Creation of Cellulolytic Communities of Soil Microorganisms-A Search for Optimal Approaches.

For the targeted selection of microbial communities that provide cellulose degradation, soil samples containing cellulolytic microorganisms and specific plant residues as a substrate can be used. The details of this process have not been studied: in particular, whether the use of different soils determines the varying efficiency of communities; whether these established cellulolytic communities will have substrate specificity, and other factors. To answer these questions, four soil microbial communities with different cellulolytic activity (Podzol and the soil of Chernevaya taiga) and substrates (oat straw and hemp shives) with different levels of cellulose availability were used, followed by trained communities that were tested on botrooth substrates (in all possible combinations).

Dynamics of Cellulose Degradation by Soil Microorganisms from Two Contrasting Soil Types.

The search for active cellulolytic consortia among soil microorganisms is of significant applied interest, but the dynamics of the formation of such communities remain insufficiently studied. To gain insight into the formation of an active cellulolytic community, the experiment was designed to examine the colonization of a sterile substrate (cellulose) by microorganisms from two soil types: sod-podzolic and chernozem. To achieve this, the substrate was placed in the soil and incubated for six months.

Linking the composition of cryoconite prokaryotic communities in the Arctic, Antarctic, and Central Caucasus with their chemical characteristics.

Cryoconites are the deposits on the surface of glaciers that create specific ecological niches for the development of microorganism communities. The sediment material can vary in origin, structure, and nutrient content, creating local variations in the growth conditions. An additional factor of variability is the location of the glaciers, as they are found in different climatic zones in the high mountain regions and closer to the poles.

The microbiome of buried soils demonstrates significant shifts in taxonomic structure and a general trend towards mineral horizons.

Burial mounds represent a challenge for microbiologists. Could ancient buried soils preserve microbiomes as they do archaeological artifacts? To investigate this question, we studied the soil microbiome under a burial mound dating from 2500 years ago in Western Kazakhstan. Two soil profile cuts were established: one under the burial mound and another adjacent to the mound surface steppe soil.