Search Results (178)

Sorghum tannins have been suggested to influence microbial ecology and flavor formation in Xiaoqu light-flavor Baijiu (XLB), but their specific contribution is difficult to distinguish from confounding, cultivar-dependent variations in macromolecular components. To address this limitation, a controlled fermentation system was established using a uniform, low-tannin substrate. Based on preliminary gradient trials, a 1.0% tannin supplementation level was selected, and high-throughput sequencing combined with HS-SPME-GC-MS was employed to investigate tannin-related microbial and volatile changes. Compared with the group without tannin supplementation, 1.0% tannin supplementation altered bacterial and fungal community succession during the fermentation, reducing the relative abundances of Saccharomyces and Weissella, and enriching taxa including Cyberlindnera and Pantoea. The tannin-supplemented group exhibited a more complex and stable microbial co-occurrence network. Furthermore, PICRUSt2 predictions suggested enhanced metabolic potentials primarily related to carbohydrate and amino acid pathways. FUNGuild analysis further suggested that tannin supplementation shifted fungal trophic-mode composition, particularly saprotrophic and saprotroph-containing groups. At the end of fermentation, total volatile compounds increased from 4.208 μg/g to 4.983 μg/g, total esters and acids increased by 27.0% and 112.3%, respectively, whereas total alcohols decreased by 13.3%. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the enriched non-Saccharomyces fungi and acid-producing bacteria in the tannin-supplemented group were positively associated with the accumulation of acids and esters, whereas the control microbiota was mainly linked to an alcohol-oriented profile. These findings may provide process-level evidence for tannin-related microbial and volatile changes during XLB fermentation. Full article

Understanding the mechanisms of vegetation recovery following severe ecological disturbances is essential for effective forest management. The relative importance of environmental predictors across different disturbance types and temporal phases remains poorly quantified. We utilized a comprehensive nationwide dataset of 194 restoration plots in South Korea to evaluate the factors influencing total vegetation cover. We employed random forest regression models to analyze topographic, soil, and stand structural variables across four disturbance types and two recovery periods. Model performance revealed that short-term recovery and mechanically unstable roadside slopes are highly stochastic and strictly limited by physical terrain features, including elevation and slope. Conversely, the long-term recovery phase and severely degraded environments, such as mined sites, are strongly associated with biological structural traits and soil nutrient dynamics. Partial dependence plots demonstrated severe non-linear threshold mechanisms where total cover exhibited a sharp positive response to canopy height in quarries and an abrupt negative response to high soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratios during long-term recovery. These results indicate that structural canopy facilitation and microbial nutrient immobilization co-develop with advanced community expansion rather than acting as independent drivers. Ecological restoration strategies must therefore transition from immediate physical site stabilization to proactive soil nutrient management and canopy facilitation as succession advances. Full article

Plants and their endophytic microbiota form a functional holobiont, wherein host-dependent endophytes (HDEs) are proposed to serve as persistent microbial components associated with host continuity. Using long-term in vitro grapevine plantlets, we investigated HDE redistribution and reassembly across successive agar-based subcultures and during the transition to soil-based cultivation. Results showed that the initial tissue niche (shoot-tip versus root-base) imprinted a persistent compositional signature on HDE communities, with distinct cultivar-dependent effects. Numerous microbial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) remained shared across agar-based and soil-based habitats, demonstrating high persistence of HDE-associated lineages. Bacterial communities exhibited marked plasticity, with plant-associated bacterial lineages contributing substantially to soil community assembly. Notably, 204 root-enriched bacterial ASVs, comprising 10.8–14.3% of the soil community, were recovered, revealing a robust “Root-Specific Legacy”. Bacterial HDEs showed higher redistribution potential (43.3%), whereas fungal transfer was significantly lower (10.4%). Functional profiling suggested habitat-associated functional patterns, with the anaerobic phenotype enriched in soil and predicted enhancements in membrane transport, nucleotide metabolism, glycan biosynthesis, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in roots. Cladosporium and Fusarium remained dominant in the fungal core taxa, and habitat transition altered their predicted trophic profiles. Our findings establish HDEs as a resilient biological reservoir capable of niche-specific expansion, contributing to the ecological reassembly of the plant holobiont. Full article

Early-life nutrition and the gut microbiota interact to shape host health programming. During early-life development, spanning the neonatal period of initial gut colonization through infancy to toddlerhood, the gut microbiota undergoes dynamic succession driven by feeding patterns, host genetic background, environmental exposures, and other intrinsic and extrinsic factors, among which early feeding practices play a particularly prominent role. Among these factors, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), key bioactive components of human milk, contribute to the shaping of infant gut microbial ecology by selectively supporting HMO-utilizing bacteria, influencing microbial metabolism and cross-feeding, and exhibiting structure- and context-dependent effects on pathogen–host interactions, intestinal barrier function, and immune responses. This narrative review summarizes the succession patterns of the gut microbiota in early life and the core regulatory mechanisms by which HMOs shape infant gut microbial ecology, aiming to provide a conceptual basis for understanding the potential long-term health implications of early nutritional interventions. Full article

Background: Astilbin is a bioactive flavonoid with documented anti-inflammatory properties; however, its sustained interactions with the gut microbiota remain poorly understood. Fecal samples from three healthy donors were pooled and fermented with astilbin in an in vitro human colonic model over 7 days. This exploratory study aimed to characterize the temporal ecological shifts associated with prolonged astilbin exposure. Methods: Time-resolved 16S rRNA gene sequencing, PICRUSt2 functional prediction, BugBase phenotypic inference, and pseudo-targeted metabolomics were integrated to track microbial-metabolic dynamics. Results: Astilbin exposure was associated with a highly coordinated, three-stage microbial succession. Day 3 (D3) emerged as a putative inflection point, where the enrichment of pioneer degraders (Flavonifractor, Bacteroides) was temporally correlated with the appearance of polyphenol cleavage intermediates. This transition featured an early decrease in markers of proteolytic fermentation alongside a transient in vitro lipid-stress response. By D7, the community shifted toward a stable configuration enriched in butyrogenic taxa (Roseburia, Subdoligranulum, Megamonas), with progressive depletion of potentially opportunistic pathogens (Escherichia-Shigella). Multi-omics integration suggested that these structural successions were strongly associated with marked metabolic shifts. Inflammatory lipid markers (e.g., leukotriene B4) showed a characteristic “D3-burst/D7-clearance” pattern, whereas potentially barrier-protective metabolites, particularly 3-indolepropionic acid (3-IPA, log₂FC = 2.00) and urolithin B (log₂FC = 1.18), accumulated substantially. Conclusions: This exploratory study provides valuable high-resolution insights into astilbin’s potential as a dynamic ecological modulator. It outlines a temporal framework illustrating how the gut microbiota may shift from proteolytic fermentation toward 3-IPA-associated homeostasis. Although limited by a pooled fecal model and the absence of a vehicle control, these hypothesis-generating findings offer a solid foundation for future in vivo studies and mechanistic validations across diverse human cohorts. Full article

The role of the endometrial microbiome in embryo implantation remains incompletely understood. While most studies have focused on taxonomic composition and Lactobacillus dominance, the ecological organization of microbial communities associated with implantation success has received limited attention. The aim of this study was to investigate whether implantation outcome following euploid embryo transfer is associated with differences in endometrial microbial network structure and community organization. Endometrial biopsies collected during the window of implantation from 95 women undergoing subsequent euploid embryo transfer were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Microbial diversity, co-occurrence networks, community structure, hub taxa, network robustness, and microbial association patterns were evaluated. The Pregnant group demonstrated a more interconnected microbial network with a greater number of significant associations, larger ecological modules, and increased network integration than the Non-pregnant group. Seventeen microbial associations were unique to the Pregnant network, whereas eleven were unique to the Non-pregnant network, indicating implantation-associated ecological rewiring. Lactobacillus-centered association patterns also differed between groups. These findings suggest that successful implantation is associated with coordinated endometrial microbial community organization rather than changes in individual taxa. Microbial network structure may represent a novel dimension of endometrial receptivity assessment. Full article

Postpartum uterine diseases are among the most prevalent and economically important reproductive disorders affecting dairy cattle worldwide. These conditions, including metritis, clinical and subclinical endometritis, and pyometra, develop during the postpartum transition period when physiological, metabolic, endocrine, and immunological adaptations increase susceptibility to microbial invasion and persistent uterine inflammation. Although bacterial contamination of the postpartum uterus is nearly universal, healthy cows generally restore uterine homeostasis through coordinated immune responses, microbial regulation, and effective uterine involution. Failure of these defense mechanisms results in microbial dysbiosis, impaired endometrial repair, reduced fertility, and substantial economic loss. Major pathogens associated with postpartum uterine disease include Escherichia coli, Trueperella pyogenes, Fusobacterium necrophorum, Prevotella spp., and other anaerobic bacteria that interact synergistically to promote inflammation, tissue damage, and reproductive dysfunction. Advances in next-generation sequencing, metagenomics, and metatranscriptomics have transformed understanding of the postpartum uterine microbiota and host–microbe interactions involved in disease pathogenesis. This review synthesizes current evidence regarding uterine physiology, microbial ecology, immune regulation, virulence mechanisms, dysbiosis, diagnostic approaches, and emerging omics-based technologies relevant to postpartum uterine disease in dairy cattle. Particular emphasis is placed on the ecological and physiological interactions linking microbial succession, endocrine recovery, metabolic stress, and immune competence during the postpartum period. The review further discusses translational opportunities for precision diagnostics, microbiome-informed interventions, antimicrobial stewardship, and integrated herd management strategies to improve reproductive efficiency, animal welfare, and dairy herd sustainability. Full article

Insect–microbe symbioses play pivotal roles in host ecology and plant–insect interactions, yet their species-specific functions in agricultural pests remain less understood. This study elucidates the functional role of symbiotic microbial communities in mediating insect host fitness and plant defense responses in two economically important whitefly species, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius and Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Using integrated molecular and physiological approaches, we characterized species-specific responses to antibiotic treatments (rifampicin and tetracycline) and their cascading effects on tripartite plant–insect–microbe interactions. In B. tabaci, antibiotic exposure induced significant depletion of the obligate symbiont Portiera and facultative Rickettsia (except for tetracycline-mediated Portiera proliferation), correlating with enhanced plant immune responses. In parallel, antibiotic treatments increased the titers of Hamiltonella and Rickettsia alongside constitutive plant defense suppression in T. vaporariorum, though tetracycline uniquely induced AOS expression elevation. Developmental assays revealed stage-specific vulnerabilities, with late nymphal and pupal stages showing high sensitivity to symbiont disruption, culminating in complete mortality within 40–50 d post-treatment. These findings show that microbial symbionts are essential to whitefly nutrition and evasion of plant anti-herbivore defenses. Our results provide a mechanistic basis for understanding symbiont-assisted invasion success in these whitefly species and underscore the potential of microbiome-targeted approaches for sustainable whitefly management. Full article

Green manure can improve soil fertility by influencing the structure of the soil microbial community and enzyme activity, which in turn affects the main cropping system, and can reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, thus reducing environmental pollution. In this study, we reviewed the literature on different green manure cropping patterns, focusing on the effects of different green manure cropping patterns on soil microbial communities, soil enzyme activities, soil physicochemical properties, and the main crop diseases, pests, weeds, and agronomic traits, etc. The positive effects produced by green manure are mainly reflected in the following aspects: (1) improving soil physicochemical properties and soil enzyme activities; (2) influencing soil microbial diversity; (3) improving the overall health of the main crop; (4) increasing the yield of the main crop. This study systematically summarizes the green manure planting patterns and their effects on the main crops, and provides a theoretical basis for green manure planting to solve crop succession barriers and enhance soil fertility; in addition, green manure has a positive effect on the conservation of soil microbial diversity, improves soil quality, and enhances agricultural production, which contributes to the sustainable development of agriculture. Accordingly, this review systematically summarizes green manure cultivation patterns and synthesizes available literature concerning the ecological functions of green manures, including their modulating impacts on soil physicochemical characteristics, microbial assemblages, pests, pathogens, weeds, and crop productivity. Moreover, it identifies key research challenges in this field and proposes outlooks for the sustainable utilization and prospective development of green manures within agroecosystems. Full article

Herbaceous vegetation under sand-fixing plantations is critical for ecosystem stability. Phosphorus (P) represents a key growth-limiting factor for plants in sandy soils, yet systematic understanding of P-cycling microbial communities including their composition, ecological functions, and responses to vegetation succession remains limited. We conducted cross-transplant experiments using dominant species from different successional stages under Caragana microphylla plantations in the Horqin Sandy Land, and assessed soil properties, enzyme activities, organic P mineralization and inorganic P solubilization rates, and phoD/gcd-harboring microbial communities. Encroachment by late-successional species increased soil nutrients, biological activities, phoD/gcd-microbial abundances, and soil P transformation rate, and restructured microbial communities while preserving core taxa. Soil properties (pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, total nitrogen, total P, available potassium, available P, and NH₄⁺-N) significantly influenced phoD community composition. Notably, P availability was primarily driven by phoD-mediated organic P mineralization, with gcd-mediated solubilization playing a minor role. These changes enhanced alkaline phosphatase activity and P availability, promoting plant growth and new species colonization, thereby establishing a positive plant–soil–microbe feedback that drives succession. The identified dominant phoD/gcd taxa provide candidates for developing microbial inoculants to accelerate vegetation restoration. Full article

Fruit surfaces serve as ecological interfaces that support diverse microbial communities, where biofilm formation by spoilage organisms and human pathogens contributes to postharvest safety concerns. Although fruit-associated microbiota and chemical residues have been widely investigated, the interactions between surface microstructure, residue dynamics, and microbial persistence remain insufficiently integrated. This review synthesizes current knowledge by considering three key processes: temporal succession of microbial communities, structural vulnerability of the fruit surface, and chemically mediated selective pressures. Using apple (Malus domestica) as a model system, we examine how structural features such as lenticels and cuticular microdamage interact with pesticide residues to facilitate microbial retention, sequestration, and internalization. Evidence indicates that pesticide residues may act as selective stressors and, in some cases, potential metabolic substrates, thereby enhancing microbial persistence and tolerance to sanitization. These combined factors contribute to the formation of a high-persistence surface environment. Integrating microbiological, chemical, and plant structural perspectives, this review provides a mechanistic basis for the limited effectiveness of conventional decontamination approaches and highlights the need for multidisciplinary postharvest strategies to improve produce safety and shelf life. Full article

The role of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in cocoa bean fermentation has long been considered central within the traditional yeast–LAB–acetic acid bacteria (AAB) succession model. However, their functional necessity for successful fermentation remains debated. While yeasts and AAB are consistently associated with key transformations such as pulp degradation, ethanol formation, ethanol oxidation, heat generation, and internal bean modification, increasing evidence indicates that cocoa fermentation can proceed effectively under minimal, transient, or reduced LAB activity. This review re-examines the presumed indispensability of LAB using a function-based framework that distinguishes microbial contributions according to their relationship with fermentation completion and process optimization. By integrating evidence from controlled fermentations, microbial suppression studies, starter-culture research, and recent ecological and multi-omics analyses, this review suggests that LAB are better interpreted, under the conditions reported to date, as context-dependent modulators rather than universal core drivers of fermentation completion. LAB contribute to acid balance, citrate metabolism, mannitol production, microbial interactions, ecological stabilization, and quality modulation; however, available evidence indicates that the principal biochemical transformations defining fermentation completion can occur when yeast and AAB activities remain preserved. These conclusions should be interpreted with caution, as direct experimental evidence remains limited and is largely derived from controlled or small-scale fermentation systems. This function-oriented perspective shifts the focus from taxonomic recurrence to biochemical necessity and provides a rational basis for designing starter cultures centered on pathway coverage, metabolic performance, process consistency, and cocoa quality. Full article

Water scarcity is driving increased use of treated wastewater in agriculture while also leading to an increase in concerns about the presence of active pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) and their impact on soil ecosystems. This study provides novel field-scale evidence on the combined impact of tertiary-treated wastewater (TWW) irrigation and short-term tomato/wheat crop succession on soil microbial communities, nitrogen-cycling functional groups, and crop productivity. Over two consecutive years in southern Italy, TWW was compared with freshwater (FW) using integrated chemical, microbiological, and metagenomic approaches. TWW irrigation significantly increased tomato and wheat yields (+14% and +20%, respectively) without negatively affecting crop quality. Several PhACs were detected in soil and showed moderate accumulation under TWW, particularly sitagliptin and flecainide, which reached 10 ng/g. However, limited effects were observed in terms of total microbial abundance, nitrogen-cycle gene markers, or overall microbiome structure. The fungal population of Bionectria was found to be a potential biomarker since it was negatively affected by TWW (−56%). In contrast, time and crop succession emerged as the primary driver of microbial dynamics, inducing marked shifts in bacterial and fungal community composition and diversity, with wheat promoting higher diversity than tomato. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria were higher in tomato crop seasons. Ammonia oxidizing increased in the wheat crop season, while denitrifiers were more influenced by sampling time. These findings demonstrate that, under compliant treatment conditions, TWW reuse can enhance crop productivity with limited short-term ecological risks, supporting sustainable agricultural water management. Full article

Nitrogen deposition continuously alters the invasibility of terrestrial ecosystems, but how the composition of local plant functional groups regulates this process by root-associated microbial during invasion, especially under the background of resource changes, remains unclear. This study focused on the invasive plant Cenchrus spinifex Cav. and conducted an interactive experiment using nitrogen addition and four different functional group combinations of local plant communities. The results show that the community with the closest phylogenetic distance (PD = 189) had the strongest resistance to invasion. Nitrogen addition was the core factor driving invasion (total effect 0.86), which promoted invasion by increasing soil nitrogen pools and altering microbial community structure. The role of leguminous plants changed fundamentally with nitrogen availability; they were competitors under low-nitrogen conditions, while under high-nitrogen conditions, they transformed into “synergistic invaders” by shaping the root-associated environment rich in microorganisms such as Proteobacteria that facilitate rapid nutrient turnover. Plant nitrogen and phosphorus content (PNP) is a key indicator reflecting the nutrient absorption capacity of invasive plants and is closely related to invasion success. It significantly promotes the ability of root resources acquisition. The study shows that invasion success depends on the dynamic balance among resource input, the phylogenetic background of the local community, and the microbial feedback regulated by it. Future ecological management should consider the coordinated regulation of aboveground functional group selection and underground microbial processes. Full article

Microbiologically induced concrete corrosion (MICC) poses a severe challenge to the long-term durability of infrastructure, particularly in sewer networks and marine environments, which is driven by microbial metabolic activities that attack cement hydrates (Ca(OH)₂, C-S-H) mainly caused by biogenic sulfuric acid (from sulfur-oxidizing bacteria) or organic acids (from fungi), converting them into expansive gypsum and ettringite, and then cause cracking and spalling. This article reviews advances in mechanisms, key microorganisms, and protection strategies of MICC to enhance our understanding of MICC and provide a guideline for effective protection. The corrosion mechanisms differ by environment: sewers exhibit three-stage pH-driven succession, marine biofilms can either accelerate or inhibit corrosion, while fungi dominate in agricultural and historical settings. Core functional microorganisms involved in MICC include sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB), sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), and acid-producing fungi (AF), following pH-dependent succession, while indicator microorganisms for protection efficacy include typical SOB, SRB, and AF that are involved in MICC, as well as general antimicrobial indicator strains (e.g., Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) which are used only to assess broad antimicrobial activity and do not represent MICC-specific resistance. Multi-scale deterioration proceeds from microstructural decalcification and pore coarsening to macroscopic mass loss and compressive strength reduction. Protection strategies are categorized into: (i) corrosion-resistant materials (e.g., calcium aluminate cement and alkali-activated materials), (ii) antimicrobial additives (e.g., nano-ZnO and Cu₂O), (iii) surface coatings (e.g., superhydrophobic coatings and electrodeposited Cu/Cu₂O layers), and (iv) ecological regulation. However, significant gaps remain between laboratory efficacy and field performance, highlighting the need for long-term validation, multi-scale characterization, intelligent responsive materials, eco-compatible protection systems, and standardized microbial exposure systems. Full article