community structure and composition in aquatic environment. This study provided a new insight into understanding the potential impacts of plastics serving as a new habitat for microbial communities in freshwater environments. Future research should focus on the potential impacts of plastic-attached biofilms in various aquatic environments and the whole life cycle of plastics (i.e., from plastic fragments to microplastics) and also microbial flock characteristics using microbial plastics in the natural environment should also be addressed.


2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (15) ◽  
pp. 5111-5120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian L. Lauber ◽  
Micah Hamady ◽  
Rob Knight ◽  
Noah Fierer

ABSTRACT Soils harbor enormously diverse bacterial populations, and soil bacterial communities can vary greatly in composition across space. However, our understanding of the specific changes in soil bacterial community structure that occur across larger spatial scales is limited because most previous work has focused on either surveying a relatively small number of soils in detail or analyzing a larger number of soils with techniques that provide little detail about the phylogenetic structure of the bacterial communities. Here we used a bar-coded pyrosequencing technique to characterize bacterial communities in 88 soils from across North and South America, obtaining an average of 1,501 sequences per soil. We found that overall bacterial community composition, as measured by pairwise UniFrac distances, was significantly correlated with differences in soil pH (r = 0.79), largely driven by changes in the relative abundances of Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes across the range of soil pHs. In addition, soil pH explains a significant portion of the variability associated with observed changes in the phylogenetic structure within each dominant lineage. The overall phylogenetic diversity of the bacterial communities was also correlated with soil pH (R2 = 0.50), with peak diversity in soils with near-neutral pHs. Together, these results suggest that the structure of soil bacterial communities is predictable, to some degree, across larger spatial scales, and the effect of soil pH on bacterial community composition is evident at even relatively coarse levels of taxonomic resolution.


PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Yan Kong ◽  
Dexiong Teng ◽  
Xueni Zhang ◽  
Xuemin He ◽  
...  

BackgroundRecently, researches have begun to investigate the microbial communities associated with halophytes. Both rhizobacterial community composition and the environmental drivers of community assembly have been addressed. However, few studies have explored the structure of rhizobacterial communities associated with halophytic plants that are co-occurring in arid, salinized areas.MethodsFive halophytes were selected for study: these co-occurred in saline soils in the Ebinur Lake Nature Reserve, located at the western margin of the Gurbantunggut Desert of Northwestern China. Halophyte-associated bacterial communities were sampled, and the bacterial 16S rDNA V3–V4 region amplified and sequenced using the Illumina Miseq platform. The bacterial community diversity and structure were compared between the rhizosphere and bulk soils, as well as among the rhizosphere samples. The effects of plant species identity and soil properties on the bacterial communities were also analyzed.ResultsSignificant differences were observed between the rhizosphere and bulk soil bacterial communities. Diversity was higher in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soils. Abundant taxonomic groups (from phylum to genus) in the rhizosphere were much more diverse than in bulk soils. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Planctomycetes were the most abundant phyla in the rhizosphere, while Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were common in bulk soils. Overall, the bacterial community composition were not significantly differentiated between the bulk soils of the five plants, but community diversity and structure differed significantly in the rhizosphere. The diversity ofHalostachys caspica,Halocnemum strobilaceumandKalidium foliatumassociated bacterial communities was lower than that ofLimonium gmeliniiandLycium ruthenicumcommunities. Furthermore, the composition of the bacterial communities ofHalostachys caspicaandHalocnemum strobilaceumwas very different from those ofLimonium gmeliniiandLycium ruthenicum. The diversity and community structure were influenced by soil EC, pH and nutrient content (TOC, SOM, TON and AP); of these, the effects of EC on bacterial community composition were less important than those of soil nutrients.DiscussionHalophytic plant species played an important role in shaping associated rhizosphere bacterial communities. When salinity levels were constant, soil nutrients emerged as key factors structuring bacterial communities, while EC played only a minor role. Pairwise differences among the rhizobacterial communities associated with different plant species were not significant, despite some evidence of differentiation. Further studies involving more halophyte species, and individuals per species, are necessary to elucidate plant species identity effects on the rhizosphere for co-occurring halophytes.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengling Zhang ◽  
Xingjia Xiang ◽  
Yuanqiu Dong ◽  
Shaofei Yan ◽  
Yunwei Song ◽  
...  

Intestinal bacterial communities form an integral component of the organism. Many factors influence gut bacterial community composition and diversity, including diet, environment and seasonality. During seasonal migration, birds use many habitats and food resources, which may influence their intestinal bacterial community structure. Hooded crane (Grus monacha) is a migrant waterbird that traverses long distances and occupies varied habitats. In this study, we investigated the diversity and differences in intestinal bacterial communities of hooded cranes over the migratory seasons. Fecal samples from hooded cranes were collected at a stopover site in two seasons (spring and fall) in Lindian, China, and at a wintering ground in Shengjin Lake, China. We analyzed bacterial communities from the fecal samples using high throughput sequencing (Illumina Mi-seq). Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Tenericutes, Cyanobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the dominant phyla across all samples. The intestinal bacterial alpha-diversity of hooded cranes in winter was significantly higher than in fall and spring. The bacterial community composition significantly differed across the three seasons (ANOSIM, P = 0.001), suggesting that seasonal fluctuations may regulate the gut bacterial community composition of migratory birds. This study provides baseline information on the seasonal dynamics of intestinal bacterial community structure in migratory hooded cranes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferran Romero ◽  
Vicenç Acuña ◽  
Sergi Sabater

ABSTRACT Freshwater ecosystems are exposed to multiple stressors, but their individual and combined effects remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the response of stream biofilm bacterial communities to warming, hydrological stress, and pesticide exposure. We used 24 artificial streams on which epilithic (growing on coarse sediments) and epipsammic (growing on fine sediments) stream biofilms were maintained. Bacterial community composition and estimated function of biofilms exposed during 30 days to individual and combined stressors were assessed using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Among the individual effects by stressors, hydrological stress (i.e., a simulated low-flow situation) was the most relevant, since it significantly altered 57% of the most abundant bacterial taxa (n = 28), followed by warming (21%) and pesticide exposure (11%). Regarding the combined effects, 16% of all stressor combinations resulted in significant interactions on bacterial community composition and estimated function. Antagonistic responses prevailed (57 to 89% of all significant interactions), followed by synergisms (11 to 43%), on specific bacterial taxa, indicating that multiple-stressor scenarios could lead to unexpected shifts in the community composition and associated functions of riverine bacterial communities. IMPORTANCE Freshwater ecosystems such as rivers are of crucial importance for human well-being. However, human activities result in many stressors (e.g., toxic chemicals, increased water temperatures, and hydrological alterations) cooccurring in rivers and streams worldwide. Among the many organisms inhabiting rivers and streams, bacteria are ecologically crucial; they are placed at the base of virtually all food webs and they recycle the organic matter needed for bigger organisms. Most of these bacteria are in close contact with river substratum, where they form the biofilms. There is an urgent need to evaluate the effects of these stressors on river biofilms, so we can anticipate future environmental problems. In this study, we experimentally exposed river biofilms to a pesticide mixture, an increase in water temperature and a simulated low-flow condition, in order to evaluate the individual and joint effects of these stressors on the bacterial community composition and estimated function.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongqin Liu ◽  
Tandong Yao ◽  
Baiqing Xu

<p>Many studies focusing on the physical and chemical indicators of the ice core reflected the climate changes. However, only few biological indicators indicated the past climate changes which are mainly focused in biomass rather than diversity. How the biodiversity response to the climate change during the past hundred years is still unknow. Glaciers in Mt. Muztagh Ata region are influenced by the year-round westerly circulation. We firstly disclosed annual variations of bacterial community compositions in ice core over the past 130 years from Muztagh Glacier, the western Tibetan Plateau. Temporal variation in bacterial abundance was strongly controlled by DOC, TN, δ<sup>18</sup>O, Ca<sup>2+</sup>, SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2</sup><sup>−</sup>, NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were the three most abundant bacterial phyla, accounting for 49.3%, 21.3% and 11.0% of the total community, respectively. The abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes pronouncedly increased over time throughout the entire ice core. UPGMA cluster analysis of the bacterial community composition separated the all ice core samples into two main clusters along the temporal variation. The first cluster consisted of samples from 1951 to 2000 and the second cluster contained main samples during the period of 1869-1950. The stage 1 and stage 2 bacterial community dissimilarities increased linearly with time on the basis of the Bray-Curtis distance, indicating a similar temporal–decay relationship between the stage 1 and stage 2 bacterial communities. Of all the environmental variables examined, only DOC and NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> exhibited very strong negative correlations with bacterial Chao1-richness. <sup>18</sup>O was another important variable in shaping the ice core bacterial community composition and contributed 1.6% of the total variation. Moreover, DistLM analysis indicated that the environmental variables explained more variation in the stage 1 community (20.1%) than that of the stage 2 community (19.9%).</p>


2014 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 1530-1539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merete Wiken Dees ◽  
Erik Lysøe ◽  
Berit Nordskog ◽  
May Bente Brurberg

ABSTRACTThe phyllosphere is colonized by a wide variety of bacteria and fungi; it harbors epiphytes, as well as plant-pathogenic bacteria and even human pathogens. However, little is known about how the bacterial community composition on leafy greens develops over time. The bacterial community of the leafy-green phyllosphere obtained from two plantings of rocket salad (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) and three plantings of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) at two farms in Norway were profiled by an Illumina MiSeq-based approach. We found that the bacterial richness of theL. sativasamples was significantly greater shortly (3 weeks) after planting than at harvest (5 to 7 weeks after planting) for plantings 1 and 3 at both farms. For the second planting, the bacterial diversity remained consistent at the two sites. This suggests that the effect on bacterial colonization of leaves, at least in part must, be seasonally driven rather than driven solely by leaf maturity. The distribution of phyllosphere communities varied betweenD. tenuifoliaandL. sativaat harvest. The variability between these species at the same location suggests that the leaf-dwelling bacteria are not only passive inhabitants but interact with the host, which shapes niches favoring the growth of particular taxa. This work contributes to our understanding of host plant-specific microbial community structures and shows how these communities change throughout plant development.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hauke Kegler ◽  
Christiane Hassenrueck ◽  
Pia Kegler ◽  
Tim C Jennerjahn ◽  
Muhammad Lukman ◽  
...  

Water quality deterioration caused by an enrichment in inorganic and organic matter due to anthropogenic inputs is one of the major local threats to coral reefs in Indonesia. However, even though bacteria are important mediators in coral reef ecosystems, little is known about the response of individual taxa and whole bacterial communities to these anthropogenic inputs. The present study is the first to investigate how bacterial community composition responds to small-scale changes in water quality in several coral reef habitats of the Spermonde Archipelago including the water column, particles and back reef sediments, on a densely populated and an uninhabited island. The main aims were to elucidate if a) water quality indicators and organic matter concentrations differ between the uninhabited and the densely populated island of the archipelago, and b) if there are differences in bacterial community composition in back-reef sediments and in the water column, which are associated with differences in water quality. Several key water quality parameters, such as inorganic nitrate and phosphate, chlorophyll a, and transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) were significantly higher at the inhabited than at the uninhabited island. Bacterial communities in sediments and particle attached communities were significantly different between the two islands with bacterial taxa commonly associated with nutrient and organic matter rich conditions occurring in higher proportions at the inhabited island. Within the individual reef habitats, variations in bacterial community composition between the islands are associated with differences in water quality. We also observed that copiotrophic, opportunistic bacterial taxa were enriched at the inhabited island with its higher chlorophyll a, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and TEP concentrations. Given the increasing strain on tropical coastal ecosystems, this study suggests that effluents from densely populated islands lacking sewage treatment can alter bacterial communities that may be important for coral reef ecosystem function.


2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alese Colehour ◽  
James F Meadow ◽  
Tara J Cepon-Robins ◽  
Theresa E Gildner ◽  
Melissa A Liebert ◽  
...  

Cassava beer, or chicha, is typically consumed daily by the indigenous Shuar people of the Ecuadorian Amazon. This traditional beverage made from cassava tuber (Manihot esculenta) improves nutritional quality and flavor while extending shelf life in a tropical climate. Bacteria responsible for chicha fermentation could be a source of microbes beneficial to human health, but little is known regarding the microbiology of chicha. We investigated bacterial community composition of chicha batches using Illumina high-throughput sequencing. Fermented chicha samples were collected from seven Shuar households in two neighboring villages in the Morona-Santiago region of Ecuador, and the composition of the bacterial communities within each chicha sample was determined by sequencing a region of the 16S ribosomal gene. Members of the genus Lactobacillus dominated all samples, demonstrating that chicha is a source of organisms related to known probiotics. Significantly greater taxonomic similarity was observed between communities in chicha samples taken within a village than those from different villages. Community composition varied among chicha samples, even those separated by short geographic distances, suggesting that ecological and/or evolutionary processes, including human preference, may be responsible for creating locally adapted and regionally resilient ferments. Our results suggest that traditional fermentation may be a form of domestication that provides endemic beneficial inocula for consumers.


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