Nitrifying niche in estuaries is expanded by the plastisphere.

The estuarine plastisphere, a novel ecological habitat in the Anthropocene, has garnered global concerns. Recent geochemical evidence has pointed out its potential role in influencing nitrogen biogeochemistry. However, the biogeochemical significance of the plastisphere and its mechanisms regulating nitrogen cycling remain elusive.

Adaptive shifts in plant traits associated with nitrogen removal driven by phytoremediation strategies in subtropical river restoration.

Phytoremediation, which is commonly carried out through hydroponics and substrate-based strategies, is essential for the effectiveness of nature-based engineered solutions aimed at addressing excess nitrogen in aquatic ecosystems. However, the performance and mechanisms of plants involving nitrogen removal between different strategies need to be deeply understood. Here, this study employed in-situ cultivation coupled with static nitrogen tracing experiments to elucidate the influence of both strategies on plant traits associated with nitrogen removal.

Phagotrophic protists preserve antibiotic-resistant opportunistic human pathogens in the vegetable phyllosphere.

Food safety of leafy greens is an emerging public health issue as they can harbor opportunistic human pathogens (OHPs) and expose OHPs to consumers. Protists are an integral part of phyllosphere microbial ecosystems. However, our understanding of protist-pathogen associations in the phyllosphere and their consequences on public health remains poor.

Urban greenspace types influence the microbial community assembly and antibiotic resistome more in the phyllosphere than in the soil.

Urban greenspace (UGS) is recognized to confer significant societal benefits, but few studies explored the microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from different urban greenspace types. Here, we collected leaf and soil samples from forest, greenbelt, and parkland to analyze microbial community assembly and ARG profile. For phyllosphere fungal community, the α-diversity was higher in forest, compared to those in greenbelt and parkland.

Estuarine plastisphere as an overlooked source of NO production.

"Plastisphere", microbial communities colonizing plastic debris, has sparked global concern for marine ecosystems. Microbiome inhabiting this novel human-made niche has been increasingly characterized; however, whether the plastisphere holds crucial roles in biogeochemical cycling remains largely unknown. Here we evaluate the potential of plastisphere in biotic and abiotic denitrification and nitrous oxide (NO) production in estuaries.

Effects of biofertilizer on soil microbial diversity and antibiotic resistance genes.

Spread of antibiotic resistance or the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in pathogens is a globally recognized threat to human health. Numerous studies have shown that application of organic fertilizers may increase the risk of ARGs, however, the risk of resistance genes associated with biofertilizers is largely unknown. To investigate whether biofertilizer application introduces ARGs to the soil, we used high-throughput quantitative polymerization chain reaction (HT-qPCR) to explore the effect of biofertilizer application over three years on soil ARGs in three orchards with different locations in China.

Discarded masks as hotspots of antibiotic resistance genes during COVID-19 pandemic.

The demand for facial masks remains high. However, little is known about discarded masks as a potential refuge for contaminants and to facilitate enrichment and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) in the environment. We address this issue by conducting an in-situ time-series experiment to investigate the dynamic changes of ARGs, bacteria and protozoa associated with discarded masks.