A Phase-Dependent Effect That Enables Multi-Scale Moisture Measurements in Heterogeneous Substrates Using Tubular Sensors.

A knowledge of the moisture in soils/soil litter allows for the estimation of irrigation needs or the risk of forest fire. A membrane-based humidity sensor (MHS) can measure the relative humidity (RH) as an average value in such heterogeneous substrates via its sensitive tubular silicone membrane. This RH corresponds to the moisture-dependent water potential of the substrate.

Becoming nose-blind-Climate change impacts on chemical communication.

Chemical communication via infochemicals plays a pivotal role in ecological interactions, allowing organisms to sense their environment, locate predators, food, habitats, or mates. A growing number of studies suggest that climate change-associated stressors can modify these chemically mediated interactions, causing info-disruption that scales up to the ecosystem level. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms is scarce.

Microbial functional changes mark irreversible course of Tibetan grassland degradation.

The Tibetan Plateau's Kobresia pastures store 2.5% of the world's soil organic carbon (SOC). Climate change and overgrazing render their topsoils vulnerable to degradation, with SOC stocks declining by 42% and nitrogen (N) by 33% at severely degraded sites.

A straightforward approach for assessing the effectiveness of membrane materials as radon (Rn) barriers.

The ubiquitous presence of the radioisotope radon (Rn) and its short-lived progeny (Po, Pb, Bi, Po) is challenging in two respects: (i) Radon is a major issue regarding health-related problems due to potentially elevated radiation exposure of humans in dwellings, and (ii) due to the mobility of radon the short-lived progeny may cause complications in radionuclide detection in laboratories. Polymer membranes are an appropriate means for effectively preventing unwanted radon migration. However, most of the published literature focusses on robust membranes made for the large-scale sealing of dwelling substructures.

Exploitation of Hetero- and Phototrophic Metabolic Modules for Redox-Intensive Whole-Cell Biocatalysis.

The successful realization of a sustainable manufacturing bioprocess and the maximization of its production potential and capacity are the main concerns of a bioprocess engineer. A main step towards this endeavor is the development of an efficient biocatalyst. Isolated enzyme(s), microbial cells, or (immobilized) formulations thereof can serve as biocatalysts.

Model-based extrapolation of ecological systems under future climate scenarios: The example of Ixodes ricinus ticks.

Models can be applied to extrapolate consequences of climate change for complex ecological systems in the future. The acknowledged systems' behaviour at present is projected into the future considering climate projection data. Such an approach can be used to addresses the future activity and density of the castor bean tick Ixodes ricinus, the most widespread tick species in Europe.

Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Promote Bacterial Conjugative Plasmid Transfer.

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) regularly enter aquatic environments due to their ubiquity in consumer products and engineering applications. However, the effects of MWCNT pollution on the environmental microbiome are poorly understood. Here, we evaluated whether these carbon nanoparticles can elevate the spread of antimicrobial resistance by promoting bacterial plasmid transfer, which has previously been observed for copper nanomaterials with antimicrobial properties as well as for microplastics.

Autophagopathies: from autophagy gene polymorphisms to precision medicine for human diseases.

At a time when complex diseases affect globally 280 million people and claim 14 million lives every year, there is an urgent need to rapidly increase our knowledge into their underlying etiologies. Though critical in identifying the people at risk, the causal environmental factors (microbiome and/or pollutants) and the affected pathophysiological mechanisms are not well understood. Herein, we consider the variations of autophagy-related () genes at the heart of mechanisms of increased susceptibility to environmental stress.

Thermophilic Composting of Human Feces: Development of Bacterial Community Composition and Antimicrobial Resistance Gene Pool.

In times of climate change, practicing sustainable, climate-resilient, and productive agriculture is of primordial importance. Compost from different resources, now treated as wastes, could be one form of sustainable fertilizer creating a resilience of agriculture to the adverse effects of climate change. However, the safety of the produced compost regarding human pathogens, pharmaceuticals, and related resistance genes must be considered.

Towards a qAOP framework for predictive toxicology - Linking data to decisions.

The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) is a conceptual construct that facilitates organisation and interpretation of mechanistic data representing multiple biological levels and deriving from a range of methodological approaches including , and assays. AOPs are playing an increasingly important role in the chemical safety assessment paradigm and quantification of AOPs is an important step towards a more reliable prediction of chemically induced adverse effects. Modelling methodologies require the identification, extraction and use of reliable data and information to support the inclusion of quantitative considerations in AOP development.

The Metaproteomics Initiative: a coordinated approach for propelling the functional characterization of microbiomes.

Through connecting genomic and metabolic information, metaproteomics is an essential approach for understanding how microbiomes function in space and time. The international metaproteomics community is delighted to announce the launch of the Metaproteomics Initiative (www.metaproteomics.

Functional soil mycobiome across ecosystems.

Fungi support a wide range of ecosystem processes such as decomposition of organic matter and plant-soil relationships. Yet, our understanding of the factors driving the metaproteome of fungal communities is still scarce. Here, we conducted a field survey including data on fungal biomass (by phospholipid fatty acids, PLFA), community composition (by metabarcoding of the 18S rRNA gene from extracted DNA) and functional profile (by metaproteomics) to investigate soil fungi and their relation to edaphic and environmental variables across three ecosystems (forests, grasslands, and shrublands) distributed across the globe.

Environmental conditions affect the food quality of plastic associated biofilms for the benthic grazer Physa fontinalis.

With an ever-increasing amount of plastic pollution in the various aquatic ecosystems around the world, the effects on organisms are still not fully understood. Most studies focus on direct effects posed by plastic intake or entanglement, but plastic debris can also affect primary production of biofilms and have an indirect impact on its consumers. This study investigates the primary production on three common plastic types in freshwater and its food quality for a benthic grazer.

Assessing inputs of aquaculture-derived nutrients to streams using dissolved organic matter fluorescence.

Salmon aquaculture is an important economic activity globally where local freshwater supplies permit land-based salmon aquaculture facilities to cultivate early life stage salmon. Nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter in aquaculture effluents contribute to the eutrophication of adjacent and downstream rivers and lakes. This study quantifies the enrichment of nutrients in land-based salmon aquaculture facility effluents compared to receiving waters.

Soil from a Hexachlorocyclohexane Contaminated Field Site Inoculates Wheat in a Pot Experiment to Facilitate the Microbial Transformation of β-Hexachlorocyclohexane Examined by Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis.

β-Hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) is a remnant from former HCH pesticide production. Its removal from the environment gained attention in the last few years since it is the most stable HCH isomer. However, knowledge about the transformation of β-HCH in soil-plant systems is still limited.

Gut microbiota link dietary fiber intake and short-chain fatty acid metabolism with eating behavior.

The gut microbiome has been speculated to modulate feeding behavior through multiple factors, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Evidence on this relationship in humans is however lacking. We aimed to explore if specific bacterial genera relate to eating behavior, diet, and SCFA in adults.

Identification of intracellular glycosaminoglycan-interacting proteins by affinity purification mass spectrometry.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are essential functional components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Artificial GAGs like sulfated hyaluronan (sHA) exhibit pro-osteogenic properties and boost healing processes. Hence, they are of high interest for supporting bone regeneration and wound healing.

Drought and Plant Community Composition Affect the Metabolic and Genotypic Diversity of Strains in Grassland Soils.

Climate and plant community composition (PCC) modulate the structure and function of microbial communities. In order to characterize how the functional traits of bacteria are affected, important plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria of grassland soil communities, pseudomonads, were isolated from a grassland experiment and phylogenetically and functionally characterized. The Miniplot experiment was implemented to examine the mechanisms underlying grassland ecosystem changes due to climate change, and it investigates the sole or combined impact of drought and PCC (plant species with their main distribution either in SW or NE Europe, and a mixture of these species).

Circulating bacterial signature is linked to metabolic disease and shifts with metabolic alleviation after bariatric surgery.

Background: The microbiome has emerged as an environmental factor contributing to obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Increasing evidence suggests links between circulating bacterial components (i.e.

Structure of Chimpanzee Gut Microbiomes across Tropical Africa.

Understanding variation in host-associated microbial communities is important given the relevance of microbiomes to host physiology and health. Using 560 fecal samples collected from wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) across their range, we assessed how geography, genetics, climate, vegetation, and diet relate to gut microbial community structure (prokaryotes, eukaryotic parasites) at multiple spatial scales. We observed a high degree of regional specificity in the microbiome composition, which was associated with host genetics, available plant foods, and potentially with cultural differences in tool use, which affect diet.