Analysis Of Functional Diversity Research Articles

Functional group and diversity analysis of BIOFACQUIM: A Mexican natural product database.

Background: Natural product databases are important in drug discovery and other research areas. An analysis of its structural content, as well as functional group occurrence, provides a useful overview, as well as a means of comparison with related databases. BIOFACQUIM is an emerging database of natural products characterized and isolated in Mexico. Herein, we discuss the results of a first systematic functional group analysis and global diversity of an updated version of BIOFACQUIM. Methods: BIOFACQUIM was augmented through a literature search and data curation. A structural content analysis of the dataset was performed. This involved a functional group analysis with a novel algorithm to automatically identify all functional groups in a molecule and an assessment of the global diversity using consensus diversity plots. To this end, BIOFACQUIM was compared to two major and large databases: ChEMBL 25, and a herein assembled collection of natural products with 169,839 unique compounds. Results: The structural content analysis showed that 15.7% of compounds and 11.6% of scaffolds present in the current version of BIOFACQUIM have not been reported in the other large reference datasets. It also gave a diversity increase in terms of scaffolds and molecular fingerprints regarding the previous version of the dataset, as well as a higher similarity to the assembled collection of natural products than to ChEMBL 25, in terms of diversity and frequent functional groups. Conclusions: A total of 148 natural products were added to BIOFACQUIM, which meant a diversity increase in terms of scaffolds and fingerprints. Regardless of its relatively small size, there are a significant number of compounds and scaffolds that are not present in the reference datasets, showing that curated databases of natural products, such as BIOFACQUIM, can serve as a starting point to increase the biologically relevant chemical space.

Metavirome and its functional diversity analysis through microbiome study of the Sikkim Himalayan hot spring solfataric mud sediments.

Viruses are the most prodigious repertory of the genetic material on the earth. They are elusive, breakneck, evolutionary life particles that constitute a riveting concealed world. Environmental viruses have been obscurely explored, and hence, such an intriguing world of viruses was studied in the Himalayan Geothermal Belt of Indian peninsula at Sikkim corridor through hot springs. The hot springs located at the North Sikkim district were selected for the current study. The solfataric mud sediment samples were pooled from both the hot springs. The virus community showed significant diversity among the two hot springs of Yume Samdung. Reads for viruses among the mud sediments at Old Yume Samdung hot springs (OYS) was observed to be 11% and in the case of New Yume Samdung hot springs (NYS) it was 6%. Both the hot springs were abundant in dsDNA viromes. The metavirome reads in both the OYS and NYS hot spring mud sediments showed the predominance of Caudovirales; Herpesvirales; Ortervirales among which viral reads from Siphoviridae, Myoviridae, Phycodnaviridae and Podoviridae were abundantly present. Other viral communities belonged to families like Baculoviridae, Mimiviridae, Parvoviridae, Marseilleviridae etc. Interestingly, in the case of NYS, the unassigned group reads belonged to some unclassified giant DNA viruses like genera Pandoravirus and Pithovirus. Other interesting findings were - reads for Badnavirus having ds (RT-DNA) was exclusively found in NYS whereas Rubulavirus having ss(-)RNA was exclusively found in OYS sample. This is the first ever report on viruses from any hot springs of Sikkim till date.

Host identity and symbiotic association affects the taxonomic and functional diversity of the clownfish-hosting sea anemone microbiome.

All eukaryotic life engages in symbioses with a diverse community of bacteria that are essential for performing basic life functions. In many cases, eukaryotic organisms form additional symbioses with other macroscopic eukaryotes. The tightly linked physical interactions that characterize many macroscopic symbioses create opportunities for microbial transfer, which likely affects the diversity and function of individual microbiomes, and may ultimately lead to microbiome convergence between distantly related taxa. Here, we sequence the microbiomes of five species of clownfish-hosting sea anemones that co-occur on coral reefs in the Maldives. We test the importance of evolutionary history, clownfish symbiont association, and habitat on the taxonomic and predicted functional diversity of the microbiome, and explore signals of microbiome convergence in anemone taxa that have evolved symbioses with clownfishes independently. Our data indicate that host identity and clownfish association shapes the majority of the taxonomic diversity of the clownfish-hosting sea anemone microbiome, and predicted functional microbial diversity analyses demonstrate a convergence among host anemone microbiomes, which reflect increased functional diversity over individuals that do not host clownfishes. Further, we identify upregulated predicted microbial functions that are likely affected by clownfish presence. Taken together our study potentially reveals an even deeper metabolic coupling between clownfishes and their host anemones, and what could be a previously unknown mutualistic benefit to anemones that are symbiotic with clownfishes.

Functional group and diversity analysis of BIOFACQUIM: A Mexican natural product database

Background: Natural product databases are important in drug discovery and other research areas. An analysis of its structural content, as well as functional group occurrence, provides a useful overview, as well as a means of comparison with related databases. BIOFACQUIM is an emerging database of natural products characterized and isolated in Mexico. Herein, we discuss the results of a first systematic functional group analysis and global diversity of an updated version of BIOFACQUIM. Methods: BIOFACQUIM was augmented through a literature search and data curation. A structural content analysis of the dataset was performed. This involved a functional group analysis with a novel algorithm to automatically identify all functional groups in a molecule and an assessment of the global diversity using consensus diversity plots. To this end, BIOFACQUIM was compared to two major and large databases: ChEMBL 25, and a herein assembled collection of natural products with 169,839 unique compounds. Results: The structural content analysis showed that 15.7% of compounds and 11.6% of scaffolds present in the current version of BIOFACQUIM have not been reported in the other large reference datasets. It also gave a diversity increase in terms of scaffolds and molecular fingerprints regarding the previous version of the dataset, as well as a higher similarity to the assembled collection of natural products than to ChEMBL 25, in terms of diversity and frequent functional groups. Conclusions: A total of 148 natural products were added to BIOFACQUIM, which meant a diversity increase in terms of scaffolds and fingerprints. Regardless of its relatively small size, there are a significant number of compounds and scaffolds that are not present in the reference datasets, showing that curated databases of natural products, such as BIOFACQUIM, can serve as a starting point to increase the biologically relevant chemical space.

Functional group and diversity analysis of BIOFACQUIM: A Mexican natural product database.

Background: Natural product databases are important in drug discovery and other research areas. Their structural contents and functional group analysis are relevant to increase their knowledge in terms of chemical diversity and chemical space coverage. BIOFACQUIM is an emerging database of natural products characterized and isolated in Mexico. Herein, we discuss the results of a first systematic functional group analysis and global diversity of an updated version of BIOFACQUIM. Methods: BIOFACQUIM was augmented through a literature search and data curation. A structural content analysis of the dataset was done. This involved a functional group analysis with a novel algorithm to identify automatically all functional groups in a molecule and an assessment of the global diversity using consensus diversity plots. To this end, BIOFACQUIM was compared to two major and large databases: ChEMBL 25, and a herein assembled collection of natural products with 169,839 unique compounds. Results: The structural content analysis showed that 16.1% of compounds, 11.3% of scaffolds, and 6.3% of functional groups present in the current version of BIOFACQUIM have not been reported in the other large reference datasets. It also gave a diversity increase in terms of scaffolds and molecular fingerprints regarding the previous version of the dataset, as well as a higher similarity to the assembled collection of natural products than to ChEMBL 25, in terms of diversity and frequent functional groups. Conclusions: A total of 148 natural products were added to BIOFACQUIM, which meant a diversity increase in terms of scaffolds and fingerprints. Regardless of its relatively small size, there are a significant number of compounds, scaffolds, and functional groups that are not present in the reference datasets, showing that curated databases of natural products, such as BIOFACQUIM, can serve as a starting point to increase the biologically relevant chemical space.

Deficiency in Peripheral MAIT Cells But Not in Intrahepatic MAIT Cells in Humans with CHBV Infection

Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus (CHBV) infection is a major cause of liver diseases. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are important for antiviral immunity in the liver, but the distinction between intrasinusoidal MAIT cells and peripheral MAIT cells in patients with CHBV infection remains unclear. Methods: PBMC were obtained from patients with CHBV infection (n=51) and age-matched controls (n=52). Liver-associated mononuclear cells (LMCs) were collected from donors (n=32) and explanted liver (n=23) of patients to perform phenotypic, functional and TCR diversity analysis. Results: The frequency of intrasinusoidal MAIT cells in the CHBV infection group was not changed compared to that of the MAIT cells in the CHBV-negative group. However, the frequency of peripheral blood MAIT cells was severely reduced in the CHBV infection group compared to the CHBV-negative group. Moreover, IFN-γ production was intact in the intrahepatic MAIT cells of the CHBV infection patients compared to those of the control subjects post IL-12 and IL-18 stimulation, while it was reduced in the peripheral blood MAIT cells of the CHBV infection patients. More importantly, our study showed that the expression level of HLA-DR in peripheral MAIT cells was higher than that in intrasinusoidal MAIT cells in CHBV infection patients. A distinct signature of TCR usage was found in the CHBV patients. Conclusions: By analysing the phenotype, function and TCR usage of MAIT cells in the PBMC and LMC populations of patients with CHBV infection, we found distinct functions and activities in the MAIT cells of the liver compared with those of the peripheral blood. Funding Statement: YG is supported by Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Grant number: 2018A030313019) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number:31800758). Declaration of Interests: All authors disclose no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was fully approved by the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University ethical board. All participants provided written informed consent before sample collection.

Production and characterization of antimicrobials from isolate Pantoea agglomerans of Medicago sativa plant rhizosphere soil

Due to rise in drug resistance among pathogens, there is always an urge to look for new drug alternatives. So in this study we aimed to identify the unexplored rhizosphere microflora of alfalfa plant for new antimicrobials. With initial screening for isolates from rhizosphere region for antibacterial activity against selected bacterial pathogens, the isolate AL10 had better activity selected for this study. The isolate mass was cultured and secondary metabolites were extracted using ethyl acetate and subjected to FTIR and GC-MS analysis. Based on functional diversity analysis, the isolate subjected to anti-bacterial activity revealed significant activity against Streptococcus pneumonia, Klebsiella, S. aureus with zone of inhibition in the range of18-20 mm. Based on GC-MS analysis report ten compounds were identified and 1-Octadecane and 1-nonadecanol were found to be responsible for bio-activity. FT-IR results showed that N-H stretching functional group was dominantly present in the extract. Molecular identification of the isolate by 16S rRNA sequencing showed the isolate as Pantoea agglomerans. The results showed that the isolate P.agglomerans, gram negative bacteria had wide antibacterial activity due to 1-Octadecane and 1-nonadecanol. Though Alfalfa plant has been described for various biological activities, this is a first report on rhizosphere region of plant reporting for antibacterial potential microbes.

Functional diversity along elevational gradients in the high altitude vegetation of the western Himalaya

The analysis of species distribution and functional diversity (FD) in natural gradients of aridity and temperature at high altitudes could provide indication of future changes in plant communities as both are responsive to environment and strongly influence ecosystem functioning and stability. We established eleven altitudinal transects in high altitude region of western Himalaya, six of which represented north aspect and the rest represented south aspect. In each transect, vegetation was sampled randomly at every 200 m elevation to estimate species rarity, niche width and different FD indices [community-weighted mean traits (CWM), functional richness (FRic), functional divergence (FDiv), functional dispersion (FDis) and functional specificity (FSpe)]. These indices indicate resource utilization, competition for resources, optimal plant strategies, and presence of functionally specialist species. We found a total of 418 plant species, most of which were having narrow niche and distribution. Proportion of species with narrow niche was high at higher elevations, 36.5% species were rare with 17% of them being endemic to Himalaya. At south aspect, lower values of CWM plant height along with lower FRic, FDiv, FDis, and FSpe were recorded. Further, CWM plant height, FRic, FDiv, FDis and FSpe significantly decreased with increasing elevation. Influence of gradients of aridity (aspect) and decreasing temperature (elevation) on species distribution and FD suggest that functioning of high altitude communities is very likely to be affected in future. Our findings therefore emphasize that the plant communities present at higher elevations are more vulnerable under climate change.

Multi-scale analysis of functional plankton diversity in floodplain wetlands: Effects of river regulation

Riverine floodplains are among the most diverse and dynamic ecosystems, but river regulation measures have altered the natural hydrological regime threatening their ecological integrity. We compared spatial patterns of phyto- and zooplankton functional diversity and of environmental heterogeneity between floodplain wetlands located in free-flowing and impounded stretches of the Danube River (Austria). We included two nested spatial scales (different habitats and water sections within wetland areas) and two contrasting hydrological conditions (post-flood, no flood). Environmental heterogeneity was lower in the wetland in the impounded stretch than in the free-flowing ones. At post-flood conditions, increased alpha diversity of rotifers and microcrustaceans and decreased beta diversity of phytoplankton and rotifers occurred in the impounded stretch as compared to the wetlands in free-flowing one. Beta diversity was higher between water sections than between habitats in free-flowing wetlands and similar across scales in the wetland in the impounded stretch. Regarding functional composition, the wetland in the impounded stretch hosted more homogeneous communities, as some ecological traits were nearly absent. Our results indicate that patterns of functional diversity in floodplain wetlands affected by river regulation are altered, highlighting the major role of the gradient of lateral connectivity and dynamic water level fluctuations as drivers for planktic diversity in river floodplains. This study contributes with essential knowledge to optimize restoration and diversity conservation measures in riverine ecosystems.

Tropical dung beetle morphological traits predict functional traits and show intraspecific differences across land uses.

Functional traits and functional diversity measures are increasingly being used to examine land use effects on biodiversity and community assembly rules. Morphological traits are often used directly as functional traits. However, behavioral characteristics are more difficult to measure. Establishing methods to derive behavioral traits from morphological measurements is necessary to facilitate their inclusion in functional diversity analyses. We collected morphometric data from over 1,700 individuals of 12 species of dung beetle to establish whether morphological measurements can be used as predictors of behavioral traits. We also compared morphology among individuals collected from different land uses (primary forest, logged forest, and oil palm plantation) to identify whether intraspecific differences in morphology vary among land use types. We show that leg and eye measurements can be used to predict dung beetle nesting behavior and period of activity and we used this information to confirm the previously unresolved nesting behavior for Synapsis ritsemae. We found intraspecific differences in morphological traits across different land use types. Phenotypic plasticity was found for traits associated with dispersal (wing aspect ratio and wing loading) and reproductive capacity (abdomen size). The ability to predict behavioral functional traits from morphology is useful where the behavior of individuals cannot be directly observed, especially in tropical environments where the ecology of many species is poorly understood. In addition, we provide evidence that land use change can cause phenotypic plasticity in tropical dung beetle species. Our results reinforce recent calls for intraspecific variation in traits to receive more attention within community ecology.

Integrating phylogenetic and functional biodiversity facets to guide conservation: a case study using anurans in a global biodiversity hotspot

The Cerrado is one of the most threatened biomes in Brazil, with little spatial representation within the Protected Area network. Recently, proposed conservation plans worldwide have advocated for the use of multiple biodiversity facets to protect unique evolutionary and functional processes. Our aim was to identify areas with high biodiversity representativeness applying this multifaceted perspective, and propose conservation plans based on the joint analysis of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. We used a database of the Brazilian National Program for Research in Biodiversity, which employs a standard protocol for sampling tadpoles. The Cerrado database includes samples from 165 water bodies spread over 15 localities, covering most of the Central Brazilian Cerrado. We selected four morphological traits to calculate functional diversity and used a dated phylogeny available in the literature to compute phylogenetic diversity. Our approach selected five priority areas for conservation, one of which is already protected. Our results highlighted the importance of four new areas which show high values of diversity, including original lineages and traits, and urgently need conservation prioritization. Furthermore, unlike the current protected network, our approach performs significantly better than random at protecting sites with high phylogenetic and functional diversity. We therefore discuss how the multifaceted indices considered can help protect key ecosystem functions and evolutionary legacy in anuran communities of the Brazilian Cerrado.

Continental-scale analysis of taxonomic and functional fish diversity in the Yangtze river

Effective conservation of ecosystems requires deep knowledge concerning multiple aspects of biodiversity including alpha and beta components of species richness, taxonomic, and functional diversity, as well as their relationships. The taxonomic and functional α-diversity positively correlated to species richness and functional evolution exceeded taxonomic differentiation. We divided the Yangtze whole basin into 56 units, and then the information on fish composition and their distribution in each unit was revised. Results showed that the fish diversity was strongly driven by variation in the species turnover between watersheds with the geological environmental heterogeneity, while the TD and FD variation could be attributed to species nestedness, as taxonomic category or functional trait of species in one unit was a subset of that in other units. The high β-diversity in SR was mostly composed of high turnover, while the high β-diversity of TD and FD resulted from high nestedness. Species functional differentiation was faster than taxonomic differentiation during the process of adoption to environment variation. An integrated index of multifaceted diversity considering the high species richness and important functional role suggested the headwater with abundant endemic species, the middle mainstream necessary to fish migration, and the lakes containing higher diverse species were primarily recommended for conservation.

Transcending data gaps: a framework to reduce inferential errors in ecological analyses.

The analysis of functional diversity (FD) has gained increasing importance due to its generality and utility in ecology. In particular, patterns in the spatial distribution and temporal change of FD are being used to predict locations and functional groups that are immediately vulnerable to global changes. A major impediment to the accurate measurement of FD is the pervasiveness of missing data in trait datasets. While such prevalent data gaps can engender misleading inferences in FD analyses, we currently lack any practical guide to handle missing data in trait datasets. Here, we identify significant mismatches between true FD and values derived from datasets that contain missing data. We demonstrate that imputing missing data with a phylogeny-informed approach reduces the risk of misinterpretation of FD patterns, and provides baseline information against which central questions in ecology can be evaluated.

Functional diversity research of forest communities in the Xiaowutai Mountain National Nature Reserve, Hebei

Plant functional traits are the plant physiological characteristics which can response to the changes of the living environment and have a certain impact on the ecosystem structure and function. The objective of our study was to explore characters of present functional diversity indices, the relationships between functional diversity and environmental variables, the relevance of species diversity and functional diversity. In this paper, habitat type, seed dispersal, pollination method, life cycle, life form, leaf form, leaf hair type, flowering period and flowering time were chosen as functional traits, and the research were done in the typical forest communities in the Xiaowutai Mountain National Nature Reserve, Hebei. One hundred and forty-eight quadrats (10m×10m) of forest communities were established along altitude gradients, at the same time, species composition, functional traits, and environmental variables were measured in each quadrat. The results showed that functional diversity indices in forest communities that were calculated by functional distances varied greatly. Functional diversity indices (FAD, MFAD, FDp, FDc, FRic, Rao and FDis) had highly significantly positive correlation with Patrick index and showed a linear increasing trend. All the nine functional diversity indices (FAD, MFAD, FDp, FDc, FRic, Rao, FEve, FDiv, FDis) had significantly correlation with Shannon-Wiener index and Pielou index. Only FDiv showed significantly negative correlation, and the other eight functional diversity indices showed positive correlation. Environmental filtering was important to functional diversity pattern, and functional diversity indices showed correlation with environmental variables. Altitude was a significant factor to functional diversity in forest communities. Except for FDiv, other functional diversity indices displayed a decreasing trend along altitude gradients. Among all the functional diversity indices, only Rao and FDis showed significantly positive correlation with aspect. The functional diversity indices (FAD, MFAD, FDp, FDc, FRic, Rao and FDdis) showed a negative correlation with slope, slope position, litter layer thickness, soil thickness, while, they showed a positive correlation with soil temperature and disturbance. All the nine indices were proved successful in the analysis of functional diversity in forest communities with different effectiveness. They were divided into three categories, functional richness (FAD, MFAD, FDp, FDc, FRic), functional divergence (Rao, FDis), functional evenness (FEve, FDis). Meanwhile, each category was highly inter-correlated and each category was relatively independent with other categories. The study of functional diversity provides a number of ecological indication and monitoring methods for the forest, and it can address a wide range of important ecological questions that links species and ecosystems through mechanisms in biodiversity research.

Linking Taxonomic Diversity and Trophic Function: A Graph-Based Theoretical Approach

The purpose of this study is to develop a novel, visual method in analyzing complex functional trait data in freshwater ecology. We focus on macroinvertebrates in stream ecosystems under a gradient of habitat degradation and employ a combination of taxonomic and functional trait diversity analyses. Then we use graph theory to link changes in functional trait diversity to taxonomic richness and habitat degradation. We test the hypotheses that: 1) taxonomic diversity and trophic functional trait diversity both decrease with increased habitat degradation; 2) loss of taxa leads to a decrease in trophic function as visualized using a bipartite graph; and 3) loss of taxa will result in loss of redundancy. The first hypothesis was supported by the similarity of Shannon-Wiener diversity values for taxa and trophic function, correlated at r = 81%. The bipartite graph theoretic approach we developed clearly was effective in showing the linkages between taxonomic diversity and trophic functional traits related to habitat condition. In the most impaired site, loss of taxa led to the complete loss of some trophic functions and significantly less overall redundancy, supporting the third hypothesis. The implications are that taxa loss directly affects trophic function and that loss of taxonomic diversity may affect ecosystem function.

Tomentella (Thelephorales, Basidiomycota) en bosques de Nothofagaceae de Patagonia, Argentina: micorrizas de nuevas especies

La presencia de especies de Tomentella ha sido reportada abundantemente en bosques templados, tropicales y regiones circumpolares. Las especies del género Tomentella forman típicamente ectomicorrizas (EM) aunque también micorrizas orquioides, ericoides, monotroides y arbutoides. La descripción y caracterización de los morfotipos EM constituyen una herramienta muy útil en trabajos ecológicos. En este trabajo se presentan descripciones morfo-anatómicas de 4 EM de Tomentella asociadas a Nothofagus pumilio, N. dombeyi, N. antarctica, Lophozonia alpina y L. procera, identificadas molecularmente a nivel específico. La morfología y el tipo de exploración de las 4 EM fueron consistentes con lo reportado previamente para el género. Estas EM no presentaron especificidad por un único hospedante de Nothofagaceae. Nuestros resultados demuestran que el estudio morfo-anatómico de los morfotipos EM constituye una herramienta insustituible para la cuantificación y el análisis de la diversidad funcional de la comunidad EM.

The PCA index for measuring functional diversity and its application to Juglans mandshurica communities in the Beijing mountains, China

Methods for measuring functional diversity are essential for functional studies of plant communities. A useful method, the PCA index, based on principal component analysis ordination of functional trait data was introduced and applied to functional diversity analysis of Juglans mandshurica communities in the Beijing Mountains. Thirty-five [Formula: see text] quadrats were established in Juglans mandshurica communities. Species composition, functional traits and environmental factors were measured and recorded. The four common indices, FAD, MFAD, FDp and FDc, were used and compared with the PCA index in the analysis. The results showed that the PCA index was successful in quantifying functional diversity and describing its relationships with environmental variables; therefore, it was an effective index in functional diversity analyses. Functional diversity in Juglans mandshuricacommunities varied widely. Elevation and aspect were the key factors affecting functional diversity in communities. Functional diversity increased with elevation increases and with the change in aspect from North to South. Functional diversity was significantly correlated with species richness and heterogeneity.

Comparative Analysis of Functional Gene Diversity of Acid Mine Drainage and its Sediment by Geochip Technology

The diversity of microbial community is well studied in past decades, however, the functional gene diversity in AMD and sediment are still unclear. In this study, four samples, which included two mine drainages and two sediments were taken from two typical copper mines in the southeast of China. Community DNA from the AMD and corresponding sediments were were extracted, purified, amplified, labeled and hybridized with GeoChip 2.0. The results showed that total 28, 126, 1131, 1875 functional genes were detected in DX_110, YP_NK, DX_110N, YP_NKN, respectively, which including carbon and nitrogen fixation, carbon degradation, methane metabolism, ammonification, nitrification, denitrification, nitrogen reduction, sulfur reduction and metal resistance genes. Sediment nearby the mine drainage may play an important role in microbial geochemical processes, since more functional genes and higher diversity were detected in sediment than in AMD.

Metabolic potential and taxonomic assessment of bacterial community of an environment to chronic industrial discharge

Due to the anthropogenic activities several pristine ecosystems have being altered. Different bioremediation studies have emphasized the synergistic role of diverse microbial (bacterial) community in metabolism of xenobiotic compounds. Thus, for better understanding of native bacterial community, catabolic and phylogenetic diversity of polluted soils of Sachin Industrial Estate, Sachin, Gujarat, India was studied using high throughput sequencing technology. In this study we have annotated genes such as mono- and dioxygeanse, dehydrogenase, metal reductases, etc. reported for degradation of substituted and non-substituted aromatic, higher chain hydrocarbons and aliphatic compounds, resistance and detoxification of heavy metals. Different genes involved in protection from ROS and osmotic stress were also detected. The bacterial population were predominated by Actinomycetales, Rhizobiales and Enterobacteriales of phyla Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria respectively. The functional diversity analysis also indicated the active role of bacterial species belonging to above taxa for metabolism of aromatic compounds and heavy metals. Statistical analysis revealed that bacterial community are diverse and equally rich at polluted sites. Therefore, the study has revealed that environment polluted by industrial activity, contains diverse bacterial community possessing genes for degradation of xenobiotic compounds.

Functional diversity of macromycete communities along an environmental gradient in a Mexican seasonally dry tropical forest

Macromycetes are important for ecosystem functioning due to their role in the nutrient cycling, and their function as pathogens and mutualists. Diversity metrics based on functional traits are robust predictors of ecosystem functionality since they incorporate an evolutionary and ecologic background. We examined diversity patterns of macrofungi using functional trait-based metrics of diversity along an altitudinal gradient in a seasonally dry tropical forest in southern Mexico. Our findings show that: (1) functional diversity varies with elevation, relating more to climatic variables than to vegetation structure; (2) functional diversity indexes exhibited contrasting patterns, so measures reflecting heterogeneity on trait abundance and niche complementarity tend to increase with elevation, whereas the measure of trait evenness decreases; and (3) functional diversity patterns depend on the type of functional trait considered and how they respond to environmental conditions. Our results indicate that functional diversity analyses help understanding of how macrofungal communities respond to environmental variation.