Insights into the dynamics and evolution of Rummeliibacillus stabekisii prophages in extreme environments: from Antarctic soil to spacecraft floors.

Since prophages can play a multifaceted role in bacterial evolution, this study aims to characterize the virome of Rummeliibacillus stabekisii, a bacterium isolated from different environments, including Antarctic soil and NASA spacecraft floors. From the analyses, it was found that the Antarctic strain, PP9, had the largest number of prophages, including intact ones, indicating potential benefits for survival in adverse conditions. In contrast, other strains harbored predominantly degenerate prophages, suggesting a dynamic process of gene gain and loss during evolution.

Seston biomass in plankton assemblages in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean: spatial, vertical, and temporal variations.

Bioseston is a heterogeneous assemblage of bacterioplankton, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and planktonic debris. A detailed knowledge of biosestons is essential for understanding the dynamics of trophic flows in marine ecosystems. The distributional features of seston biomass in plankton (micro- and mesoplankton) in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil) were analyzed using stratified samples gathered to a depth of 2,400 m during night time.

Temporal dynamics of benthic communities in a hypereutrophic bay through functional groups and abiotic variables.

This study aimed to examine the benthic structure of Guanabara Bay's (GB) rocky shores through Functional Diversity (FD) perspective. Over a five-year period, benthic communities were periodically examined using photographic samples from the meso-littoral zone. FD were analysed using the Rao Index of marine macroalgae and benthic invertebrates' functional groups (FGs) and their relationship was investigated through null models, considering temporal, geographical, and environmental variations.

Occurrence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases-producing Escherichia coli isolates over gradient pollution in an urban tropical estuary.

Bacterial resistance to antimicrobials is a global public health problem that surpasses the human context and can be increased by pollution. However, the lack of systematic monitoring of resistance in some aquatic matrices, such as tropical estuaries, makes it unknown whether its occurrence is associated with anthropogenic pollution in these environments. Therefore, we investigated the occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) producing Escherichia coli as a resistance indicator for 12 consecutive months at three representative points of a pollution gradient in Guanabara Bay (GB), Brazil.

A Morphometric Approach to Understand Prokaryoplankton: A Study in the Sicily Channel (Central Mediterranean Sea).

A new understanding of plankton ecology has been obtained by studying the phenotypic traits of free-living prokaryotes in the Sicily Channel (Central Mediterranean Sea), an area characterised by oligotrophic conditions. During three cruises carried out in July 2012, January 2013 and July 2013, the volume and morphology of prokaryotic cells were assessed microscopically using image analysis in relation to environmental conditions. The study found significant differences in cell morphologies among cruises.

Long-term monitoring projects of Brazilian marine and coastal ecosystems.

Biodiversity assessment is a mandatory task for sustainable and adaptive management for the next decade, and long-term ecological monitoring programs are a cornerstone for understanding changes in ecosystems. The Brazilian Long-Term Ecological Research Program (PELD) is an integrated effort model supported by public funds that finance ecological studies at 34 locations. By interviewing and compiling data from project coordinators, we assessed monitoring efforts, targeting biological groups and scientific production from nine PELD projects encompassing coastal lagoons to mesophotic reefs and oceanic islands.

Species in an Urban Tropical Estuary: Antimicrobial Susceptibility, Interaction with Environmental Parameters, and Possible Public Health Outcomes.

The genus comprises pathogens ubiquitous to marine environments. This study evaluated the cultivable community in the Guanabara Bay (GB), a recreational, yet heavily polluted estuary in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Over one year, 66 water samples from three locations along a pollution gradient were investigated.

Microbial Assemblages in Pressurized Antarctic Brine Pockets (Tarn Flat, Northern Victoria Land): A Hotspot of Biodiversity and Activity.

Two distinct pressurized hypersaline brine pockets (named TF4 and TF5), separated by a thin ice layer, were detected below an ice-sealed Antarctic lake. Prokaryotic (bacterial and archaeal) diversity, abundances (including virus-like particles) and metabolic profiles were investigated by an integrated approach, including traditional and new-generation methods. Although similar diversity indices were computed for both Bacteria and Archaea, distinct bacterial and archaeal assemblages were observed.

Distinct histomorphology for growth arrest and digitate outgrowth in cultivated Haliclona sp. (Porifera: Demospongiae).

The use of sponges in biotechnological processes is limited by the supply problem, and sponge biomass production is becoming a current topic of research. The distinction between characteristics for growth and growth arrest is also important for environmental monitoring. In this study, we analyze the morphology of the digitate outgrowths from the sponge Haliclona sp.

Salinity Drives the Virioplankton Abundance but Not Production in Tropical Coastal Lagoons.

Viruses are the most abundant components of microbial food webs and play important ecological and biogeochemical roles in aquatic ecosystems. Virioplankton is regulated by several environmental factors, such as salinity, turbidity, and humic substances. However, most of the studies aimed to investigate virioplankton regulation were conducted in temperate systems combining a limited range of environmental variables.

Virioplankton dynamics are related to eutrophication levels in a tropical urbanized bay.

Virioplankton are an important and abundant biological component of marine and freshwater ecosystems. Often overlooked, aquatic viruses play an important role in biogeochemical cycles on a global scale, infecting both autotrophic and heterotrophic microbes. Viral diversity, abundance, and viral interactions at different trophic levels in aqueous environments are not well understood.

Prokaryotic Abundance and Activity in Permafrost of the Northern Victoria Land and Upper Victoria Valley (Antarctica).

Victoria Land permafrost harbours a potentially large pool of cold-affected microorganisms whose metabolic potential still remains underestimated. Three cores (BC-1, BC-2 and BC-3) drilled at different depths in Boulder Clay (Northern Victoria Land) and one sample (DY) collected from a core in the Dry Valleys (Upper Victoria Valley) were analysed to assess the prokaryotic abundance, viability, physiological profiles and potential metabolic rates. The cores drilled at Boulder Clay were a template of different ecological conditions (different temperature regime, ice content, exchanges with atmosphere and with liquid water) in the same small basin while the Dry Valleys site was very similar to BC-2 conditions but with a complete different geological history and ground ice type.

Microbial Community Profile and Water Quality in a Protected Area of the Caatinga Biome.

The Caatinga is a semi-arid biome in northeast Brazil. The Paraguaçú River is located in the Caatinga biome, and part of its course is protected by the National Park of Chapada Diamantina (PNCD). In this study we evaluated the effect of PNCD protection on the water quality and microbial community diversity of this river by analyzing water samples obtained from points located inside and outside the PNCD in both wet and dry seasons.

Environmental and Sanitary Conditions of Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro.

Guanabara Bay is the second largest bay in the coast of Brazil, with an area of 384 km(2). In its surroundings live circa 16 million inhabitants, out of which 6 million live in Rio de Janeiro city, one of the largest cities of the country, and the host of the 2016 Olympic Games. Anthropogenic interference in Guanabara Bay area started early in the XVI century, but environmental impacts escalated from 1930, when this region underwent an industrialization process.

BaMBa: towards the integrated management of Brazilian marine environmental data.

A new open access database, Brazilian Marine Biodiversity (BaMBa) (https://marinebiodiversity.lncc.br), was developed in order to maintain large datasets from the Brazilian marine environment.

Niche distribution and influence of environmental parameters in marine microbial communities: a systematic review.

Associations between microorganisms occur extensively throughout Earth's oceans. Understanding how microbial communities are assembled and how the presence or absence of species is related to that of others are central goals of microbial ecology. Here, we investigate co-occurrence associations between marine prokaryotes by combining 180 new and publicly available metagenomic datasets from different oceans in a large-scale meta-analysis.

Baseline Assessment of Mesophotic Reefs of the Vitória-Trindade Seamount Chain Based on Water Quality, Microbial Diversity, Benthic Cover and Fish Biomass Data.

Seamounts are considered important sources of biodiversity and minerals. However, their biodiversity and health status are not well understood; therefore, potential conservation problems are unknown. The mesophotic reefs of the Vitória-Trindade Seamount Chain (VTC) were investigated via benthic community and fish surveys, metagenomic and water chemistry analyses, and water microbial abundance estimations.

Microbial and sponge loops modify fish production in phase-shifting coral reefs.

Shifts from coral to algae dominance of corals reefs have been correlated to fish biomass loss and increased microbial metabolism. Here we investigated reef benthic and planktonic primary production, benthic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release and bacterial growth efficiency in the Abrolhos Bank, South Atlantic. Benthic DOC release rates are higher while water column bacterial growth efficiency is lower at impacted reefs.

Microbiota of the major South Atlantic reef building coral Mussismilia.

The Brazilian endemic scleractinian corals, genus Mussismilia, are among the main reef builders of the South Atlantic and are threatened by accelerating rates of disease. To better understand how holobiont microbial populations interact with corals during health and disease and to evaluate whether selective pressures in the holobiont or neutral assembly shape microbial composition, we have examined the microbiota structure of Mussismilia corals according to coral lineage, environment, and disease/health status. Microbiota of three Mussismilia species (Mussismilia harttii, Mussismilia hispida, and Mussismilia braziliensis) was compared using 16S rRNA pyrosequencing and clone library analysis of coral fragments.

Microbial community diversity and physical-chemical features of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean.

Microbial oceanography studies have demonstrated the central role of microbes in functioning and nutrient cycling of the global ocean. Most of these former studies including at Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (SAO) focused on surface seawater and benthic organisms (e.g.

Culturable heterotrophic bacteria associated with healthy and bleached scleractinian Madracis decactis and the fireworm Hermodice carunculata from the remote St. Peter and St. Paul Archipelago, Brazil.

We report on the first characterization of the culturable heterotrophic bacteria of the scleractinian Madracis decactis. In addition, we characterized the culturable bacteria associated with the fireworm Hermodice carunculata, observed predating partially bleached coral colonies. Our study was carried out in the remote St.

Abrolhos bank reef health evaluated by means of water quality, microbial diversity, benthic cover, and fish biomass data.

The health of the coral reefs of the Abrolhos Bank (Southwestern Atlantic) was characterized with a holistic approach using measurements of four ecosystem components: (i) inorganic and organic nutrient concentrations, [1] fish biomass, [1] macroalgal and coral cover and (iv) microbial community composition and abundance. The possible benefits of protection from fishing were particularly evaluated by comparing sites with varying levels of protection. Two reefs within the well-enforced no-take area of the National Marine Park of Abrolhos (Parcel dos Abrolhos and California) were compared with two unprotected coastal reefs (Sebastião Gomes and Pedra de Leste) and one legally protected but poorly enforced coastal reef (the "paper park" of Timbebas Reef).