Featured
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| Open AccessTargeted treatment of injured nestmates with antimicrobial compounds in an ant society
Infected wounds pose a major mortality risk in animals and are common in predatory ants. Here, the authors show that M. analis ants apply antimicrobial compounds produced in the metapleural glands to treat infected wounds and reduce nestmate mortality.
- Erik. T. Frank
- , Lucie Kesner
- & Laurent Keller
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Article
| Open AccessMetallic micronutrients are associated with the structure and function of the soil microbiome
Soil micronutrients may be important for belowground biota and associated functions. Here, the authors identify the relationships between metallic micronutrients and soil microbial communities and functions across 180 sites, and validate them in a soil incubation experiment.
- Zhongmin Dai
- , Xu Guo
- & Jianming Xu
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Article
| Open AccessViruses under the Antarctic Ice Shelf are active and potentially involved in global nutrient cycles
The diversity and impact of viruses in remote marine environments are less well understood. In this study, the authors analyse an -omics dataset to gain insights into the genomics and potential role of endemic viruses infecting ecologically important microbes inhabiting the ocean cavity beneath the Ross Ice Shelf.
- Javier Lopez-Simon
- , Marina Vila-Nistal
- & Manuel Martinez-Garcia
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Article
| Open AccessIdentification of inulin-responsive bacteria in the gut microbiota via multi-modal activity-based sorting
Here, Riva et al. employ a multi-modal approach to identify gut microbes stimulated by the popular dietary supplement inulin and reveal that inulin binding and metabolic stimulation are widespread in the microbiome, making the framework a suitable way to study key microbes that perform specific functions in the microbiome.
- Alessandra Riva
- , Hamid Rasoulimehrabani
- & David Berry
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Article
| Open AccessPhyloecology of nitrate ammonifiers and their importance relative to denitrifiers in global terrestrial biomes
Nitrate ammonifiers are poorly known despite their importance for soil nitrogen retention. This study shows that they are phylogenetically diverse and globally distributed across terrestrial biomes and that the outcome of the competition with denitrifiers is controlled by soil nitrate.
- Aurélien Saghaï
- , Grace Pold
- & Sara Hallin
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Article
| Open AccessCrop rotation and native microbiome inoculation restore soil capacity to suppress a root disease
Crop rotation helps preventing pathogen infestations compared to monocultures, which may be partly due to root-associated microbes. Here, the authors show that rhizosphere microbiomes in monocultures are less able to suppress fungal pathogens compared to crop rotations, and that inoculating certain microbes can mitigate it.
- Yanyan Zhou
- , Zhen Yang
- & Xiaogang Li
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Article
| Open AccessStrong chemotaxis by marine bacteria towards polysaccharides is enhanced by the abundant organosulfur compound DMSP
The ability of marine bacteria to direct their movement in response to chemical gradients influences inter-species interactions, nutrient turnover, and ecosystem productivity. Here, Clerc et al. show that marine bacteria are strongly attracted to algal polysaccharides, and this chemotactic behaviour is enhanced by dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), a ubiquitous algal metabolite.
- Estelle E. Clerc
- , Jean-Baptiste Raina
- & Roman Stocker
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| Open AccessIdentifying microbiota community patterns important for plant protection using synthetic communities and machine learning
The authors investigate microbiota properties for plant protection using synthetic communities and machine learning approaches. They identify strains that reduce pathogen colonization despite variation in microbiota composition.
- Barbara Emmenegger
- , Julien Massoni
- & Julia A. Vorholt
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Article
| Open AccessA computational framework for resolving the microbiome diversity conundrum
The microbiome is thought to be important for its host’s wellbeing, but it varies much among individuals. We offer a solution to this conundrum, showing that factors like the form of microbes’ contribution to hosts’ fitness and host population size may be preventing natural selection from operating effectively.
- Itay Daybog
- & Oren Kolodny
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Article
| Open AccessMetagenomic profiles of archaea and bacteria within thermal and geochemical gradients of the Guaymas Basin deep subsurface
The authors study microbial communities in hydrothermally heated, subseafloor sediment layers. They find that microbial abundance and diversity decrease with sediment depth and temperature, and provide evidence for the existence of a specialized deep, hot biosphere.
- Paraskevi Mara
- , David Geller-McGrath
- & Andreas Teske
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Article
| Open AccessHi-C metagenome sequencing reveals soil phage–host interactions
This study uses high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) to identify phage–host relationships in soil. By coupling Hi-C with DNA and RNA sequencing, the authors demonstrate the impact of soil drying on phage–host interactions and the downstream effects on abundances and interspecies interactions within bacterial communities.
- Ruonan Wu
- , Michelle R. Davison
- & Kirsten S. Hofmockel
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Article
| Open AccessTaxonomic and environmental distribution of bacterial amino acid auxotrophies
Many microorganisms are auxotrophic, that is, unable to synthesize the compounds they require for growth. Here, Ramoneda et al. predict amino acid biosynthetic capabilities of over 26,000 bacterial genomes using a metabolic pathway model validated with empirical data, and identify ecological contexts in which auxotrophy can be a successful strategy.
- Josep Ramoneda
- , Thomas B. N. Jensen
- & Noah Fierer
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Article
| Open AccessBacterial genome size and gene functional diversity negatively correlate with taxonomic diversity along a pH gradient
Bacterial functional diversity does not necessarily correlate with taxonomic diversity because average genome size may vary by community. Here, Wang et al. investigate bacterial communities along a natural pH gradient in forest soils, and find that average genome size and functional diversity decrease, whereas taxonomic diversity increases, as soil pH rises from acid to neutral.
- Cong Wang
- , Qing-Yi Yu
- & Cheng Gao
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Article
| Open AccessMicrobial methane cycling in a landfill on a decadal time scale
Microbial degradation of organic matter in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Here, Grégoire et al. use metagenomic approaches to study microbial methane cycling in waste landfilled over 39 years, highlighting the importance of specific microbial lineages and methane oxidation in the absence of oxygen.
- Daniel S. Grégoire
- , Nikhil A. George
- & Laura A. Hug
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Article
| Open AccessInfant microbiome cultivation and metagenomic analysis reveal Bifidobacterium 2’-fucosyllactose utilization can be facilitated by coexisting species
Here, Lou et al. apply metagenomics and microbiome cultivation to infant fecal samples and uncover co-existing members encoding extracellular fucosidases that initiate 2’-fucosyllactose (2’FL) breakdown and can promote extensive growth of Bifidobacterium breve.
- Yue Clare Lou
- , Benjamin E. Rubin
- & Jillian F. Banfield
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Article
| Open AccessGenomics of soil depth niche partitioning in the Thaumarchaeota family Gagatemarchaeaceae
Non-ammonia oxidising Thaumarachaeota lineages are common in acidic soils, but their evolution is unclear. Here, the authors assemble 15 genomes from deeply rooted Thaumarachaeota in topsoils and subsoils, investigating evolutionary divergence in the family Gagatemarchaeaceae.
- Paul O. Sheridan
- , Yiyu Meng
- & Cécile Gubry-Rangin
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Article
| Open AccessShort-term acidification promotes diverse iron acquisition and conservation mechanisms in upwelling-associated phytoplankton
Coastal upwelling regions are among the most productive marine ecosystems but may be threatened by amplified ocean acidification. Here the authors show from community to molecular levels that phytoplankton in an upwelling region respond to short-term acidification exposure with iron uptake pathways and strategies that reduce cellular iron demand.
- Robert H. Lampe
- , Tyler H. Coale
- & Andrew E. Allen
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Article
| Open AccessPlanktonic microbial signatures of sinking particle export in the open ocean’s interior
Sinking of organic particles to the deep seafloor is fundamental to ocean carbon cycling. Here, the authors investigate prokaryotic communities in sinking and suspended particles, identifying depth-specific signatures of particle export and carbon cycling processes.
- Fuyan Li
- , Andrew Burger
- & Edward F. DeLong
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Article
| Open AccessCoupled carbon and nitrogen cycling regulates the cnidarian–algal symbiosis
Photosymbioses enable efficient nutrient recycling between heterotrophic and phototrophic organisms. This study shows that nutrient cycling in a cnidarian-algal symbiosis is regulated through resource competition between symbiotic partners. Mutualistic interactions can therefore emerge from mutual exploitation in nutrient–exchange symbioses.
- Nils Rädecker
- , Stéphane Escrig
- & Anders Meibom
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Article
| Open AccessWastewater sequencing reveals community and variant dynamics of the collective human virome
Tisza et al. carry out a sequencing-based analysis of wastewater samples from major cities, to detect and quantify hundreds of distinct pathogenic viruses, finding striking correlations between virus abundance and local clinical cases.
- Michael Tisza
- , Sara Javornik Cregeen
- & Anthony W. Maresso
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Article
| Open AccessDisease-specific loss of microbial cross-feeding interactions in the human gut
Gut microbes rely on nutrient exchange for survival, but these cross-feeding interactions remain poorly characterized. Here, Marcelino et al. present a metabolite-exchange scoring system derived from metagenome-scale metabolic models, designed to identify the potential microbial cross-feeding interactions most affected in human diseases.
- Vanessa R. Marcelino
- , Caitlin Welsh
- & Samuel C. Forster
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Article
| Open AccessGlobally distributed Myxococcota with photosynthesis gene clusters illuminate the origin and evolution of a potentially chimeric lifestyle
Photosynthesis is thought to be restricted to a few bacterial and eukaryotic phyla. Here, Li et al. provide evidence of photosynthetic abilities in uncultivated bacteria within the phylum Myxococcota, suggesting that some of these organisms may combine predatory and photosynthetic abilities.
- Liuyang Li
- , Danyue Huang
- & Yinzhao Wang
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Article
| Open AccessGenomic adaptation of giant viruses in polar oceans
This study examines the biogeography and functional gene repertoires of marine eukaryote-infecting large and giant DNA viruses. It shows a clear divide in the viral communities between polar and nonpolar environments, with recurrent evolutionary adaptations to the polar environment likely driven by alterations of their genomic functions.
- Lingjie Meng
- , Tom O. Delmont
- & Hiroyuki Ogata
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| Open AccessOxygen respiration and polysaccharide degradation by a sulfate-reducing acidobacterium
Sulfate-reducing microorganisms are common in anoxic environments and represent an important link between the sulfur and carbon cycles. Here, Dyksma & Pester show that microbial sulfate reduction and aerobic respiration are not mutually exclusive in the same organism, sulfate reducers can mineralize organic polymers, and anaerobic mineralization of complex organic matter is not necessarily a multi-step process.
- Stefan Dyksma
- & Michael Pester
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Article
| Open AccessA Lagrangian model for drifting ecosystems reveals heterogeneity-driven enhancement of marine plankton blooms
Modelling a planktonic ecosystem in the ocean is challenging as it is embedded in a patch of water that is continuously moving, stretching, and diluting. This study introduces a new theoretical framework to account for such aspects, tracking a patch of water hosting a drifting ecosystem, along with its physical, environmental and biochemical features.
- Enrico Ser-Giacomi
- , Ricardo Martinez-Garcia
- & Michael J. Follows
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Article
| Open AccessA systematic analysis of marine lysogens and proviruses
Viruses are ubiquitous in the oceans, exhibiting high abundance and diversity. Here, Yi et al. present a systematic catalogue and analysis of genomic sequences from marine prokaryotes and their proviruses, thus contributing to a better understanding of the ecology of these microorganisms.
- Yi Yi
- , Shunzhang Liu
- & Huahua Jian
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Article
| Open AccessMicrobial growth under drought is confined to distinct taxa and modified by potential future climate conditions
Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of drought events, affecting soil functions driven by microorganisms. Here, Metze et al. develop a method to estimate microbial growth rates in dry soils, and provide insights into the response of active microbes to drought today and in potential future climate conditions (high temperatures and CO2 levels).
- Dennis Metze
- , Jörg Schnecker
- & Andreas Richter
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Article
| Open AccessA subset of viruses thrives following microbial resuscitation during rewetting of a seasonally dry California grassland soil
Rewetting of seasonally dry soils induces dramatic shifts in viral biomass and diversity. Combining stable isotope probing, metagenomics, and viromics Nicolas et al. provide evidence that viral lysis contributes to microbial turnover and the associated CO2 efflux.
- Alexa M. Nicolas
- , Ella T. Sieradzki
- & Steven J. Blazewicz
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Article
| Open AccessAuxin-producing bacteria promote barley rhizosheath formation
The rhizosheath, or the soil layer closely attached to roots, can help plants tolerate drought. Here, the authors show that rhizosheath formation in barley is promoted by soil bacteria that produce indole-3-acetic acid, a common auxin.
- Feiyun Xu
- , Hanpeng Liao
- & Weifeng Xu
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Article
| Open AccessEcophysiology and interactions of a taurine-respiring bacterium in the mouse gut
Authors utilise a multi-omics approach for the ecophysiological characterization of a taurine-respiring mouse gut bacterium.
- Huimin Ye
- , Sabrina Borusak
- & Alexander Loy
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Article
| Open AccessGrowth phase estimation for abundant bacterial populations sampled longitudinally from human stool metagenomes
Here, the authors present a novel approach for inferring in vivo growth phases of human gut bacteria from metagenomic time series data. These inferences can be used to better-constrain community scale metabolic modeling in the gut.
- Joe J. Lim
- , Christian Diener
- & Sean M. Gibbons
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Article
| Open AccessSingle-cell isotope tracing reveals functional guilds of bacteria associated with the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Bacterial remineralization of algal organic matter promotes algal growth but is rarely quantified. Here, Mayali et al. quantify bacterial incorporation of algal-derived organic carbon and nitrogen, and algal incorporation of remineralized carbon and nitrogen, for 15 bacterial co-cultures growing with the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to identify functional guilds of metabolic interactions.
- Xavier Mayali
- , Ty J. Samo
- & Peter K. Weber
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Article
| Open AccessQuantifying thermal adaptation of soil microbial respiration
Soil microbial respiration responses to warming have important implications for biogeochemical feedbacks. Here, using data from temperature gradients, the authors show that the rate of thermal adaptation of soil microbial respiration is lower than the rate of warming despite large community changes.
- Charlotte J. Alster
- , Allycia van de Laar
- & Louis A. Schipper
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| Open AccessInter-bacterial mutualism promoted by public goods in a system characterized by deterministic temperature variation
Abiotic stress is thought to promote microbial mutualism, although there is a paucity of research in this area. Here, Zhao et al. study microbial communities in a quasi-natural composting system, where temperature variation (20°C−70°C) is the main abiotic stress, showing how high temperature favours mutualism and reduces competition at both the community and species levels.
- Yuxiang Zhao
- , Zishu Liu
- & Baolan Hu
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Article
| Open AccessGenome-resolved correlation mapping links microbial community structure to metabolic interactions driving methane production from wastewater
Anaerobic digestion of municipal mixed sludge is a microbial-mediated process that produces renewable natural gases such as methane. Here, Kieft et al. present the results of a two-year study of microbial community structure and function at a wastewater treatment plant, shedding light on metabolic interactions between microorganisms in relation with methane production.
- Brandon Kieft
- , Niko Finke
- & Steven J. Hallam
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Article
| Open AccessCultivation of marine bacteria of the SAR202 clade
Bacteria of the SAR202 clade are ubiquitously distributed in the ocean, but their biology is poorly understood due to the lack of cultivated isolates. Here, Lim et al. report the cultivation of marine SAR202 bacteria and provide insights into the physiology of these enigmatic microorganisms.
- Yeonjung Lim
- , Ji-Hui Seo
- & Jang-Cheon Cho
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal analysis of ocean phytoplankton nutrient limitation reveals high prevalence of co-limitation
Nutrient limitation is a key constraint on ocean productivity. Here, by analysing a compilation of field experiments spanning the global ocean, this study shows that increasing the number of different nutrients supplied significantly increases net phytoplankton growth, suggesting multiple nutrients are often approaching co-limiting levels.
- Thomas J. Browning
- & C. Mark Moore
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Perspective
| Open AccessExtreme environments offer an unprecedented opportunity to understand microbial eukaryotic ecology, evolution, and genome biology
The ecology and evolution of eukaryotic microbes in extreme environments are poorly understood. In this Perspective, Rappaport and Oliverio summarize data from over 80 studies of protists in extreme environments and identify lineages of particular interest as targets for future research.
- Hannah B. Rappaport
- & Angela M. Oliverio
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Article
| Open AccessMineral reactivity determines root effects on soil organic carbon
Root exudates can either promote or impede the formation of stable, mineral-associated soil organic carbon (MAOC). Yet, carbon stabilisation in MAOC is decoupled from changes in the total soil carbon pool, i.e., carbon sequestration.
- Guopeng Liang
- , John Stark
- & Bonnie Grace Waring
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Article
| Open AccessNutritional and host environments determine community ecology and keystone species in a synthetic gut bacterial community
Here, characterizing a synthetic gut bacterial community, the authors reveal a context dependency of keystone functions and bacterial interaction networks, challenging the concept of universal keystone species in the gastrointestinal ecosystem.
- Anna S. Weiss
- , Lisa S. Niedermeier
- & Bärbel Stecher
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Article
| Open AccessVitamin interdependencies predicted by metagenomics-informed network analyses and validated in microbial community microcosms
Metagenomic data and network analyses are often used to predict microbial interactions in complex communities, but these predictions are rarely explored experimentally. Here, Hessler et al. combine experiments with metagenome-informed, microbial consortia-based network analyses to identify interactions in microbial consortia grown under dozens of conditions.
- Tomas Hessler
- , Robert J. Huddy
- & Jillian F. Banfield
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Article
| Open AccessCooperative microbial interactions drive spatial segregation in porous environments
Cooperative interactions might be important in spatially structured microbial habitats. Here, the authors show that cooperative interactions between planktonic and biofilm-forming bacteria drive spatial segregation, and thereby enable species’ coexistence, in a microfluidic chip environment.
- Yichao Wu
- , Chengxia Fu
- & Peng Cai
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Article
| Open AccessImportant role of endogenous microbial symbionts of fish gills in the challenging but highly biodiverse Amazonian blackwaters
Amazonian blackwaters are acidic and physiologically-challenging, but are one of Earth’s most diversified ecosystems. This study revealed that fish survival in these hostile habitats depends on the colonization of their gills by endogenous blackwater Betaproteobacteria, with the potential to regulate host ionoregulatory processes.
- Sylvain François-Étienne
- , Leroux Nicolas
- & Derome Nicolas
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Article
| Open AccessTop-down identification of keystone taxa in the microbiome
Keystone taxa in ecological communities are native taxa that have an especially important role in the stability of their ecosystem. This study introduces a novel method for detecting keystones in microbial communities by comparing data with and without specific species.
- Guy Amit
- & Amir Bashan
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Article
| Open AccessCoexisting ecotypes in long-term evolution emerged from interacting trade-offs
Previous, a long-term evolution experiment in E.coli resulted in spontaneous emergence of ecotypes that coexisted for more than 14,000 generations. Here, the authors show that the emergence and persistence of this phenomenon results from two interacting trade-offs, rooted in biochemical constraints.
- Avik Mukherjee
- , Jade Ealy
- & Markus Basan
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Article
| Open AccessPatterns and determinants of the global herbivorous mycobiome
Anaerobic gut fungi are a functionally important component of mammalian herbivores’ microbiomes. Here, the authors surveys anaerobic gut fungi in 34 species of ruminants and hindgut fermenters, assessing their patterns and identifying 56 novel genera.
- Casey H. Meili
- , Adrienne L. Jones
- & Mostafa S. Elshahed
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Article
| Open AccessPlant community stability is associated with a decoupling of prokaryote and fungal soil networks
Soil microbial networks play a crucial role in plant community stability. This study shows that decoupled prokaryote and fungal networks in dry grassland soil support plant community stability over time, while coupled networks in abandoned agricultural soil are associated to instability.
- Dina in ‘t Zandt
- , Zuzana Kolaříková
- & Zuzana Münzbergová
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Article
| Open AccessTiming of antibiotic administration determines the spread of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance during microbial range expansion
Plasmids are the main vector by which antibiotic resistance is transferred between bacterial cells within surface-associated communities. Here, Ma et al. show that plasmid spread peaks at intermediate antibiotic administration times, when the intermixing of plasmid donors and potential recipients is maximal.
- Yinyin Ma
- , Josep Ramoneda
- & David R. Johnson
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Article
| Open AccessGlobally consistent response of plant microbiome diversity across hosts and continents to soil nutrients and herbivores
Drivers responsible for plant microbiome variation between sites remain elusive. Here, the authors test how soil nutrient addition and herbivore exclusion affect plant microbiota in grasslands worldwide, showing that microbiota diversity responded to environmental variation similarly across sites.
- Eric W. Seabloom
- , Maria C. Caldeira
- & Elizabeth T. Borer