The microbial dimension of the terroir is crucial for wine quality, as microbiomes contribute to plant biofertilization, stress tolerance and pathogen suppression. While microbial terroir can act as a biological signature at large scale, data for local contexts is lacking, hindering the characterization of regional microbial diversity in vineyards. Here, we define the microbial terroir of vineyards across the 12 sub-areas (Additional Geographic Units -AGUs) of the "Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG" PDO area (Italy), a world-renowned wine-producing region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAiming to shed light on the biology of wild ruminants, we investigated the gut microbiome seasonal dynamics of the Alpine ibex () from the Central Italian Alps. Feces were collected in spring, summer, and autumn during non-invasive sampling campaigns. Samples were analyzed by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, as well as targeted and untargeted metabolomics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe microbiome plays a key role in the health of all metazoans. Whether and how the microbiome favors the adaptation processes of organisms to extreme conditions, such as those of Antarctica, which are incompatible with most metazoans, is still unknown. We investigated the microbiome of three endemic and widespread species of Antarctic polychaetes: , , and .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite their critical roles in marine ecosystems, only few studies have addressed the gut microbiome (GM) of cetaceans in a comprehensive way. Being long-living apex predators with a carnivorous diet but evolved from herbivorous ancestors, cetaceans are an ideal model for studying GM-host evolutionary drivers of symbiosis and represent a valuable proxy of overall marine ecosystem health. Here, we investigated the GM of eight different cetacean species, including both Odontocetes (toothed whales) and Mysticetes (baleen whales), by means of 16S rRNA-targeted amplicon sequencing.
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