COVID-19 vaccination uptake and hesitancy reasons in food production workers.

Background: Food production sites have been a high-risk location for SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks worldwide since early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Ireland has a high population rate of COVID-19 vaccination, but reports from food production sites suggest uptake is lower amongst workers despite prior outbreaks at these workplaces.

Aims: To study COVID-19 vaccination rates, intent to undertake future vaccination and hesitancy reasons in food production workers.

Agricultural land-use favours Mucoromycotinian, but not Glomeromycotinian, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi across ten biomes.

Globally, agricultural land-use negatively affects soil biota that contribute to ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, yet arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are promoted as essential components of agroecosystems. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi include Glomeromycotinian AMF (G-AMF) and the arbuscule-producing fine root endophytes, recently re-classified into the Endogonales order within Mucoromycotina. The correct classification of Mucoromycotinian AMF (M-AMF) and the availability of new molecular tools can guide research to better the understanding of their diversity and ecology.

Natural attenuation of legacy hydrocarbon spills in pristine soils is feasible despite difficult environmental conditions in the monsoon tropics.

The Kimberley region of Western Australia is a National Heritage listed region that is internationally recognised for its environmental and cultural significance. However, petroleum spills have been reported at a number of sites across the region, representing an environmental concern. The region is also characterised as having low soil nutrients, high temperatures and monsoonal rain - all of which may limit the potential for natural biodegradation of petroleum.

Evidence for Niche Differentiation in the Environmental Responses of Co-occurring Mucoromycotinian Fine Root Endophytes and Glomeromycotinian Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi.

Fine root endophytes (FRE) were traditionally considered a morphotype of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), but recent genetic studies demonstrate that FRE belong within the subphylum Mucoromycotina, rather than in the subphylum Glomeromycotina with the AMF. These findings prompt enquiry into the fundamental ecology of FRE and AMF. We sampled FRE and AMF in roots of Trifolium subterraneum from 58 sites across temperate southern Australia.

Soil microbes of an urban remnant riparian zone have greater potential for N removal than a degraded riparian zone.

Soils in the riparian zone, the interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, may decrease anthropogenic nitrogen (N) loads to streams through microbial transformations (e.g., denitrification).

An agricultural practise with climate and food security benefits: "Claying" with kaolinitic clay subsoil decreased soil carbon priming and mineralisation in sandy cropping soils.

As the agricultural sector seeks to feed a growing global population, climate-smart agriculture offers opportunities to concurrently mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and/or increasing carbon storage in soils. This study examined the potential for clay addition to reduce CO emissions from plant residues and soil organic matter in a sandy soil. Soils were sourced from a 15-year-old field trial where claying (200 t ha) had already demonstrated improvements in water infiltration, grain yield and profits.

Root microbiomes as indicators of seagrass health.

The development of early warning indicators that identify ecosystem stress is a priority for improving ecosystem management. As microbial communities respond rapidly to environmental disturbance, monitoring their composition could prove one such early indicator of environmental stress. We combined 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the seagrass root microbiome of Halophila ovalis with seagrass health metrics (biomass, productivity and Fsulphide) to develop microbial indicators for seagrass condition across the Swan-Canning Estuary and the Leschenault Estuary (south-west Western Australia); the former had experienced an unseasonal rainfall event leading to declines in seagrass health.

Soil Salinity and pH Drive Soil Bacterial Community Composition and Diversity Along a Lateritic Slope in the Avon River Critical Zone Observatory, Western Australia.

Soils are crucial in regulating ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycling, and supporting plant growth. To a large extent, these functions are carried out by highly diverse and dynamic soil microbiomes that are in turn governed by numerous environmental factors including weathering profile and vegetation. In this study, we investigate geophysical and vegetation effects on the microbial communities of iron-rich lateritic soils in the highly weathered landscapes of Western Australia (WA).

Implications of co-contamination with aged heavy metals and total petroleum hydrocarbons on natural attenuation and ecotoxicity in Australian soils.

The bioremediation of historic industrial contaminated sites is a complex process. Co-contamination, often with lead which was commonly added to gasoline until 16 years ago is one of the biggest challenges affecting the clean-up of these sites. In this study, the effect of heavy metals, as co-contaminant, together with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) is reported, in terms of remaining soil toxicity and the structure of the microbial communities.

Metagenomic Evidence of Microbial Community Responsiveness to Phosphorus and Salinity Gradients in Seagrass Sediments.

Sediment microorganisms can have profound influence on productivity and functioning of marine ecosystems through their critical roles in regulating biogeochemical processes. However, the identity of sediment microorganisms that mediate organic matter turnover and nutrient cycling in seagrass sediments is only poorly understood. Here, we used metagenomic sequencing to investigate shifts in the structure and functioning of the microbial community of seagrass sediments across a salinity and phosphorus (P) availability gradient in Shark Bay, WA, Australia.

Biodegradability of polar compounds formed from weathered diesel.

Once released into the environment, petroleum is exposed to biological and physical weathering processes which can lead to the formation and accumulation of highly recalcitrant polar compounds. These polar compounds are often challenging to analyse and can be present as an "unresolved complex mixture" (UCM) in total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) analyses and can be mistaken for natural organic matter. Existing research on UCMs comprised of polar compounds is limited, with a majority of the compounds remaining unidentified and their long-term persistence unknown.

Low Light Availability Alters Root Exudation and Reduces Putative Beneficial Microorganisms in Seagrass Roots.

Seagrass roots host a diverse microbiome that is critical for plant growth and health. Composition of microbial communities can be regulated in part by root exudates, but the specifics of these interactions in seagrass rhizospheres are still largely unknown. As light availability controls primary productivity, reduced light may impact root exudation and consequently the composition of the root microbiome.

Increasing the Size of the Microbial Biomass Altered Bacterial Community Structure which Enhances Plant Phosphorus Uptake.

Agricultural production can be limited by low phosphorus (P) availability, with soil P being constrained by sorption and precipitation reactions making it less available for plant uptake. There are strong links between carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) availability and P cycling within soil P pools, with microorganisms being an integral component of soil P cycling mediating the availability of P to plants. Here we tested a conceptual model that proposes (i) the addition of readily-available organic substrates would increase the size of the microbial biomass thus exhausting the pool of easily-available P and (ii) this would cause the microbial biomass to access P from more recalcitrant pools.

Environmental drivers of soil microbial community structure and function at the Avon River Critical Zone Observatory.

The Critical Zone is defined as the thin, permeable layer from the tops of the trees to the bottom of the bedrock that sustains terrestrial life on Earth. The geometry and shape of the various weathering zones are known as the critical zone architecture. At the centre of the Critical Zone are soils and the microorganisms that inhabit them.

Fungal biogeochemistry: a central role in the environmental fate of lead.

Fungi play major roles in biogeochemistry and are responsible for many metal transformations during mineral weathering. A recent finding that fungi transform lead to chloropyromorphite highlights the importance of fungi in biogeochemical processes.

Soil microbial community successional patterns during forest ecosystem restoration.

Soil microbial community characterization is increasingly being used to determine the responses of soils to stress and disturbances and to assess ecosystem sustainability. However, there is little experimental evidence to indicate that predictable patterns in microbial community structure or composition occur during secondary succession or ecosystem restoration. This study utilized a chronosequence of developing jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest ecosystems, rehabilitated after bauxite mining (up to 18 years old), to examine changes in soil bacterial and fungal community structures (by automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis [ARISA]) and changes in specific soil bacterial phyla by 16S rRNA gene microarray analysis.

Low pore connectivity increases bacterial diversity in soil.

One of soil microbiology's most intriguing puzzles is how so many different bacterial species can coexist in small volumes of soil when competition theory predicts that less competitive species should decline and eventually disappear. We provide evidence supporting the theory that low pore connectivity caused by low water potential (and therefore low water content) increases the diversity of a complex bacterial community in soil. We altered the pore connectivity of a soil by decreasing water potential and increasing the content of silt- and clay-sized particles.

Minerals in soil select distinct bacterial communities in their microhabitats.

We tested the hypothesis that different minerals in soil select distinct bacterial communities in their microhabitats. Mica (M), basalt (B) and rock phosphate (RP) were incubated separately in soil planted with Trifolium subterraneum, Lolium rigidum or left unplanted. After 70 days, the mineral and soil fractions were separated by sieving.

Altering the mineral composition of soil causes a shift in microbial community structure.

This study tests the hypothesis that altering the mineral composition of soil influences microbial community structure in a nutrient-deficient soil. Microcosms were established by adding mica (M), basalt (B) and rock phosphate (P) to soil separately, and in combination (MBP), and by planting with Lolium rigidum, Trifolium subterraneum or by leaving unplanted. The effects of mineral and plant treatments on microbial community structure were assessed using automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis.

Effect of sheep urine deposition on the bacterial community structure in an acidic upland grassland soil.

The effect of the addition of synthetic sheep urine (SSU) and plant species on the bacterial community composition of upland acidic grasslands was studied using a microcosm approach. Low, medium, and high concentrations of SSU were applied to pots containing plant species typical of both unimproved (Agrostis capillaris) and agriculturally improved (Lolium perenne) grasslands, and harvests were carried out 10 days and 50 days after the addition of SSU. SSU application significantly increased both soil pH (P < 0.