Major Genera Research Articles

Nourishing neonatal piglets with synthetic milk and Lactobacillus sp. at birth highly modifies the gut microbial communities at the post-weaning stage.

The importance of probiotics in pig production is widely recognized. However, the precise role of probiotics in regulating the gut microbiota of piglets has not been assessed extensively. Therefore, we intend to examine whether suckling pigs ingesting with synthetic milk (SM) and probiotics along with mother milk has a carryover effect on its growth and gut health at the post-weaning stage. A total of 40 [Duroc× (Yorkshire× Landrace)] neonates with an initial BW of 1.49 ± 0.28 kg were assigned to one of two treatments groups: control (CON) and treatment (TRT). Control group piglets were nourished with synthetic milk, while TRT group piglets were nourished SM with (1 × 109 CFU/g) Lactobacillus sp. probiotics. The treatment group piglets showed higher (p < 0.05) body weight and daily gain at week 3 than the CON group piglets. 16S metagenome sequencing showed average demultiplexed reads and denoised reads counts of 157,399 and 74,945, respectively. The total ASV taxonomy number classified with a confidence threshold > 70% (default) on sequence alignment with the SILVA v138 reference database was 4,474. During week 1, Escherichia-Shigella, Clostridium sensu stricto 1, and Bacteroides were confirmed as the major dominant bacterial genera in both the groups at the genus level. However, during week 2, the relative proportion of Escherichia-Shigella, Clostridium sensu stricto 1, and Proteobacteria was decreased, while that of Lactobacillus and Bacteroidota was increased in pigs receiving the probiotic supplement. During weeks 2 and 3, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidota phyla were dominant in both groups. During week 6, the relative proportion of Proteobacteria was slightly increased in both groups. Furthermore, Prevotella was confirmed as the major dominant bacterial genus in both groups during weeks 3 and 6. This study suggests that nourishing neonatal piglets with synthetic milk and Lactobacillus sp. probiotics from birth to 21 days would be beneficial to enhance the gut health of piglets and to overcome post-weaning mortality.

Simultaneous recovery of short-chain fatty acids and phosphorus during lipid-rich anaerobic fermentation with sodium hydroxide conditioning

Anaerobic fermentation (AF) could achieve simultaneous recovery of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and phosphorus (P) when waste activated sludge (WAS) and meat processing waste (MPW) act as co-substrate. However, long-chain fatty acids, the degradation intermediates of lipids, always inhibit anaerobic microbial activity. Therefore, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) conditioning was applied to improve the lipid-rich AF performance in this study. The results demonstrated that 96% WAS (v/v) with NaOH addition that remaining at pH 7.5 could achieve the maximum SCFAs yield (1180.05 mg/g VSfed) at 12 d, and ortho-P content in the AF liquor (AFL) was much more than that of without NaOH addition. Anaerovibrio and Aminobacterium, one kind of lipolytic and proteolytic bacteria, respectively, became the major genus in the lipid-rich AF system. 86% of P in the AFL from 96% WAS + pH 7.5 reactor was recovered through vivianite crystallization method, with 91% of SCFAs remaining in the post-AFL. Meanwhile, analysis results verified vivianite formation in the P precipitate products. Overall, this study provided a new idea to achieve SCFAs and P simultaneous recovery from WAS and MPW through AF with NaOH conditioning and vivianite crystallization.

Grasses in Semi-Arid Lowlands—Community Composition and Spatial Dynamics with Special Regard to the Influence of Edaphic Factors

Edaphic properties have been widely shown to influence community composition and distribution. However, the degree to which edaphic factors can affect grasses in semi-arid lowlands is still little researched. We assessed the significance of nine edaphic factors to explain the distributions of 65 grass species with various ecological traits (i.e., the ecological indicator values for their preferred habitat) in the semi-arid lowlands of Pakistan. To record information on species composition and related ecological conditions, we selected 10 random sampling locations between 2020 and 2021. For each species, we determined the important value index (IVI) and looked at the primary indicator species that were identified using the indicator species analysis approach. The major genera were Setaria, Brachiaria, and Cenchrus with 6.15% species in each followed by Aristida, Panicum, and Eragrostis with 4.61% wild grass species, Bothriochloa, Bromus, Phragmites, Polypogon, Saccharum, Poa, Echinochloa, and Dactyloctenium with 3.07% species, whereas other genera had a single species each. In total, 80% of the species were native, while only 20% were introduced species. Microphylls accounted for 49.23% of the leaf size spectra of the grass flora in the study area. The other frequent traits included macrophylls (21.53%), nanophylls (20%), and leptophylls (9.23%). The major life forms were therophytes (56.92%) followed by hemicryptophytes (38.46%) and geophytes (4.61%). The results of an ordination analysis indicated that the distribution of grasses was significantly (p ≤ 0.002) influenced by several edaphic parameters, with pH having the greatest impact on species distribution. The analyses of indicator species showed that pH and EC were the most powerful and important edaphic factors for determining the composition of plant communities and indicator species. The significant indicator species in various ecosystems were Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. rainer.bussmann@smnk.de and Leptochloa chinensis (L.) Nees (agroecosystem), Brachiaria reptans (L.) C.A. Gardner and C.E. Hubb, Dichanthium annulatum (Forssk.) Stapf, and Saccharum spontaneum L. (forest ecosystem), Cenchrus biflorus Roxb., Cenchrus ciliaris L., and Desmostachya bipinnata (L.) Stapf (urban ecosystem), Arundo donax L., Echinochloa crus-galli, and Phragmites australis (wetland ecosystem), and Saccharum spontaneum and Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. (riparian ecosystem). We discovered that different species groupings had different habitat preferences and that soil pH had a significant beneficial effect on plant variety. These results provide a scientific roadmap for soil and plant restoration in semi-arid lowland habitats.

Unveiling the dynamics of antibiotic resistome, bacterial communities, and metals from the feces of patients in a typical hospital wastewater treatment system

Bacterial pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are extensively disseminated into the environment via hospital wastewater (HWW), as it contains large quantities of feces from resident patients. However, studies on the antibiotic resistome and pathogenic bacteria from the gut of resident patients within the hospital wastewater treatment plant (hWWTP) are limited. Here, we examined and compared the occurrence and abundance of ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), metals, and bacterial communities from the feces of patients in a typical hWWTP system and determined the pathogenic hosts responsible for transferring ARGs. There were 176 ARGs and 43 MGEs detected in the feces of hospitalized patients, 129 genes were persistent, and 88 genes were enriched after HWW treatment, particularly for the blaVEB, blaNDM, and class 1 integron (intI1), with an average of 659-fold, 202-fold, and seven-fold enrichment, respectively. MGEs, especially Is613, in the feces of hospitalized patients were exceptionally abundant and even surpassed the abundance of total ARGs, which explained the persistence of ARGs in hWWTPs due to possible gene mobilization events. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the most abundant phyla in these feces, accounting for 81 % of the total gut microbiota, while Epsilonbacteraeota and Proteobacteria dominated the hWWTPs. Additionally, 54 possible bacterial pathogens were found in the hospital environment, including four “ESKAPE” pathogens and 14 cancer-related pathogens. Many of them were strongly associated with different types of ARGs. Notably, Bacteroides was the major potential ARG-harboring pathogenic genus, as determined by the network analysis, and was highly abundant after the treatment. The altered microbial community was the major contributing factor shaping antibiotic resistome. This study might provide a comprehensive insight into the distribution profiles of ARGs and pathogens from the gut of inpatients throughout the HWW treatment system, which could be used as a reference for optimizing HWW treatment and monitoring public risk.

Subtractive genomic analysis for computational identification of putative immunogenic targets against clinical Enterobacter cloacae complex.

BackgroundEnterobacter is a major nosocomial genus of Enterobacteriaceae responsible for a variety of nosocomial infections, particularly in prolonged hospitalized patients in the intensive care units. Since current antibiotics have failed treating colistin- and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, efforts are underway to find suitable alternative strategies. Therefore, this study conducted a reverse vaccinology (RV) to identify novel and putative immunogenic targets using core proteome of 20 different sequence types (STs) of clinical Enterobacter spp. Moreover, we introduced a structural-based approach for exploration of potential vaccine candidates against the Enterobacteriaceae family using their conserved domain analysis.ResultsA number of 2616 core coding sequences (CDSs) were retrieved from 20 clinical strains of Enterobacter spp. with a similarity of ≥ 50%. Nine proteins with a score of ≥ 20 considered as the shortlisted proteins based on the quartile scoring method, including three TonB-dependent receptors, WP_008500981.1, WP_058690971.1 and WP_058679571.1; one YjbH domain-containing protein, WP_110108068.1; three flagellar proteins, WP_088207510.1, WP_033145204.1 and WP_058679632.1; one spore-coat U domain-containing protein, WP_039266612.1; and one DD-metalloendopeptidase family protein, WP_025912449.1. In this study, proteins WP_058690971.1 and WP_110108068.1 were detected as the top candidates with regard to immune stimulation and interactions with TLRs. However, their efficacy is remaining to be evaluated experimentally.ConclusionsOur investigation introduced common ferrichrome porins with high sequence similarity as potential vaccine candidates against the Enterobacteriaceae family. These proteins belong to the iron acquisition system and possess all criteria of suitable vaccine targets. Therefore, they need to be specifically paid attention for vaccine development against clinically important members of Enterobacteriaceae family.

Resistência é a melhor estratégia contra begomovírus? Uma revisão abrangente

ABSTRACT The worldwide spread of Geminiviruses and its vector has been attributed to the high rate of recombination, mutation, presence of alternate hosts, transport of plant material, global human activity along with global trade, new agricultural practices and climate change; therefore, the most severe viral diseases among crops have grown in almost all regions of the world, including cassava viral diseases in Africa, cotton leaf curl disease in Pakistan, and multiple diseases related to tomatoes, legumes and cucurbits in India and all over the world. Begomovirus is the major and largest genus of Geminiviridae which has shown a worldwide increase in its variations and distribution by affecting previously unaffected plants. The increasing population has augmented the demand for a sustainable agriculture boost, but begomoviruses have become a continual threat to the world’s agriculture. Numerous control strategies have been used for the viral invasion of the world as pathogens but begomoviruses continually overcome the control methods, and this has generated a need to end this competition between researchers and begomoviruses. The present review summarizes all strategies used against begomoviruses and provides a comprehensive comparison among all control methods, their drawbacks, and future insights.

Functional diversity in herbivorous fishes on Caribbean reefs: The role of macroalgal traits in driving interspecific differences in feeding behavior

Understanding how functional traits drive plant-herbivore interactions often illuminates the mechanisms driving niche partitioning and functional diversity in this important guild of consumers. On coral reefs, a diverse suite of herbivorous fishes is key for controlling algal abundance and impacting benthic community dynamics. Here, we focus on how algal traits shape complementarity in feeding for a diverse suite of large herbivorous fishes on a coral reef in the wider Caribbean. We used feeding assays in the field to document feeding patterns of the different herbivorous fishes across 50 species of macroalgae. Then, we used a suite of macroalgal traits such as dry mass, nutrient content, calcification, and chemical defenses to assess how these traits influenced patterns of consumption. Algal defenses were the major traits determining the overall vulnerability of algae to herbivores, with uncalcified algae from undefended genera being consumed 40% more rapidly than algae that were either calcified or chemically defended. Nutrient content of algae explained little in patterns of overall herbivory. We found significant niche diversification in feeding both among and within genera with the three major genera having unique feeding patterns on different suites of algae (Acanthurus spp. - red macroalgae, Sparisoma spp. - brown and green macroalgae, and Scarus spp. - benthic filamentous algae). With respect to how algal traits influenced patterns of feeding in individual species, we found that: (1) some herbivore species were almost exclusively influenced by avoiding algal defenses, (2) some species showed strong interactions between algal defenses and nutrient content that determined their feeding, and (3) some species (Kyphosus spp., Pomacanthus arcuatus) targeted chemically-defended algae with high nutrient content. Our work highlights the role that algal traits play in influencing patterns in the diversity and redundancy of feeding in herbivorous fishes on coral reefs.

Analysis of energy recovery and microbial community in an amalgamated CSTR-UASBs reactor for a three-stage anaerobic fermentation process of cornstalks.

In this study, a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) coupled with up-flow anaerobic sludge beds (UASBs) reactor was successfully developed for enhancing methane production and carbon recovery rate from cornstalks. Acetic acid production was higher in regions A than in B and C. The methane percentage achieved at 75.98% of total gas and methane production of cornstalks was up to 520.07 mL/g, during the stable operation period. The carbon of recovery rate, represented substrates converted to methane gas, reached 69.32% in stable stage. Microbial community structure analysis revealed that Paludibacter, Prevotella/Clostridium sensu stricto, and Caldisericum were the dominant bacteria for the degradation of cellulose, lignin, and other refractory macromolecules in regions A, B, and C, respectively. Methanobacterium and Methanolinea were the two major genera, accounting for methanogenesis generation.

Analysis of the Contribution of Intrinsic Disorder in Shaping Potyvirus Genetic Diversity.

Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are abundant in the proteome of RNA viruses. The multifunctional properties of these regions are widely documented and their structural flexibility is associated with the low constraint in their amino acid positions. Therefore, from an evolutionary stand point, these regions could have a greater propensity to accumulate non-synonymous mutations (NS) than highly structured regions (ORs, or ‘ordered regions’). To address this hypothesis, we compared the distribution of non-synonymous mutations (NS), which we relate here to mutational robustness, in IDRs and ORs in the genome of potyviruses, a major genus of plant viruses. For this purpose, a simulation model was built and used to distinguish a possible selection phenomenon in the biological datasets from randomly generated mutations. We analyzed several short-term experimental evolution datasets. An analysis was also performed on the natural diversity of three different species of potyviruses reflecting their long-term evolution. We observed that the mutational robustness of IDRs is significantly higher than that of ORs. Moreover, the substitutions in the ORs are very constrained by the conservation of the physico-chemical properties of the amino acids. This feature is not found in the IDRs where the substitutions tend to be more random. This reflects the weak structural constraints in these regions, wherein an amino acid polymorphism is naturally conserved. In the course of evolution, potyvirus IDRs and ORs follow different evolutive paths with respect to their mutational robustness. These results have forced the authors to consider the hypothesis that IDRs and their associated amino acid polymorphism could constitute a potential adaptive reservoir.

Metabolome and Microbiome Signatures in the Leaves of Wild Tea Plant Resources Resistant to Pestalotiopsis theae

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is an important crop that is mainly used in the food industry. This study using the metabolome and microbiome investigates the resistance factors of wild tea plant resources against tea gray blight disease, which is caused by Pestalotiopsis theae (Sawada) Steyaert. According to the interaction analysis of tea leaves and pathogenic fungus, the resistance of wild tea plant resource “R1” (Resistance 1) to tea gray blight disease was significantly higher than that of wild tea plant resource “S1” (Susceptibility 1). The difference between “R1” and “S1” in the metabolome was obvious. There were 145 metabolites that significantly changed. The phenolic acids and flavonoids were the major increased categories in “R1,” and it included 4-O-glucosyl-sinapate and petunidin-3-o-(6”-o-p-coumaroyl) rutinoside. Six metabolic pathways were significantly enriched, including aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, flavone, and flavonol biosynthesis. In terms of bacteria, there was no significant difference between “S1” and “R1” in the principal component analysis (PCA). Pseudomonas was the major bacterial genus in “S1” and “R1.” In addition, each of the two resources had its own predominant genus: Cellvibirio was a predominant bacterial genus in “S1” and Candidatus_competibacter was a predominant bacterial genus in “R1.” In terms of fungi, the fungal diversity and the abundance of the two tea plant resource samples could be distinguished clearly. The fungal component of “S1” was more abundant than that of “R1” at the genus level. Toxicocladosporium was the predominant fungal genus of “S1,” and Filobasidium was the predominant fungal genus of “R1.” The relative abundance of unclassified-norank-norank-Chloroplast and Penicillium were significantly different between “S1” and “R1.” Penicillium was identified as a potential biomarker. They correlated with some metabolites enriched in “S1” or “R1,” such as L-arginine and quercetin-3-o-(2”-o-rhamnosyl) rutinoside-7-o-glucoside. Overall, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and Penicillium could be functional metabolites or microorganisms that contributed to improving the resistance of wild tea plant resources to tea gray blight disease.

A potential oral microbiome signature associated with coronary artery disease in Tunisia.

The coronary artery disease (CAD) is a chronic inflammatory disease involving genetic as well as environmental factors. Recent evidence suggests that the oral microbiome has a significant role in triggering atherosclerosis. The present study assessed the oral microbiome composition variation between coronary patients and healthy subjects in order to identify a potential pathogenic signature associated with CAD. We performed metagenomic profiling of salivary microbiomes by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) next-generation sequencing. Oral microbiota profiling was performed for 30 individuals including 20 patients with CAD and ten healthy individuals without carotid plaques or previous stroke or myocardial infarction.We found that oral microbial communities in patients and healthy controls are represented by similar global core oral microbiome. The predominant taxa belonged to Firmicutes (genus Streptococcus, Veillonella, Granulicatella, Selenomonas), Proteobacteria (genus Neisseria, Haemophilus), Actinobacteria (genus Rothia), Bacteroidetes (genus Prevotella, Porphyromonas), and Fusobacteria (genus Fusobacterium, Leptotrichia). More than 60% relative abundance of each sample for both CAD patients and controls is represented by three major genera including Streptococcus (24.97 and 26.33%), Veillonella (21.43 and 19.91%), and Neisseria (14.23 and 15.33%).Using penalized regression analysis, the bacterial genus Eikenella was involved as the major discriminant genus for both status and Syntax score of CAD. We also reported a significant negative correlation between Syntax score and Eikenella abundance in coronary patients’ group (Spearman rho = −0.68, P=0.00094).In conclusion, the abundance of Eikenella in oral coronary patient samples compared with controls could be a prominent pathological indicator for the development of CAD.

Effect of ergot alkaloids and a mycotoxin deactivating product on in vitro ruminal fermentation using the Rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC).

The rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC) was used to investigate the effect of ergot alkaloids (EA) and a mycotoxin deactivating product (Biomin AA; MDP) on nutrient digestion, ruminal fermentation parameters, total gas, methane, and microbial nitrogen production. Ruminal fermentation vessels received a feedlot finishing diet of 90:10 concentrate:barley silage (DM basis). Using a randomized complete block design, treatments were assigned (n = 4 vessels/treatment) within two RUSITEC apparatuses in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Treatments included: (1) control (CON) diet (no EA and no MDP); (2) CON diet + 1 g/d MDP; (3) CON diet + 20 mg/kg EA; and (4) CON diet + 20 mg/kg EA + 1 g/d MDP. The study was conducted over 14 d with 7 d of adaptation and 7 d of sample collection. Data were analyzed in SAS using PROC MIXED including fixed effects of EA, MDP, and the EA×MDP interaction. Random effects included RUSITEC apparatus and cow rumen inoculum (n = 4). Ergot alkaloids decreased dry matter (DMD) (P = 0.01; 87.9 vs. 87.2%) and organic matter disappearance (OMD) (P = 0.02; 88.8 vs. 88.4%). Inclusion of MDP increased OMD (P = 0.01; 88.3 vs. 88.9%). Neutral detergent fiber disappearance (NDFD) was improved with MDP; however, an EA×MDP interaction was observed with MDP increasing (P < 0.001) NDFD more with EA diet compared to CON. Acetate proportion decreased (P = 0.01) and isovalerate increased (P = 0.03) with EA. Consequently, acetate:propionate was reduced (P = 0.03) with EA. Inclusion of MDP increased total volatile fatty acid (VFA) production (P < 0.001), and proportions of acetate (P = 0.03) and propionate (P = 0.03), and decreased valerate (P < 0.001), isovalerate (P = 0.04), and caproate (P = 0.002). Treatments did not affect (P ≥ 0.17) ammonia, total gas, or methane production (mg/d or mg/g of organic matter fermented). The inclusion of MDP reduced (P < 0.001) microbial nitrogen (MN) production in the effluent and increased (P = 0.01) feed particle-bound MN. Consequently, total MN decreased (P = 0.001) with MDP. In all treatments, the dominant microbial phyla were Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, and Proteobacteria, and the major microbial genus was Prevotella. Inclusion of MDP further increased the abundance of Bacteroidota (P = 0.04) as it increased both Prevotella (P = 0.04) and Prevotellaceae_UCG-003 (P = 0.001). In conclusion, EA reduced OMD and acetate production due to impaired rumen function, these responses were successfully reversed by the addition of MDP.

Culturable Bacterial Diversity from the Basaltic Subsurface of the Young Volcanic Island of Surtsey, Iceland.

The oceanic crust is the world’s largest and least explored biosphere on Earth. The basaltic subsurface of Surtsey island in Iceland represents an analog of the warm and newly formed-oceanic crust and offers a great opportunity for discovering novel microorganisms. In this study, we collected borehole fluids, drill cores, and fumarole samples to evaluate the culturable bacterial diversity from the subsurface of the island. Enrichment cultures were performed using different conditions, media and temperatures. A total of 195 bacterial isolates were successfully cultivated, purified, and identified based on MALDI-TOF MS analysis and by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Six different clades belonging to Firmicutes (40%), Gammaproteobacteria (28.7%), Actinobacteriota (22%), Bacteroidota (4.1%), Alphaproteobacteria (3%), and Deinococcota (2%) were identified. Bacillus (13.3%) was the major genus, followed by Geobacillus (12.33%), Enterobacter (9.23%), Pseudomonas (6.15%), and Halomonas (5.64%). More than 13% of the cultured strains potentially represent novel species based on partial 16S rRNA gene sequences. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the isolated strains were closely related to species previously detected in soil, seawater, and hydrothermal active sites. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the strains were aligned against Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) from the previously published 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequence datasets obtained from the same samples. Compared with the culture-independent community composition, only 5 out of 49 phyla were cultivated. However, those five phyla accounted for more than 80% of the ASVs. Only 121 out of a total of 5642 distinct ASVs were culturable (≥98.65% sequence similarity), representing less than 2.15% of the ASVs detected in the amplicon dataset. Here, we support that the subsurface of Surtsey volcano hosts diverse and active microbial communities and that both culture-dependent and -independent methods are essential to improving our insight into such an extreme and complex volcanic environment.

Preservative effect of slightly acid electrolysed water ice generated by the developed sanitising unit on shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)

Ice is widely used for the preservation of perishable seafood but not much effective in killing bacteria. Herein, in this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of slightly acid electrolysed water (SAEW) ice on the microbial spoilage together with the quality parameters to elucidate the underlying preservative mechanism. The results indicated that SAEW ice exhibited inhibitory activity toward polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and acid phosphatase (ACP) with 55.3% and 61.9% reduction of activity at day 7, respectively, along with less discolouration and the lowest K-value of shrimp. Besides, the growth of aerobic mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria was retarded by SAEW ice treatment (2.4 and 0.4 log CFU/g reduction, respectively). 16S rDNA-based Illumina sequencing elucidated that SAEW ice efficiently retarded the growth of Proteobacteria . Specifically, the growth of major spoilage genus presented in tap water (TW) ice treated shrimp ( Shewanella , Vibrio , and Aeromonas ) and NaCl ice treated shrimp ( Psychrobacter) was inhibited in SAEW ice treated shrimp, which further led to the smallest increase of putrescine and cadaverine, together with the lowest values of pH and TVB-N during storage. The sensory results indicated that SAEW treatment maintained the quality of shrimp during storage in terms of colour, appearance, and texture. Overall, the SAEW ice exhibited a promising preservative effect on shrimp. • SAEW ice exhibited inhibitory activity toward ACP and PPO in shrimp. • Microbiota community was altered by SAEW treatment. • SAEW ice inhibited the growth of Shewanella , Vibrio , Aeromonas and Psychrobacter. • The generated SAEW ice showed promising preservative effect of shrimp.

Plastid phylogenomics shed light on intergeneric relationships and spatiotemporal evolutionary history of Melocanninae (Poaceae: Bambusoideae)

AbstractMelocanninae is sister to other subtribes of Paleotropical woody bamboos with some 90 species mainly concentrated in Asia. However, phylogenetic relationships within the subtribe are poorly known. Here, we filled the gaps in complete plastome data of Melocanninae, reconstructed the phylogeny of Melocanninae, and further estimated divergence time and ancestral distribution range. Our results showed that the two major genera, Cephalostachyum Munro and Schizostachyum Nees, were paraphyletic. Species of Cephalostachyum were resolved in two successive basal clades, whereas Annamocalamus H. N. Nguyen, N. H. Xia, &amp; V. T. Tran was embedded in the Schizostachyum clade. Different plastid regions provided inconsistent signals for the relationship of Melocanna and Pseudostachyum. Conservative loci supported a successive divergence rather than sister relationship between them and the difference may be caused by long‐branch attraction. We infer that Melocanninae originated in the East Himalaya to northern Myanmar in the early Miocene. Three routes were revealed in forming its present biogeographic pattern: in situ diversification on the Asian mainland, dispersing southwest to Sri Lanka and to the Western Ghats in South India, and spreading southeast to Malesia and Oceania by way of the Indo‐China Peninsula. The rapid uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and the intensification of Asian monsoons since the Miocene and the sea level fall events since the Late Miocene might be potential driving forces for diversification of Melocanninae and, particularly the latter event, for the species radiation of Schizostachyum.

Effects of ultrasound-assisted chitosan grafted caffeic acid coating on the quality and microbial composition of pompano during ice storage

The effects of ultrasound-assisted chitosan grafted caffeic acid coating on the quality and microbial composition of fresh pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) fillets during ice storage for 24 days were evaluated. Samples were treated by distilled water (CK), ultrasound (US), chitosan grafted caffeic acid coating (G), and chitosan grafted caffeic acid coating with ultrasound-assisted (USG). Results showed that samples treated with USG could inhibit the formation of corrupt substances such as TVB-N, TBA, biogenic amines (BAs), hypoxanthine (Hx), and hypoxanthine riboside (HxR) when compared to the CK group.The results of high-throughput sequencing technology observed that the major bacteria genus of fresh samples was Acinetobacter.The diversity of bacterial communities at the initial stage was more diverse than that at the end of stage. With the extension of storage time, the USG treatment could maintain the microbial diversity. The dominant microbiota was Shewanella and Brochothrix in the CK group after 24 days of storage. In addition, Brochothrix in treated groups was effectively decreased. The microbial communities of samples in all treatments were changed during storage. At the end of storage, there was a significant difference in bacterial composition between the CK and treated samples, indicating that the treatment can effectively inhibit the growth of microorganisms, especially spoilage microorganisms, and reduce the quality deterioration caused by bacteria.

Diversity of microbial communities in hot springs of Sri Lanka as revealed by 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing analysis.

Characterization of hot spring microbiota is useful as an initial platform for exploring industrially important microbes. The present study focused on characterization of microbiota in four hot springs in Sri Lanka: Maha Oya; Wahava; Madunagala; and Kivlegama using high throughput 16S amplicon sequencing. Temperatures of the selected springs were ranged from 33.7 °C to 52.4 °C, whereas pH ranged from 7.2 to 8.2. Bacteria were found to be the dominant microbial group (>99%) compared to Archaea which represented less than 1% of microbiota. Four hot springs comprised of unique microbial community structures. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Cloroflexi, Deinococcus and Actenobacteria were the major bacterial phyla. Moderately thermophilic genera such as Thermodesulfobacteria and Deinococcus-Thermus were detected as major genera that could be used in industrial applications operating at temperatures around 50°C and alkaline reaction conditions.

Chemically Protected Sodium Butyrate Improves Growth Performance and Early Development and Function of Small Intestine in Broilers as One Effective Substitute for Antibiotics.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of chemically protected sodium butyrate (CSB) on growth performance and the early development and function of small intestine in broilers as one potential substitute for antibiotics. A total of 192 one-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were randomly assigned into three dietary treatment groups (eight replicates per treatment): the control (CON) diet; ANT diet, CON diet supplemented with the antibiotics (enramycin, 8 mg/kg and aureomycin, 100 mg/kg); CSB diet, CON diet supplemented with 1000 mg/kg CSB, respectively. The results showed that dietary CSB and antibiotics addition significantly improved the growth performance of broilers by increasing the body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) during different stages (p < 0.05). On day 21, the supplement of CSB in diet improved the structure of small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) in broilers by increasing the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (VH/CD) (p < 0.05) and enhanced the butyric acid (BA) (p < 0.05) and total short chain fatty acids (SCFA) concentrations of small intestine (jejunum and ileum) compared with the CON and ANT diets. Besides that, the superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and TAC to malondialdehyde (TAC/MDA) ratio of the ileal and jejunal mucosa were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the CSB and ANT than in the CON. In addition, the supplement of CSB in diet markedly significantly enhanced α-amylase, lipase, and trypsin activities of the ileum (p < 0.05) as compared to the ANT diet. 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that CSB markedly increased the microbiota diversity of ileum in broilers at 21 days of age as compared to CON and ANT (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we found that Firmicutes was the predominant phyla and Lactobacillus was the major genus in the ileum of broilers. Compared with the ANT diet, the supplement of CSB in diet increased the relative abundance of some genera microbiota (e.g., Candidatus_Arthromitus, Romboutsia) by decreasing the relative abundance of Lactobacillus. Moreover, Akkermansia in the CSB was the highest in comparison to that in the CON and ANT. In addition, Kitasatospora that belongs to the phylum Actinobacteriota was only found in ileum of broilers fed the ANT diet. In summary, the supplement of 1000 mg/kg CSB in the diet improved the growth performance by promoting early development and function of the small intestine, which is associated with the regulation of intestinal flora and reestablishment of micro-ecological balance in broilers. Thus, CSB has great potential value as one of effective substitutes for in-feed antibiotics in the broiler industry.

Impact of acetate and propionate on anammox process in an expanded granular sludge bed: Evaluation of microbial community dynamics

Two expanded, granular sludge bed reactors were operated to investigate the effect of acetate acid (R1) and propionate acid (R2) on the anaerobic ammonium oxidization (anammox) process. It was indicated that low acetic acid (30 mg/L) and propionic acid (21 mg/L) concentration enhanced the performance of the two reactors. The heterotrophic denitrification process began to dominate when the organic acid concentration reached 270 and 191 mg/L, and the relative abundance of the heterotrophic denitrifying genus (Rubrivivax) increased from 0.5% and 3.3–6.2% and 8.9%, which the contribution of anammox in R1 and R2 was reduced to 43.62% and 68.08%, respectively. Better recovery efficiency in R2 was found after stopping adding acetate acid and propionate acid. The elevated relative abundance of ATP-blinding cassette transporters and membrane and intracellular structural molecules is the pattern of anammox bacteria (AnAOB) in response to organics inhibition. That explains the increase of abundance and gene copy number of the AnAOB genus (Candidatus Brocadia). AnAOB restored energy supply through the carbon fixation pathway and citrate cycle. Dok59 and Rubrivivax were the major heterotrophic denitrifying genus, with the latter preferring to use propionic acid.

Effect of Christmas Melon (Laganaria Breviflorus) extract on toxigenic Mycoflora Isolated from Stored Unpolished Rice sold in major Markets in Abeokuta, Nigeria

Study on toxigenic mycoflora and potential mitigation effect of Christmas Melon (Laganaria Breviflorus) extract in unpolished rice sold in Abeokuta Ogun state of Nigeria was carried out. Unpolished rice gotten from markets in Abeokuta were aseptically transported to the laboratory, serial dilution to reduce the fungal load was carried out and were plated on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Methyl Red Dessicated Coconut Agar (MRDCA) respectively. Microscopy, macroscopy, toxigenicity test and inhibition studies with the peeled and unpeeled fruit of Laganaria breviflorus fermented for seven days was carried out. Results reveal the predominance of Aspergillus as the major genera, specifically, A. niger, A.flavus, A. parasiticus, A. fumigatus, A. terreus, A. nidulans. Other fungi genera isolated include Penicillium, F`usarium, Mucor, Alternaria and Rhizopus . Of the 11 fungi genera isolated, 9 were toxigenic of which the zones of inhibition of unpeeled whole fruit extract of Laganaria breviflorus range from (3 - 28mm) where A. nidulans shows the highest susceptibility to the whole fruit extract of Laganaria breviflorus while the zone of inhibition of peeled fruit extract of Laganaria breviflorus ranges from (3 - 22mm) where A. parasiticus, Fusarium specie and P.chrysogenum showed the highest susceptibility . As the day progresses the zone of inhibition becomes wider. Unpeeled LB extract exhibited more zones of inhibition than the peeled LB extract. Laganaria breviflorus fruit extracts in the study demonstrates a potential in reducing toxigenic fungi, consequently a means to reducing mycotoxins in staple foods in Nigeria.