Florine Ory, Benjamin Dainat, Oliver Würgler, Fabian Wenger, Alexandra Roetschi, Lauriane Braillard, Jean-Daniel Charrière, Vincent Dietemann
{"title":"Ecology and Pathogenicity for Honey Bee Brood of Recently Described Paenibacillus melissococcoides and Comparison With Paenibacillus dendritiformis, Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus","authors":"Florine Ory, Benjamin Dainat, Oliver Würgler, Fabian Wenger, Alexandra Roetschi, Lauriane Braillard, Jean-Daniel Charrière, Vincent Dietemann","doi":"10.1111/1758-2229.70089","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70089","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Honey bee colonies contain thousands of individuals living in close proximity in a thermally homeostatic nest, creating ideal conditions for the thriving of numerous pathogens. Among the bacterial pathogens, <i>Paenibacillus larvae</i> infects larvae via the nutritive jelly that adult workers feed them, causing the highly contagious American foulbrood disease. Further <i>Paenibacillus</i> species were anecdotally found in association with honey bees, including when affected by another disease, European foulbrood (EFB). However, their pathogenicity remains largely unknown. Our results indicate that <i>Paenibacillus dendritiformis</i>, <i>Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus</i> and newly described <i>Paenibacillus melissococcoides</i> are pathogenic towards honey bee brood and that their virulence correlates with their sporulation ability, which confers them resistance to the bactericidal properties of the nutritive jelly. Our survey occasionally but increasingly detected <i>P. melissococcoides</i> in confirmed and idiopathic cases of EFB but never in healthy colonies, suggesting that this bacterium is an emerging pathogen of honey bee brood. Overall, our results suggest that virulence traits allowing a pathogenic or opportunistically pathogenic habit towards honey bee brood are frequent in <i>Paenibacillus</i> spp., but that their degree of adaptation to this host varies. Our study clarifies the ecology of this ubiquitous genus, especially when infecting honey bees.</p>","PeriodicalId":163,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Microbiology Reports","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-2229.70089","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143914062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Florine Ory, Benjamin Dainat, Oliver Würgler, Fabian Wenger, Alexandra Roetschi, Lauriane Braillard, Jean-Daniel Charrière, Vincent Dietemann
{"title":"Ecology and Pathogenicity for Honey Bee Brood of Recently Described Paenibacillus melissococcoides and Comparison With Paenibacillus dendritiformis, Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus","authors":"Florine Ory, Benjamin Dainat, Oliver Würgler, Fabian Wenger, Alexandra Roetschi, Lauriane Braillard, Jean-Daniel Charrière, Vincent Dietemann","doi":"10.1111/1758-2229.70089","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70089","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Honey bee colonies contain thousands of individuals living in close proximity in a thermally homeostatic nest, creating ideal conditions for the thriving of numerous pathogens. Among the bacterial pathogens, <i>Paenibacillus larvae</i> infects larvae via the nutritive jelly that adult workers feed them, causing the highly contagious American foulbrood disease. Further <i>Paenibacillus</i> species were anecdotally found in association with honey bees, including when affected by another disease, European foulbrood (EFB). However, their pathogenicity remains largely unknown. Our results indicate that <i>Paenibacillus dendritiformis</i>, <i>Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus</i> and newly described <i>Paenibacillus melissococcoides</i> are pathogenic towards honey bee brood and that their virulence correlates with their sporulation ability, which confers them resistance to the bactericidal properties of the nutritive jelly. Our survey occasionally but increasingly detected <i>P. melissococcoides</i> in confirmed and idiopathic cases of EFB but never in healthy colonies, suggesting that this bacterium is an emerging pathogen of honey bee brood. Overall, our results suggest that virulence traits allowing a pathogenic or opportunistically pathogenic habit towards honey bee brood are frequent in <i>Paenibacillus</i> spp., but that their degree of adaptation to this host varies. Our study clarifies the ecology of this ubiquitous genus, especially when infecting honey bees.</p>","PeriodicalId":163,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Microbiology Reports","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-2229.70089","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143914096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gerardo A. Stoppiello, Roberto De Carolis, Claudia Coleine, Mauro Tretiach, Lucia Muggia, Laura Selbmann
{"title":"Intrathalline Fungal and Bacterial Diversity Is Uncovered in Antarctic Lichen Symbioses","authors":"Gerardo A. Stoppiello, Roberto De Carolis, Claudia Coleine, Mauro Tretiach, Lucia Muggia, Laura Selbmann","doi":"10.1111/1758-2229.70080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although the Antarctic continent represents one of the most hostile environments on earth, microbial life has adapted to cope with these extreme conditions. Lichens are one of the most successful groups of organisms in Antarctica, where they serve as unique niches for microbial diversification. We have selected eight epilithic lichen species growing in Victoria Land (three cosmopolitan and five endemic to Antarctica) to describe with amplicon sequencing the diversity of the associated fungal and bacterial communities. The lichen mycobiota is predominantly composed of <i>Ascomycota</i> belonging to the classes <i>Chaetothyriomycetes</i> and <i>Dothideomycetes</i>, while a few key representative taxa were recognised as basidiomycetous yeasts. Bacteria associated with lichens were represented by <i>Pseudomonadota</i>, <i>Cyanobacteria</i>, and <i>Bacteroidota</i> in which psychrophilic genera were identified. The microbiota was diverse among the lichen species, and their variation was driven by the lichen species itself and their endemic or cosmopolitan distribution. There was a strong association of the microbial communities linked to the lichen itself, rather than to the specific characteristics of the collecting site. The lichen thallus, thus, plays an important role in microbial diversification and may potentially act as a selective biodiversity filter in which different fungal and bacterial communities thrive in it.</p>","PeriodicalId":163,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Microbiology Reports","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-2229.70080","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gerardo A. Stoppiello, Roberto De Carolis, Claudia Coleine, Mauro Tretiach, Lucia Muggia, Laura Selbmann
{"title":"Intrathalline Fungal and Bacterial Diversity Is Uncovered in Antarctic Lichen Symbioses","authors":"Gerardo A. Stoppiello, Roberto De Carolis, Claudia Coleine, Mauro Tretiach, Lucia Muggia, Laura Selbmann","doi":"10.1111/1758-2229.70080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although the Antarctic continent represents one of the most hostile environments on earth, microbial life has adapted to cope with these extreme conditions. Lichens are one of the most successful groups of organisms in Antarctica, where they serve as unique niches for microbial diversification. We have selected eight epilithic lichen species growing in Victoria Land (three cosmopolitan and five endemic to Antarctica) to describe with amplicon sequencing the diversity of the associated fungal and bacterial communities. The lichen mycobiota is predominantly composed of <i>Ascomycota</i> belonging to the classes <i>Chaetothyriomycetes</i> and <i>Dothideomycetes</i>, while a few key representative taxa were recognised as basidiomycetous yeasts. Bacteria associated with lichens were represented by <i>Pseudomonadota</i>, <i>Cyanobacteria</i>, and <i>Bacteroidota</i> in which psychrophilic genera were identified. The microbiota was diverse among the lichen species, and their variation was driven by the lichen species itself and their endemic or cosmopolitan distribution. There was a strong association of the microbial communities linked to the lichen itself, rather than to the specific characteristics of the collecting site. The lichen thallus, thus, plays an important role in microbial diversification and may potentially act as a selective biodiversity filter in which different fungal and bacterial communities thrive in it.</p>","PeriodicalId":163,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Microbiology Reports","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-2229.70080","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143909165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mandar Bandekar, Rakhee Khandeparker, Kuldeep D. More, Seyieleno C. Seleyi, Mukund Gauthankar, Ujwala Amberkar, Jukka Kekäläinen, Jarkko Akkanen
{"title":"Microbial Responses to Micronutrient Amendments in Oxygenated and Deoxygenated Waters of the Arabian Sea","authors":"Mandar Bandekar, Rakhee Khandeparker, Kuldeep D. More, Seyieleno C. Seleyi, Mukund Gauthankar, Ujwala Amberkar, Jukka Kekäläinen, Jarkko Akkanen","doi":"10.1111/1758-2229.70072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70072","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Metalloenzyme cofactors and oxygen conditions are crucial for microbial metabolism, yet their combined effects on microbial ecosystems remain unexplored. This study explores the impact of micronutrient amendments (Zn, Fe, Co and their combinations) on the microbial community composition in oxygenated (73 m) and deoxygenated (200 m) waters of the Arabian Sea. Through controlled microcosm experiment and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we observed that micronutrients significantly alter nutrient concentrations and microbial dynamics. At 73 m, micronutrient treatments reduced nitrate, nitrite and ammonia levels, whereas at 200 m, they increased nitrate and silicate levels. Total bacterial counts (TBCs) were higher in all treatments at both depths, with Fe showing the highest counts. Alpha diversity indicated that Fe-amended flask increased microbial diversity the most at 73 m, while mixed treatments had a pronounced effect at 200 m. Taxonomic analysis revealed significant genus-level variations in both bacteria and archaea. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed micronutrient impacts on nutrients and TBC. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) revealed distinct clustering based on oxygen conditions. These results confirm our hypothesis that micronutrient amendments in varying oxygen levels distinctly alter microbial community composition and nutrient cycling in marine environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":163,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Microbiology Reports","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-2229.70072","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143896830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mandar Bandekar, Rakhee Khandeparker, Kuldeep D. More, Seyieleno C. Seleyi, Mukund Gauthankar, Ujwala Amberkar, Jukka Kekäläinen, Jarkko Akkanen
{"title":"Microbial Responses to Micronutrient Amendments in Oxygenated and Deoxygenated Waters of the Arabian Sea","authors":"Mandar Bandekar, Rakhee Khandeparker, Kuldeep D. More, Seyieleno C. Seleyi, Mukund Gauthankar, Ujwala Amberkar, Jukka Kekäläinen, Jarkko Akkanen","doi":"10.1111/1758-2229.70072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70072","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Metalloenzyme cofactors and oxygen conditions are crucial for microbial metabolism, yet their combined effects on microbial ecosystems remain unexplored. This study explores the impact of micronutrient amendments (Zn, Fe, Co and their combinations) on the microbial community composition in oxygenated (73 m) and deoxygenated (200 m) waters of the Arabian Sea. Through controlled microcosm experiment and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we observed that micronutrients significantly alter nutrient concentrations and microbial dynamics. At 73 m, micronutrient treatments reduced nitrate, nitrite and ammonia levels, whereas at 200 m, they increased nitrate and silicate levels. Total bacterial counts (TBCs) were higher in all treatments at both depths, with Fe showing the highest counts. Alpha diversity indicated that Fe-amended flask increased microbial diversity the most at 73 m, while mixed treatments had a pronounced effect at 200 m. Taxonomic analysis revealed significant genus-level variations in both bacteria and archaea. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed micronutrient impacts on nutrients and TBC. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) revealed distinct clustering based on oxygen conditions. These results confirm our hypothesis that micronutrient amendments in varying oxygen levels distinctly alter microbial community composition and nutrient cycling in marine environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":163,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Microbiology Reports","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-2229.70072","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143896831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aleksandra Puławska, Jolanta Kalinowska, Michalina Rachubik, Dominika Drzewiecka, Luciana Albuquerque, Conceiçao Egas, Krzysztof Krawczyk, Maciej Manecki, Camille Locht, Magdalena Kowalewicz-Kulbat
{"title":"Halophilic and Non-Halophilic Microbial Communities in Relation to Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Salt Mine Air","authors":"Aleksandra Puławska, Jolanta Kalinowska, Michalina Rachubik, Dominika Drzewiecka, Luciana Albuquerque, Conceiçao Egas, Krzysztof Krawczyk, Maciej Manecki, Camille Locht, Magdalena Kowalewicz-Kulbat","doi":"10.1111/1758-2229.70095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70095","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Salt mines are often used for halotherapy against lung and skin diseases. In addition to salt, they also contain various types of microorganisms, which remain poorly characterised. Here, we examined culturable halophilic and non-halophilic microbial populations in relation to the physico-chemical characteristics in the air of four different sites of the Bochnia Salt Mine, a popular halotherapy resort in Southern Poland. At the mine entrance, the temperature was highest (20.8°C) and decreased with increasing distance from the entrance (15.5°C at 2671 m from entrance), while humidity increased from 55.9% to 77.0%, as did the NaCl concentration. At the entrance, non-halophilic microorganisms prevailed, especially fungi that grew at 21°C. Halophiles gradually dominated with distance from the entrance, including halophilic archaea that grew at 28°C or 37°C on medium containing 15%, 20%, or 25% NaCl. Seven halophilic archaeal species were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The frequency of non-halophiles was inversely related to distance from the entrance, humidity, and presence of ions, while the reverse was seen for halophiles. An exception was the site used for halotherapy, where non-halophilic bacteria dominated. Thus, natural salt mines contain a wide variety of non-halophilic and halophilic microorganisms, including archaea, which may contribute to the halotherapeutic effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":163,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Microbiology Reports","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-2229.70095","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143889122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aleksandra Puławska, Jolanta Kalinowska, Michalina Rachubik, Dominika Drzewiecka, Luciana Albuquerque, Conceiçao Egas, Krzysztof Krawczyk, Maciej Manecki, Camille Locht, Magdalena Kowalewicz-Kulbat
{"title":"Halophilic and Non-Halophilic Microbial Communities in Relation to Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Salt Mine Air","authors":"Aleksandra Puławska, Jolanta Kalinowska, Michalina Rachubik, Dominika Drzewiecka, Luciana Albuquerque, Conceiçao Egas, Krzysztof Krawczyk, Maciej Manecki, Camille Locht, Magdalena Kowalewicz-Kulbat","doi":"10.1111/1758-2229.70095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70095","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Salt mines are often used for halotherapy against lung and skin diseases. In addition to salt, they also contain various types of microorganisms, which remain poorly characterised. Here, we examined culturable halophilic and non-halophilic microbial populations in relation to the physico-chemical characteristics in the air of four different sites of the Bochnia Salt Mine, a popular halotherapy resort in Southern Poland. At the mine entrance, the temperature was highest (20.8°C) and decreased with increasing distance from the entrance (15.5°C at 2671 m from entrance), while humidity increased from 55.9% to 77.0%, as did the NaCl concentration. At the entrance, non-halophilic microorganisms prevailed, especially fungi that grew at 21°C. Halophiles gradually dominated with distance from the entrance, including halophilic archaea that grew at 28°C or 37°C on medium containing 15%, 20%, or 25% NaCl. Seven halophilic archaeal species were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The frequency of non-halophiles was inversely related to distance from the entrance, humidity, and presence of ions, while the reverse was seen for halophiles. An exception was the site used for halotherapy, where non-halophilic bacteria dominated. Thus, natural salt mines contain a wide variety of non-halophilic and halophilic microorganisms, including archaea, which may contribute to the halotherapeutic effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":163,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Microbiology Reports","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-2229.70095","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143888875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"More Than a Stick in the Mud: Eelgrass Leaf and Root Bacterial Communities Are Distinct From Those on Physical Mimics","authors":"Melissa R. Kardish, John J. Stachowicz","doi":"10.1111/1758-2229.70086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70086","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We examine the role of physical structure versus biotic interactions in structuring host-associated microbial communities on a marine angiosperm, <i>Zostera marina</i>, eelgrass. Across several months and sites, we compared microbiomes on physical mimics of eelgrass roots and leaves to those on intact plants. We find large, consistent differences in the microbiome of mimics and plants, especially on roots, but also on leaves. Key taxa that are more abundant on leaves have been associated with microalgal and macroalgal disease and merit further investigation to determine their role in mediating plant–microalgal–pathogen interactions. Root associated taxa were associated with sulphur and nitrogen cycling, potentially ameliorating environmental stresses for the plant. Our work identifies targets for future work on the functional role of the seagrass microbiome in promoting the success of these angiosperms in the sea through identifying components of microbial communities that are specific to seagrasses.</p>","PeriodicalId":163,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Microbiology Reports","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-2229.70086","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143889121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Luc Dendooven, Daniel Ramírez-Villanueva, Vanessa Romero-Yahuitl, Karla E. Zarco-González, Nilantha Hulugalle, Viliami Heimoana, Nele Verhulst, Bram Govaerts, Yendi E. Navarro-Noya
{"title":"Young maize plants impact the bacterial community in Australian cotton-sown vertisol more than agricultural practices","authors":"Luc Dendooven, Daniel Ramírez-Villanueva, Vanessa Romero-Yahuitl, Karla E. Zarco-González, Nilantha Hulugalle, Viliami Heimoana, Nele Verhulst, Bram Govaerts, Yendi E. Navarro-Noya","doi":"10.1111/1758-2229.13322","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.13322","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Changes in soil characteristics due to varying farming practices can modify the structure of bacterial communities. However, it remains uncertain whether bacterial groups that break down organic material are similarly impacted. We examined changes in the bacterial community by pyrosequencing the 16S rRNA gene when young maize plants, their neutral detergent fibre fraction, or urea were applied to an Australian Vertisol. This soil was managed with either conventional tillage with continuous cotton, minimum tillage with continuous cotton, or a wheat-cotton rotation. The soil organic carbon content was 1.4 times higher in the wheat-cotton rotation than in the conventional tillage with continuous cotton treatment. Approximately 41.6% of the organic carbon was added with maize plants, and 13.1% of the neutral detergent fibre fraction was mineralized after 28 days. The application of young maize plants and the neutral detergent fibre fraction significantly altered the bacterial community and the presumed metabolic functional structure, but urea did not. Many bacterial groups, such as <i>Streptomyces</i>, <i>Nocardioides</i>, and <i>Kribbella</i>, and presumed metabolic functions were enriched by the application of organic material, but less so by urea. We found that a limited number of bacterial groups and presumed metabolic functions were affected in an irrigated Vertisol by the different cotton farming systems, but many were strongly affected by the application of maize plants or its neutral detergent fibre.</p>","PeriodicalId":163,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Microbiology Reports","volume":"17 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-2229.13322","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143889120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}