Soil Parameters and Forest Structure Commonly Form the Microbiome Composition and Activity of Topsoil Layers in Planted Forests.

Soil bacterial communities play a remarkable role in nutrient cycling, significantly affecting soil organic material content, soil fertility, and, in an indirect way, plant succession processes. Conversely, vegetation type influences microbial soil life. The present study compared the bacterial microbiome composition, diversity and catabolic activity profile of topsoil samples collected under three different forest types (a twice-coppiced black locust stand, a young, naturally reforested, and a middle-aged mixed pedunculate oak stand) planted on former arable land in the early 20th century.

Habitat distribution of the genus in continental waters and the description of sp. nov., sp. nov. and sp. nov.

The genus belongs to the family (order , phylum ) and harbours aerobic chemoheterotrophic bacteria. Members of this genus were isolated from various aquatic habitats, and our analysis based on global amplicon sequencing data revealed that their relative abundance can reach up to 5-10 % of the bacterioplankton in soda lakes and pans. Although a remarkable fraction of the most frequent genotypes that we identified from continental aquatic habitats is still uncultured, five new alkaliphilic strains were characterized in detail in this study, which were isolated from three different soda lakes and pans of the Carpathian Basin (Hungary).

Grazing pressure-induced shift in planktonic bacterial communities with the dominance of acIII-A1 actinobacterial lineage in soda pans.

Astatic soda pans of the Pannonian Steppe are unique environments with respect to their multiple extreme physical and chemical characteristics (high daily water temperature fluctuation, high turbidity, alkaline pH, salinity, polyhumic organic carbon concentration, hypertrophic state and special ionic composition). However, little is known about the seasonal dynamics of the bacterial communities inhabiting these lakes and the role of environmental factors that have the main impact on their structure. Therefore, two soda pans were sampled monthly between April 2013 and July 2014 to reveal changes in the planktonic community.

Prokaryotic community composition in a great shallow soda lake covered by large reed stands (Neusiedler See/Lake Fertő) as revealed by cultivation- and DNA-based analyses.

Little is known about the detailed community composition of heterotrophic bacterioplankton in macrophyte-dominated littoral systems, where a considerable amount of dissolved organic carbon originates from aquatic macrophytes instead of phytoplankton. The aim of the present study was to reveal the effect of macrophytes on the microbial community and to elucidate their role in a macrophyte-dominated shallow soda lake, which can be characterised by a mosaic of open waters and reed marsh. Therefore, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, the most probable number method, cultivation of bacterial strains, EcoPlate and cultivation-based substrate utilisation techniques were applied.

Relationships Between Chemical Defenses of Common Toad (Bufo bufo) Tadpoles and Bacterial Community Structure of their Natural Aquatic Habitat.

Many organisms synthesize secondary metabolites against natural enemies. However, to which environmental factors the production of these metabolites is adjusted to is poorly investigated in animals, especially so in vertebrates. Bufadienolides are steroidal compounds that are present in a wide range of plants and animals and, if present in large quantities, can provide protection against natural enemies, such as pathogens.

Dual bloom of green algae and purple bacteria in an extremely shallow soda pan.

In April 2014, dual bloom of green algae and purple bacteria occurred in a shallow, alkaline soda pan (Kiskunság National Park, Hungary). The water was only 5 cm deep, in which an upper green layer was clearly separated from a near-sediment purple one. Based on microscopy and DNA-based identification, the upper was inhabited by a dense population of the planktonic green alga, Oocystis submarina Lagerheim, while the deeper layer was formed by purple, bacteriochlorophyll-containing bacteria, predominated by Thiorhodospira and Rhodobaca.

Nitrincola alkalilacustris sp. nov. and Nitrincola schmidtii sp. nov., alkaliphilic bacteria isolated from soda pans, and emended description of the genus Nitrincola.

Three alkaliphilic and halotolerant bacterial strains, designated ZV-19, R4-8 and S4-12, were isolated from the water of soda pans located in the Kiskunság National Park, Hungary. Cells of all three strains were Gram-staining-negative, rod-shaped, motile and non-endospore-forming. They were facultatively anaerobic, and oxidase- and catalase-positive.

Soda pans of the Pannonian steppe harbor unique bacterial communities adapted to multiple extreme conditions.

Soda pans of the Pannonian steppe are unique environments regarding their physical and chemical characteristics: shallowness, high turbidity, intermittent character, alkaline pH, polyhumic organic carbon concentration, hypertrophic condition, moderately high salinity, sodium and carbonate ion dominance. The pans are highly productive environments with picophytoplankton predominance. Little is known about the planktonic bacterial communities inhabiting these aquatic habitats; therefore, amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics were applied to reveal their composition and functional properties.