Water and sediment act as reservoirs for microbial taxa associated with invasive dreissenid mussels.

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are invasive, filter-feeding, bivalves that have disrupted the ecology of thousands of freshwater biomes across North America. Due to their efficient filter-feeding activity, zebra mussels (ZMs) and other bivalves are extensively used to detect chemical contamination in waterways. In this study, we evaluated whether water and sediment serve as major sources of ZM tissue-associated microbiota, and whether ZMs serve as a reservoir for potentially pathogenic microbes in aquatic systems.

A microfluidic platform for the simultaneous quantification of methanogen populations in anaerobic digestion processes.

Methanogens are a diverse group of archaea that play a critical role in the global carbon cycle. The lack of appropriate molecular tools to simultaneously quantify numerous methanogenic taxa, however, has largely limited our ability to study these communities in a wide variety of habitats, such as anaerobic digesters (ADs). In this study, 34 probe-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays were designed to target all known methanogenic genera within the archaeal phylum Euryarchaeota.

Association between submerged aquatic vegetation and elevated levels of Escherichia coli and potential bacterial pathogens in freshwater lakes.

Fecal indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli have been reported to persist and potentially grow in a wide variety of secondary habitats, such as water, beach sand, sediment, periphyton and some algae. However, little is known about their association with submerged macrophytes and how this may influence water quality. In this study, we examined the association of E.

Spatial and temporal characterization of epiphytic microbial communities associated with Eurasian watermilfoil: a highly invasive macrophyte in North America.

Bacterial communities that inhabit the surface of aquatic plants are thought to play a critical role in relation to host fitness and function. However, little is known about their structure and dynamics in comparison with those of bacterioplankton. In this study, we performed a comprehensive spatial and temporal characterization of epibacterial communities associated with Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM; Myriophyllum spicatum), an invasive macrophyte, which has established itself in thousands of lakes across North America.