Microbial Community Structures and Methanogenic Functions in Wetland Peat Soils.

Methane metabolism in wetlands involves diverse groups of bacteria and archaea, which are responsible for the biological decomposition of organic matter under certain anoxic conditions. Recent advances in environmental omics revealed the phylogenetic diversity of novel microbial lineages, which have not been previously placed in the traditional tree of life. The present study aimed to verify the key players in methane production, either well-known archaeal members or recently identified lineages, in peat soils collected from wetland areas in Japan.

A Novel Archaeal Lineage in Boiling Hot Springs around Oyasukyo Gorge (Akita, Japan).

A novel deep-branching archaeal lineage was discovered at high-temperature hot springs around Oyasukyo Gorge in Akita Prefecture, Japan. Actively boiling hot spring water contained >1×10 microbes mL. The microbial community composition assessed by analyzing 16S rRNA gene amplicons revealed that the dominant bacterial phyla were Proteobacteria and Aquificae (>50% of the microbial composition) in samples collected in 2016 and 2019, respectively.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory and antioxidant peptides from digestion of larvae and pupae of Asian weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, Fabricius.

Background: Mixed larvae and pupae of weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) are widely used as an important food ingredient in regions of Thailand. They have high nutritional values and comprise 53% protein and 13% lipid. Peptides derived from food proteins have been shown to possess biological activities.