Fungal community dynamics in a hyper-arid ecosystem after 7 and 47 years of petroleum contamination.

This study investigates the impact of crude oil contamination on the fungal community dynamics in the Evrona Nature Reserve, situated in Israel's hyper-arid Arava Valley. The reserve experienced petroleum-hydrocarbon-spill pollution at two neighboring sites in 1975 and 2014. The initial contamination was left untreated, providing a unique opportunity to compare its effects to those of the second contamination event.

Are Changes Occurring in Bacterial Taxa Community and Diversity with the Utilization of Different Substrates within SIR Measurements?

This research explores how the availability of substrates affects the regulation of soil microbial communities and the taxonomical composition of bacteria. The goal is to understand the impact of organic matter and substrate availability and quality on the diversity of soil bacteria. The study observed gradual changes in bacterial diversity in response to the addition of different substrate-induced respiration (SIR) substrates.

Effects of Vineyard Agro-management Practices on Soil Bacterial Community Composition, and Diversity.

Changes in land use strongly affect soil biological and physico-chemical structure and characteristics, which are strongly related to agricultural conversion of natural habitats to man-made usage. These are among the most important and not always beneficial changes, affecting loss of habitats. In Golan Heights basaltic soils, vineyards are currently a driving force in land-use change.

Plant Gender Affects Soil Fungal Microbiota Associated with Welwitschia mirabilis, an Unusual Desert Gymnosperm.

In a recent study, we found a distinct soil bacterial community associated with male and female plants of the desert gymnosperm Welwitschia mirabilis. In this subsequent study, we also found that the soil fungal community associated with Welwitschia differs between male and female plants, and between unvegetated areas and the soil under plants. Site location, pH, and soil moisture also had an important influence on the composition of the fungal community.

The 'fertile island effect' of Welwitschia plants on soil microbiota is influenced by plant gender.

Desert and semi-desert plants are often associated with a distinct soil biota under the plants and close to the root system. We aimed to understand if similar effects could be found in the taxonomically isolated desert gymnosperm Welwitschia mirabilis in the Namib Desert, and whether this island effect varied with climate and with gender of plants. We took soil cores adjacent to the plants in environments ranging from extreme desert to arid shrubland, and in nearby control sites between the plants.

The influence of flint stones on a soil microbial community in the northern Negev Desert.

In the Negev Desert ecosystems, flint-stone cover on slopes acts as a barrier against water flow. As a result, soil moisture increases and organic matter accumulates under the stone and in the immediate surroundings, both affecting the duration of soil microbial activity. On the other hand, during the dry season (characterized by approximately 210 dew nights), flint-stone cover plays an important role in the formation of dew, which eventually trickles down beneath the stone, correspondingly enhancing biological activity.

Trends in Taxonomic and Functional Composition of Soil Microbiome Along a Precipitation Gradient in Israel.

The soil microbiome is important for the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the impacts of climate on taxonomic and functional diversity of soil microbiome are not well understood. A precipitation gradient along regional scale transects may offer a model setting for understanding the effect of climate on the composition and function of the soil microbiome.

Microbial functional diversity associated with plant litter decomposition along a climatic gradient.

Predicted changes in climate associated with increased greenhouse gas emissions can cause increases in global mean temperature and changes in precipitation regimes. These changes may affect key soil processes, e.g.

Previous statin use is not associated with an increased prevalence or degree of gradient-echo lesions in patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack.

Background And Purpose: Microhemorrhages on gradient-echo T2*-weighted MRI sequences are often found in patients with cerebrovascular disease and are related to intracerebral hemorrhage. Because statin therapy is associated with increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage, we investigated whether statin use was also associated with microhemorrhages in patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis on prospectively collected data from a stroke registry containing patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack.

Genomic expression discovery predicts pathways and opposing functions behind phenotypes.

Discovering states of genetic expression that are true to a high degree of certainty is likely to predict gene function behind biological phenotypes. The states of expression (up- or down-regulated) of 19200 cDNAs in 10 meningiomas are compared with normal brain by an algorithm that detects only 1 false measurement per 192000; 364 genes are discovered. The expression data accurately predict activation of signaling pathways and link gene function to specific phenotypes.