The effects of Bacillus subtilis on Caenorhabditis elegans fitness after heat stress

Microbes can provide their hosts with protection from biotic and abiotic factors. While many studies have examined how certain bacteria can increase host lifespan, fewer studies have examined how host reproduction can be altered. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been a particularly useful model system to examine how bacteria affect the fitness of their hosts under different contexts. Here, we examine how the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, compared to the standard C. elegans lab diet, Escherichia coli, affects C. elegans survival and reproduction after experiencing a period of intense heat stress. We find that under standard conditions, nematodes reared on B. subtilis produce fewer offspring than when reared on E. coli.However, despite greater mortality rates on B. subtilis after heat shock, young adult nematodes produced more offspring after heat shock when fed B. subtilis compared to E. coli. Because offspring production is necessary for host population growth and evolution, the reproductive advantage conferred by B. subtilis supersedes the survival advantage of E. coli. Furthermore, we found that nematodes must be reared on B. subtilis (particularly at the early stages of development) and not merely be exposed to the bacterium during heat shock, to obtain the reproductive benefits provided by B. subtilis. Taken together, our findings lend insight into the importance of environmental context and interaction timing in shaping the protective benefits conferred by a microbe toward its host.     

盐度变化条件下芦苇对互花米草的化感效应

以芦苇凋落物为试材,采用溶液浸提法和厌氧腐解法,获得水提物和腐解产物两种浸提物母液;在5‰和10‰盐浓度下以两种浸提物母液和25%母液分别处理互花米草种子、刚萌发的幼苗以及互花米草滩涂中特有的互花米草益生菌,考察盐度变化对互花米草种子的萌发、幼苗生长以及菌落生长的影响.结果表明：盐处理能够显著促进互花米草种子的萌发、幼根以及互花米草益生菌的生长(P＜0.05).较高的盐浓度(10‰)下,芦苇水提物对互花米草的萌发、生长和互花米草益生菌的生长呈促进作用;当盐浓度降低至5‰时,该促进作用消失.在较低的盐浓度(5‰)下,芦苇腐解产物对互花米草萌发产生显著的抑制作用;在较高盐浓度(10‰)时,则对互花米草益生菌产生显著促进作用(P＜0.05);在试验的任一盐浓度下,芦苇腐解产物对互花米草幼苗和幼根的生长均存在显著的抑制效果(P＜0.05).     

东方蝾螈幼体热耐受性和游泳表现的热驯化响应

特定物种的热驯化能力决定着其是否能成功耐受环境温度的改变,在应对未来气候变暖的趋势中扮演重要角色。为评估有尾类两栖动物的热驯化反应,在3个恒定水温(15、20℃和25℃)中驯化东方蝾螈(Cynops orientalis)幼体4周,测定驯化后幼体在不同测试温度下的运动(游泳)表现、临界低温(CT_(Min))与临界高温(CT_(Max))。结果显示:驯化与测试温度均显著影响蝾螈的游泳速度;驯化温度亦影响蝾螈的CT_(Min)和CT_(Max),但不影响可耐受温度范围(TRR)。驯化与测试温度的交互作用对蝾螈泳速的影响显著,表明驯化温度可改变其游泳表现的热敏感性。经某一温度驯化后蝾螈泳速似乎在相同测试温度下表现最好,该结果可能支持驯化有益假说。CT_(Min)和CT_(Max)随驯化温度的升高而增加,表明:低温驯化可提高动物抗低温能力,而高温驯化提高其抗高温能力。两栖类动物热耐受性与运动表现热驯化反应的种间变异可能与栖息地热环境的差异有关。     

Conventional farming impairs Rhizoctonia solani disease suppression by disrupting soil food web

Intensive farming in agriculture raises questions in relation to environmental sustainability and the widespread use of agrochemicals. In the present work, we compare the impact of organic and intensive farming, in connection to the soil suppressiveness against the soilborne pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. Three farms were considered in the study: two practicing organic cultivation (for 10 and 20 years, respectively), and one applying conventional cultivation. Soil suppressiveness was assessed in a greenhouse bioassay with lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Soil microbiome was characterized by combining BIOLOG EcoPlates^? with high‐throughput sequencing of bacterial and eukaryotic rRNA gene markers. Suppressiveness towards R. solani was higher in organic than in conventional farming soil, but this property was lost after soil sterilization. Functional biodiversity was significantly higher in the two organic soils, and this parameter was predictive of the suppressiveness towards R. solani. According to our analyses, the overall microbial taxonomic diversity was unlinked to suppressiveness. A correlation analysis, carried out at the genus level for the most abundant bacterial and eukaryotic microbial taxa, showed that 58.7% of the genera had a statistically significant correlation with suppressiveness. In particular, the genera Flavisolibacter, Massilia, Pseudomonas, Ramlibacter, Rhizophus and the oligochaete worms belonging to the Enchytraeidae family positively correlated with the disease suppression.     

微生物种子包衣的应用与研究进展

种子包衣是一种高效、新兴的种子处理技术。该技术将外源性材料与种子紧密结合,从而提高种子性能,最终提高作物产量和品质。植物有益微生物(plant beneficial microorganisms, PBM)是指能够促进植物养分吸收、增强其对生物和非生物胁迫的耐受力,并促进植物生长或减少农业化学投入的微生物。因此,PBM可以作为一种微生物种子包衣剂。微生物种子包衣作为一种能够显著提高作物产量、经济效益和农业系统的可持续性发展的革新性技术,因其生态安全性和社会经济效益被认为是传统农业技术有前途的替代品。本文综述了微生物种子包衣技术及其在作物生产中的应用,并对其局限性和不一致性进行讨论。     

Astrocytic urea cycle detoxifies Aβ-derived ammonia while impairing memory in Alzheimer’s disease

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The effects of organic and conventional farming methods on plant bug densities (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) within winter wheat fields

An understanding of the mechanisms responsible for direct and indirect effects of pesticides on Heteroptera were studied by comparing densities within fields of winter wheat on organically and conventionally managed farms. Weed and insect densities were estimated in 56 fields in 1990 and 62 in 1991. Four out of five of the heteropteran groups studied were more numerous within organic fields in both years, however differences were statistically significant in only one out of 10 comparisons. Differences in agricultural practices between the two farming regimes are given as possible reasons for the densities observed.     

Model and test in a fungus of the probability that beneficial mutations survive drift

Determining the probability of fixation of beneficial mutations is critically important for building predictive models of adaptive evolution. Despite considerable theoretical work, models of fixation probability have stood untested for nearly a century. However, recent advances in experimental and theoretical techniques permit the development of models with testable predictions. We developed a new model for the probability of surviving genetic drift, a major component of fixation probability, for novel beneficial mutations in the fungus Aspergillus nidulans, based on the life-history characteristics of its colony growth on a solid surface. We tested the model by measuring the probability of surviving drift in 11 adapted strains introduced into wild-type populations of different densities. We found that the probability of surviving drift increased with mutant invasion fitness, and decreased with wild-type density, as expected. The model accurately predicted the survival probability for the majority of mutants, yielding one of the first direct tests of the extinction probability of beneficial mutations.     

Disentangling multiple drivers of pollination in a landscape-scale experiment

Animal pollination is essential for the reproductive success of many wild and crop plants. Loss and isolation of (semi-)natural habitats in agricultural landscapes can cause declines of plants and pollinators and endanger pollination services. We investigated the independent effects of these drivers on pollination of young cherry trees in a landscape-scale experiment. We included (i) isolation of study trees from other cherry trees (up to 350 m), (ii) the amount of cherry trees in the landscape, (iii) the isolation from other woody habitats (up to 200 m) and (iv) the amount of woody habitats providing nesting and floral resources for pollinators. At the local scale, we considered effects of (v) cherry flower density and (vi) heterospecific flower density. Pollinators visited flowers more often in landscapes with high amount of woody habitat and at sites with lower isolation from the next cherry tree. Fruit set was reduced by isolation from the next cherry tree and by a high local density of heterospecific flowers but did not directly depend on pollinator visitation. These results reveal the importance of considering the plant''s need for conspecific pollen and its pollen competition with co-flowering species rather than focusing only on pollinators’ habitat requirements and flower visitation. It proved to be important to disentangle habitat isolation from habitat loss, local from landscape-scale effects, and direct effects of pollen availability on fruit set from indirect effects via pollinator visitation to understand the delivery of an agriculturally important ecosystem service.