microbial ecology
Methods and ProtocolsBEExact: a Metataxonomic Database Tool for High-Resolution Inference of Bee-Associated Microbial CommunitiesThe failure of current universal taxonomic databases to support the rapidly expanding field of bee microbiota research has led to many investigators relying on “in-house” reference sets or manual classification of sequence reads (usually based on BLAST searches), often with vague identity thresholds and subjective taxonomy choices. This time expensive, error- and bias-prone process lacks standardization, cripples the potential for...
Research ArticleEMPress Enables Tree-Guided, Interactive, and Exploratory Analyses of Multi-omic Data SetsPhylogenetic trees are integral data structures for the analysis of microbial communities. Recent work has also shown the utility of trees constructed from certain metabolomic data sets, further highlighting their importance in microbiome research.
Research ArticleUncultivated Viral Populations Dominate Estuarine Viromes on the Spatiotemporal ScaleThis is the first systematic study about spatial and temporal variation of virioplankton communities in estuaries by using deep metagenomics sequencing. It is among the highest-quality viromic data sets to date, showing remarkably consistent sequencing depth and quality across samples.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySulfur Metabolites Play Key System-Level Roles in Modulating DenitrificationNitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) colonize diverse anoxic environments, including soil subsurface, groundwater, and wastewater. NRB and SRB compete for resources, and their interplay has major implications on the global cycling of nitrogen and sulfur species, with undesirable outcomes in some contexts.
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceA Novel Group of Promiscuous Podophages Infecting Diverse Gammaproteobacteria from River Communities Exhibits Dynamic Intergenus Host AdaptationIn natural environments, phages coexist and interact with a broad variety of bacteria, posing a conundrum for narrow-host-range phage maintenance in diverse communities. This context is rarely considered in the study of host-phage interactions, typically focused on narrow-host-range viruses and their infectivity in target bacteria isolated from sources distinct to where the phages were retrieved from.
Minireview | Applied and Environmental ScienceComputational Analysis of Microbial Flow Cytometry DataFlow cytometry is an important technology for the study of microbial communities. It grants the ability to rapidly generate phenotypic single-cell data that are both quantitative, multivariate and of high temporal resolution.
Minireview | Host-Microbe BiologyEcological Succession of Polymicrobial Communities in the Cystic Fibrosis AirwaysAntimicrobial therapies against cystic fibrosis (CF) lung infections are largely aimed at the traditional, well-studied CF pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia complex, despite the fact that the CF lung harbors a complex and dynamic polymicrobial community. A clinical...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInfant Skin Bacterial Communities Vary by Skin Site and Infant Age across Populations in Mexico and the United StatesThis study contributes to the sparse literature on the infant skin microbiome in general, and the virtually nonexistent literature on the infant skin microbiome in a field setting. While microbiome research often addresses patterns at a national scale, this study addresses the influence of population-level factors, such as maternal socioeconomic status and contact with caregivers, on infant skin bacterial communities. This approach...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceMeasurement Error and Resolution in Quantitative Stable Isotope Probing: Implications for Experimental DesignOne of the biggest challenges in microbial ecology is correlating the identity of microorganisms with the roles they fulfill in natural environmental systems. Studies of microbes in pure culture reveal much about their genomic content and potential functions but may not reflect an organism’s activity within its natural community. Culture-independent studies supply a community-wide view of composition and function in the context of...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceContinental-Scale Microbiome Study Reveals Different Environmental Characteristics Determining Microbial Richness, Composition, and Quantity in Hotel RoomsThis is the first microbiome study to characterize the microbiome data and associated environmental characteristics in hotel environments. In this study, we found concordant variation between fungal compositional variation and absolute quantity and discordant variation between community variation/quantity and richness. Our study can be used to promote hotel hygiene standards and provide resource information for future microbiome and...