Shifts in bacterial community composition during symbiotic seed germination of a terrestrial orchid and effects on protocorm development.

Unlabelled: Fungi and bacteria often occupy very similar niches; they interact closely with each other, and bacteria can provide direct or indirect benefits to plants that form mutualistic interactions with fungi. In orchids, successful seed germination largely depends on compatible mycorrhizal fungi, but whether and how bacteria contribute to seed germination and protocorm development remains largely unknown. Here, we performed field and laboratory experiments to assess the potential role of bacteria in mediating seed germination and protocorm development in the terrestrial orchid .

How important is important? A commentary on 'Temporal turnover of Ceratobasidiaceae orchid mycorrhizal fungal communities with ontogenetic and phenological development in Prasophyllum (Orchidaceae)'.

This article comments on: Marc Freestone, Noushka Reiter, Nigel D. Swarts and Celeste C. Linde, Temporal turnover of Ceratobasidiaceae orchid mycorrhizal fungal communities with ontogenetic and phenological development in (Orchidaceae), Annals of Botany, Volume 134, Issue 6, 31 December 2024, Pages 933–947, https://doi.

The impact of extraction method and pollen concentration on community composition for pollen metabarcoding.

Premise: Plants and pollinators closely interact with each other to form complex networks of species interactions. Metabarcoding of pollen collections has recently been proposed as an advantageous method for the construction of such networks, but the extent to which diversity and community analyses depend on the extraction method and pollen concentration used remains unclear.

Methods: In this study, we used a dilution series of two pollen mixtures (a mock community and pooled natural pollen loads from bumblebees) to assess the effect of mechanical homogenization and two DNA extraction kits (spin column DNA extraction kit and magnetic bead DNA extraction kit) on the detected pollen richness and community composition.

Caterpillar-parasitoid interactions: species-specific influences on host microbiome composition.

There is increasing evidence that host-parasitoid interactions can have a pronounced impact on the microbiome of host insects, but it is unclear to what extent this is caused by the host and/or parasitoid. Here, we compared the internal and external microbiome of caterpillars of Pieris brassicae and Pieris rapae parasitized by Cotesia glomerata or Cotesia rubecula with nonparasitized caterpillars. Additionally, we investigated the internal and external microbiome of the parasitoid larvae.

Phenological mismatches mitigate the ecological impact of a biological invader on amphibian communities.

Horizon scans have emerged as a valuable tool to anticipate the incoming invasive alien species (IAS) by judging species on their potential impacts. However, little research has been conducted on quantifying actual impacts and assessing causes of species-specific vulnerabilities to particular IAS due to persistent methodological challenges. The underlying interspecific mechanisms driving species-specific vulnerabilities therefore remain poorly understood, even though they can substantially improve the accuracy of risk assessments.