Empowering Regional Conservation: Genetic Diversity Assessments as a Tool for Eelgrass Management.

To halt the loss of biodiversity, collaboration among scientists, managers and decision-makers is vital. Although biodiversity loss is a global problem, management actions influencing diversity are often on a local to regional scale. Our study is an example of a regional conservation genomic assessment developed in collaboration between scientists and managers.

High-Throughput Effect-Directed Analysis of Androgenic Compounds in Hospital Wastewater: Identifying Effect Drivers through Non-Target Screening Supported by Toxicity Prediction.

The increasing number of contaminants released into the environment necessitates innovative strategies for their detection and identification, particularly in complex environmental matrices like hospital wastewater. Hospital effluents contain both natural and synthetic hormones that might significantly contribute to endocrine disruption in aquatic ecosystems. In this study, HT-EDA has been implemented to identify the main effect-drivers (testosterone, androsterone and norgestrel) from hospital effluent using microplate fractionation, the AR-CALUX bioassay and an efficient data processing workflow.

Effect of surfactants on inactivation of Bacillus subtilis spores by chlorine.

Bacterial spores pose significant risks to human health, yet the inactivation of spores is challenging due to their unique structures and chemical compositions. This study investigated the synergistic effect between surfactants and chlorine on the inactivation kinetics of Bacillus subtilis spores. Two surfactants, cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTMA) were selected to investigate chlorine disinfection in absence and presence of surfactants.

Nutrient colimitation is a quantitative, dynamic property of microbial populations.

Resource availability dictates how fast and how much microbial populations grow. Quantifying the relationship between microbial growth and resource concentrations makes it possible to promote, inhibit, and predict microbial activity. Microbes require many resources, including macronutrients (e.

Lithic bacterial communities: ecological aspects focusing on communities.

communities (TCs) mainly comprise Cyanobacteria developing on rock substrates and forming physical structures that are strictly connected to the rock itself. Endolithic and epilithic bacterial communities are important because they contribute to nutrient release within run-off waters flowing on the rock surface. Despite TCs being ubiquitous, little information about their ecology and main characteristics is available.

Ecological diversification in sexual and asexual lineages.

The presence or absence of sex can have a strong influence on the processes whereby species arise. Yet, the mechanistic underpinnings of this influence are poorly understood. To gain insights into the mechanisms whereby the reproductive mode may influence ecological diversification, we investigate how natural selection, genetic mixing, and the reproductive mode interact and how this interaction affects the evolutionary dynamics of diversifying lineages.

A framework for understanding collective microbiome metabolism.

Microbiome metabolism underlies numerous vital ecosystem functions. Individual microbiome members often perform partial catabolism of substrates or do not express all of the metabolic functions required for growth. Microbiome members can complement each other by exchanging metabolic intermediates and cellular building blocks to achieve a collective metabolism.

A prescription for engineering PFAS biodegradation.

Per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFAS) are of rising concern due to environmental persistence and emerging evidence of health risks to humans. Environmental persistence is largely attributed to a failure of microbes to degrade PFAS. PFAS recalcitrance has been proposed to result from chemistry, specifically C-F bond strength, or biology, largely negative selection from fluoride toxicity.

Multivariate analysis of organic contaminants in groundwater of an endorheic basin draining to a salt lagoon - Fuente de Piedra (Southern Spain).

Forthcoming EU environmental requirements on water resources quality are likely to include concentration limits of certain contaminants of emerging concern, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products. However, understanding the occurrence of organic contaminants, including contaminants of emerging concern, in hydro(geo)logical media remains challenging. This study is based on a comprehensive screening of OCs in groundwater of the unique and complex Fuente de Piedra Lagoon endorheic basin system using hydrochemistry and isotopic tools.

Host genotype and infection status interact to shape microbiomes in .

Host–bacterial communities (microbiomes) are influenced by a wide range of factors including host genotype and parasite exposure. However, few studies disentangle temporal and host-genotype-specific variation in microbiome response to infection across several host tissues. We experimentally exposed the freshwater crustacean to its fungal parasite and characterized changes in host–bacterial communities associated with the parasite's development within the host.

Mixed pesticide sources identified by using wastewater tracers in rivers of South African agricultural catchments.

The agriculturally dominated region of the Western Cape, South Africa is vulnerable to pesticide pollution. A 2017-2019 pesticide monitoring campaign in the agricultural catchments of Grabouw, Piketberg and Hex River Valley identified year-round detections despite few agricultural applications, making pesticide pollution sources unclear. To better trace pesticide sources in these catchments, our study measured 19 pharmaceutical compounds and one industrial chemical as an indicator for wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent - in addition to 44 pesticides.

Consumer biodiversity increases organic nutrient availability across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Human land-use intensification threatens arthropod (for example, insect and spider) biodiversity across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Insects and spiders play critical roles in ecosystems by accumulating and synthesizing organic nutrients such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). However, links between biodiversity and nutrient content of insect and spider communities have yet to be quantified.

UV-vis absorbance spectra, molar extinction coefficients and circular dichroism spectra for the two cyanobacterial metabolites anabaenopeptin A and anabaenopeptin B.

The UV-vis absorbance spectra, molar extinction coefficients and circular dichroism spectra, as well as NMR and high resolution tandem mass spectrometry spectra were determined for two prominent secondary metabolites from cyanobacteria, namely anabaenopeptin A and anabaenopeptin B. The compounds were extracted from the cyanobacterium CBT929 and purified by flash chromatography and HPLC. Exact amounts of isolated compounds were assessed by quantitative H-NMR with internal calibrant ethyl 4-(dimethylamino)benzoate in DMSO‑ at 298 K with a recycle delay (d1) of 120 s.

Emerging Orchestrator of Ecological Adaptation: mA Regulation of Post-Transcriptional Mechanisms.

Genetic mechanisms have been at the forefront of our exploration into the substrate of adaptive evolution and phenotypic diversification. However, genetic variation only accounts for a fraction of phenotypic variation. In the last decade, the significance of RNA modification mechanisms has become more apparent in the context of organismal adaptation to rapidly changing environments.

Use of long-term underwater camera surveillance to assess the effects of the largest Amazonian hydroelectric dam on fish communities.

The increase in the construction of mega dams in tropical basins is considered a threat to freshwater fish diversity. Although difficult to detect in conventional monitoring programs, rheophilic species and those reliant on shallow habitats comprise a large proportion of fish diversity in tropical basins and are among the most sensitive species to hydropower impacts. We used Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV), an innovative, non-invasive sampling technique, to record the impacts caused by Belo Monte, the third largest hydropower project in the world, on fishes inhabiting fast waters in the Xingu River.

Direct and indirect effects of chemical pollution: Fungicides alter growth, feeding, and pigmentation of the freshwater detritivore Asellus aquaticus.

Anthropogenic chemical pollutants, such as fungicides, pose significant threats to natural ecosystems. Although the direct impacts of numerous chemicals are well-documented in simple environmental contexts, their indirect impacts are poorly understood. This study used two individual level laboratory experiments to assess direct and indirect effects of fungicides on the isopod Asellus aquaticus, a keystone detritivore in freshwater systems.

A key factor in monitoring cannabis consumption trends through wastewater analysis: Partitioning of THCCOOH between the liquid and solid phase of influent wastewater.

Current wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) studies are predominantly focused on the analysis of urinary biomarkers present in the liquid phase of influent wastewater (IWW). This approach systematically underestimates less polar metabolites, such as cannabis biomarkers. These biomarkers can potentially sorb to and desorb from suspended particulate matter (SPM) present in IWW.

Predicted community consequences of spatially explicit global change-induced processes on plant-insect networks.

Plant-insect trophic systems should be particularly sensitive to processes altering species spatial co-occurrences, as impacts on one level can cascade effectively through the strong trophic reliance to the other level. Here, we predicted the biogeography of Lepidoptera-plant communities under global-change scenarios, exploiting spatially resolved data on 423 Lepidoptera species and their 848 food plants across the German state of Baden-Württemberg (ca. 36,000 km).

Benchmarking sample pooling for epigenomics of natural populations.

DNA methylation (DNAm) is a mechanism for rapid acclimation to environmental conditions. In natural systems, small effect sizes relative to noise necessitates large sampling efforts to detect differences. Large numbers of individually sequenced libraries are costly.

Disentangling abiotic and biotic effects of treated wastewater on stream biofilm resistomes enables the discovery of a new planctomycete beta-lactamase.

Background: Environmental reservoirs of antibiotic resistance pose a threat to human and animal health. Aquatic biofilms impacted by wastewater effluent (WW) are known environmental reservoirs for antibiotic resistance; however, the relative importance of biotic factors and abiotic factors from WW on the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) within aquatic biofilms remains unclear. Additionally, experimental evidence is limited within complex aquatic microbial communities as to whether genes bearing low sequence similarity to validated reference ARGs are functional as ARGs.

Tracking Extensive Portfolio of Cyanotoxins in Five-Year Lake Survey and Identifying Indicator Metabolites of Cyanobacterial Taxa.

Cyanobacterial blooms require monitoring, as they pose a threat to ecosystems and human health, especially by the release of toxins. Along with widely reported microcystins, cyanobacteria coproduce other bioactive metabolites; however, information about their dynamics in surface waters is sparse. We investigated dynamics across full bloom successions throughout a five-year lake monitoring campaign (Greifensee, Switzerland) spanning 150 sampling dates.

Metabolic interactions control the transfer and spread of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance during surface-associated microbial growth.

Surface-associated microbial systems are hotspots for the spread of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance, but how surface association affects plasmid transfer and proliferation remains unclear. Surface association enables prolonged spatial proximities between different populations, which promotes plasmid transfer between them. However, surface association also fosters strong metabolic interactions between different populations, which can direct their spatial self-organization with consequences for plasmid transfer and proliferation.

Impact of Nanoplastic Particles on Macrophage Inflammation and Intestinal Health in a Mouse Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: The increasing presence of plastics in the human diet is raising public concern about the potential risks posed by nanoplastic (NP) particles, which can emerge from the degradation of plastic debris. NP ingestion poses particular risks to individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as compromised epithelial barriers may facilitate NP translocation.

Methods: In vitro, bone-marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were exposed to 25 nm polymethacrylate (PMMA) or 50 nm polystyrene (PS) particles to assess morphological changes and alterations in pro- and anti-inflammatory gene expression.