Over millennia, ecological and evolutionary mechanisms have shaped macroecological patterns across the tree of life. Research describing these patterns at both regional and global scales has traditionally focused on the study of metazoan species. Consequently, there is a limited understanding of cross-phylum biogeographic structuring and an escalating need to understand the macroecology of both microscopic and macroscopic organisms. Here we used environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to explore the biodiversity of marine metazoans, protists and bacteria along an extensive and highly heterogeneous coastline. Our results showed remarkably consistent biogeographic structure across the kingdoms of life despite billions of years of evolution. Analyses investigating the drivers of these patterns for each taxonomic kingdom found that environmental conditions (such as temperature) and, to a lesser extent, anthropogenic stressors (such as fishing pressure and pollution) explained some of the observed variation. Additionally, metazoans displayed biogeographic patterns that suggested regional biotic homogenization. Against the backdrop of global pervasive anthropogenic environmental change, our work highlights the importance of considering multiple domains of life to understand the maintenance and drivers of biodiversity patterns across broad taxonomic, ecological and geographical scales.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01439-7 | DOI Listing |
Pathogens
January 2025
Departamento de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Noria Alta s/n, Guanajuato 36050, Mexico.
The path to survival for pathogenic organisms is not straightforward. Pathogens require a set of enzymes for tissue damage generation and to obtain nourishment, as well as a toolbox full of alternatives to bypass host defense mechanisms. Our group has shown that the parasitic protist encodes for 14 sphingomyelinases (SMases); one of them (acid sphingomyelinase 6, aSMase6) is involved in repairing membrane damage and exhibits hemolytic activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroorganisms
January 2025
State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Coastal Ecosystem, National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian 116023, China.
As transitional ecosystems between land and sea, estuaries are characterized by a unique environment that supports complex and diverse microbial communities. A comprehensive analysis of microbial diversity and ecological processes at different trophic levels is crucial for understanding the ecological functions of estuarine ecosystems. In this study, we systematically analyzed the diversity patterns, community assembly, and environmental adaptability of bacterial and protist communities using high-throughput sequencing techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomolecules
December 2024
Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming Ecology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuxi 214081, China.
Microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and protists, are key drivers in aquatic ecosystems, maintaining ecological balance and normal material circulation, playing vital roles in ecosystem functions and biogeochemical processes. To evaluate the environmental impact of different river crab polyculture practices, we set up two different river crab () polyculture practices: one where river crabs were cultured with mandarin fish (), silver carp (), and freshwater fish stone moroko (), and another where river crabs were cultured just with mandarin fish and silver carp. These two polyculture practices were referred to as PC and MC, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Parasitol
January 2025
ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Purpose: Bats constitute 20% of all mammal species, playing a vital role in ecosystem health as pollinators, seed dispersers, and regulators of insect populations. However, these animals can also be reservoirs for infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, and enteroparasites such as Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Balantioides coli, raising questions about their role in the epidemiology of these agents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Res
January 2025
College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China.
Estuarine ecosystems have been threatened by increasing anthropogenic and natural pressures, yet the integral understanding of their stability characteristics of microbial communities at taxonomic, habitat, and spatial scales remains limited. In this study, the Mulan River estuary in southeastern China was selected to compare the stability characteristics of bacterial and protistan communities in water and sediments over three hydrological periods, and to explore their spatial variations along the estuarine continuum from river to ocean. The potential driving mechanisms of stability characteristics were also explored.
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