Quality and quantity of leaf litter: Both are important for feeding preferences and growth of an aquatic shredder.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Arias-Real R
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6291097 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Litter decomposition provides a continuous flow of organic carbon and nutrients that affects plant development and the structure of decomposer communities. Aim of this study was to distinguish the feeding preferences of microbes and plants in relation to litter chemistry. We characterized 36 litter types by 13C-CPMAS NMR spectroscopy and tested these materials on 6 bacteria, 6 fungi, and 14 target plants. Undecomposed litter acted as a carbon source for most of the saprophytic microbes, although with a large variability across litter types, severely inhibiting root growth. An opposite response was found for aged litter that largely inhibited microbial growth, but had neutral or stimulatory effects on root proliferation. 13C-CPMAS NMR revealed that restricted resonance intervals within the alkyl C, methoxyl C, O-alkyl C and di-O-alkyl C spectral regions are crucial for understanding litter effects. Root growth, in contrast to microbes, was negatively affected by labile C sources but positively associated with signals related to plant tissue lignification. Our study showed that plant litter has specific and contrasting effects on bacteria, fungi and higher plants, highlighting that, in order to understand the effects of plant detritus on ecosystem structure and functionality, different microbial food web components should be simultaneously investigated.
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Project description:Permafrost thaw is a major potential feedback source to climate change as it can drive the increased release of greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and methane (CH4 ). This carbon release from the decomposition of thawing soil organic material can be mitigated by increased net primary productivity (NPP) caused by warming, increasing atmospheric CO2 , and plant community transition. However, the net effect on C storage also depends on how these plant community changes alter plant litter quantity, quality, and decomposition rates. Predicting decomposition rates based on litter quality remains challenging, but a promising new way forward is to incorporate measures of the energetic favorability to soil microbes of plant biomass decomposition. We asked how the variation in one such measure, the nominal oxidation state of carbon (NOSC), interacts with changing quantities of plant material inputs to influence the net C balance of a thawing permafrost peatland. We found: (1) Plant productivity (NPP) increased post-thaw, but instead of contributing to increased standing biomass, it increased plant biomass turnover via increased litter inputs to soil; (2) Plant litter thermodynamic favorability (NOSC) and decomposition rate both increased post-thaw, despite limited changes in bulk C:N ratios; (3) these increases caused the higher NPP to cycle more rapidly through both plants and soil, contributing to higher CO2 and CH4 fluxes from decomposition. Thus, the increased C-storage expected from higher productivity was limited and the high global warming potential of CH4 contributed a net positive warming effect. Although post-thaw peatlands are currently C sinks due to high NPP offsetting high CO2 release, this status is very sensitive to the plant community's litter input rate and quality. Integration of novel bioavailability metrics based on litter chemistry, including NOSC, into studies of ecosystem dynamics, is needed to improve the understanding of controls on arctic C stocks under continued ecosystem transition.
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Project description:Reading and language disorders are common childhood conditions that often co-occur with each other and with other neurodevelopmental impairments. There is strong evidence that disorders, such as dyslexia and Specific Language Impairment (SLI), have a genetic basis, but we expect the contributing genetic factors to be complex in nature. To date, only a few genes have been implicated in these traits. Their functional characterization has provided novel insight into the biology of neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the lack of biological markers and clear diagnostic criteria have prevented the collection of the large sample sizes required for well-powered genome-wide screens. One of the main challenges of the field will be to combine careful clinical assessment with high throughput genetic technologies within multidisciplinary collaborations.
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Project description:BackgroundAquatic ecosystems provide breeding sites for blood-sucking insects such as Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), but factors affecting their distribution and host choice are poorly understood. A study was undertaken at two nature reserves in northern Spain to examine the abundance, species composition, population dynamics and feeding patterns of biting midges between 2018 and 2019.MethodsCulicoides were captured by light suction traps baited with CO2 and by sweep netting vegetation. Blood meals and species identification of blood-fed specimens were determined using cytochrome c oxidase I subunit (COI) DNA barcoding. Multivariate generalized linear models were used to evaluate the associations between the abundance of Culicoides, the species richness and other parameters.ResultsThe 4973 identified specimens comprised 28 species of Culicoides. These included two species reported for the first time in northern Spain, thus raising to 54 the number of Culicoides species described in the region. Specimens of all 28 species and 99.6% of the total specimens collected were caught in suction traps, while sweep netting vegetation revealed just 11 species and 0.4% of the total specimens. Midge abundance peaked in June/early July, with five species comprising > 80% of the captures: Culicoides alazanicus (24.9%), Culicoides griseidorsum (20.3%), Culicoides poperinghensis (16.2%), Culicoides kibunensis (10.7%) and Culicoides clastrieri (9.6%). DNA barcode analysis of blood meals from eight Culicoides species revealed that they fed on 17 vertebrate species (3 mammals and 14 birds). Species in the subgenus Avaritia were primarily ornithophilic, except for C. griseidorsum and C. poperinghensis. Host DNA from blood meals was successfully amplified from 75% of blood-fed females. A pictorial blood meal digestion scale is provided to accurately assess the blood-fed status of female Culicoides.ConclusionsThe large number of different blood meal sources identified in the midges captured in this study signals the likely importance of wild birds and mammals (e.g. red deer and wild boar) as reservoir/amplifying hosts for pathogens. Available hosts are more exposed to being bitten by biting midge populations in aquatic ecosystems in late spring and early summer.
| S-EPMC9188056 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Ephemeral wetlands are commonly embedded within pine uplands of the southeastern United States. These wetlands support diverse communities but have often been degraded by a lack of growing-season fires that historically maintained the vegetation structure. In the absence of fire, wetlands develop a dense mid-story of woody vegetation that increases canopy cover and decreases the amount of herbaceous vegetation. To understand how reduced fire frequency impacts wetland processes, we measured leaf litter breakdown rates and invertebrate communities using three common plant species (Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris), Pineland Threeawn Grass (Aristida stricta), and Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica)) that occur in pine flatwoods wetlands located on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. We also tested whether or not the overall habitat type within a wetland (fire maintained or fire suppressed) affected these processes. We placed leaf packs containing 15.0 g of dried leaf litter from each species in both fire-maintained and fire-suppressed sections of three wetlands, removing them after 103-104 days submerged in the wetland. The amount of leaf litter remaining at the end of the study varied across species (N. sylvatica = 7.97 ± 0.17 g, A. stricta = 11.84 ± 0.06 g, and P. palustris = 11.37 ± 0.07 g (mean ± SE)) and was greater in fire-maintained habitat (leaf type: F 2,45 = 437.2, P < 0.001; habitat type: F 1,45 = 4.6, P = 0.037). We identified an average of 260 ± 33.5 (SE) invertebrates per leaf pack (range: 19-1,283), and the most abundant taxonomic groups were Cladocera, Isopoda, Acariformes, and Diptera. Invertebrate relative abundance varied significantly among litter species (approximately 39.9 ± 9.4 invertebrates per gram of leaf litter remaining in N. sylvatica leaf packs, 27.2 ± 5.3 invertebrates per gram of A. stricta, and 14.6 ± 3.1 invertebrates per gram of P. palustris (mean ± SE)) but not habitat type. However, both habitat (pseudo-F1,49 = 4.30, P = 0.003) and leaf litter type (pseudo-F2,49 = 3.62, P = 0.001) had a significant effect on invertebrate community composition. Finally, this work was part of ongoing projects focusing on the conservation of the critically imperiled Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma bishopi), which breeds exclusively in pine flatwoods wetlands, and we examined the results as they relate to potential prey items for larval flatwoods salamanders. Overall, our results suggest that the vegetation changes associated with a lack of growing-season fires can impact both invertebrate communities and leaf litter breakdown.
| S-EPMC8638572 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundOutbreaks of insect pests in paddy fields cause heavy losses in global rice yield annually, a threat projected to be aggravated by ongoing climate warming. Although significant progress has been made in the screening and cloning of insect resistance genes in rice germplasm and their introgression into modern cultivars, improved rice resistance is only effective against either chewing or phloem-feeding insects.ResultsIn this study, the results from standard and modified seedbox screening, settlement preference and honeydew excretion tests consistently showed that Qingliu, a previously known leaffolder-resistant rice variety, is also moderately resistant to brown planthopper (BPH). High-throughput RNA sequencing showed a higher number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at the infestation site, with 2720 DEGs in leaves vs 181 DEGs in sheaths for leaffolder herbivory and 450 DEGs in sheaths vs 212 DEGs in leaves for BPH infestation. The leaf-specific transcriptome revealed that Qingliu responds to leaffolder feeding by activating jasmonic acid biosynthesis genes and genes regulating the shikimate and phenylpropanoid pathways that are essential for the biosynthesis of salicylic acid, melatonin, flavonoids and lignin defensive compounds. The sheath-specific transcriptome revealed that Qingliu responds to BPH infestation by inducing salicylic acid-responsive genes and those controlling cellular signaling cascades. Taken together these genes could play a role in triggering defense mechanisms such as cell wall modifications and cuticular wax formation.ConclusionsThis study highlighted the key defensive responses of a rarely observed rice variety Qingliu that has resistance to attacks by two different feeding guilds of herbivores. The leaffolders are leaf-feeder while the BPHs are phloem feeders, consequently Qingliu is considered to have dual resistance. Although the defense responses of Qingliu to both insect pest types appear largely dissimilar, the phenylpropanoid pathway (or more specifically phenylalanine ammonia-lyase genes) could be a convergent upstream pathway. However, this possibility requires further studies. This information is valuable for breeding programs aiming to generate broad spectrum insect resistance in rice cultivars.
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Project description:BackgroundHigh glycemic index (GI) diets have been linked to elevated risk of cardiometabolic diseases. One possible underlying mechanism comes from high GI diet's potential to promote lipid peroxidation.ObjectivesWe aim to evaluate whether and to what extent dietary carbohydrate quality and quantity are associated with systemic levels of lipid peroxidation in females.MethodsIn this cross-sectional analysis of 2163 middle-aged women, a subset of the Shanghai Women's Health Study, we measured lipid peroxidation biomarkers F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs) and its metabolite, 2,3-dinor-5,6-dihydro-15-F2t-IsoP (F2-IsoP-M), in urine. The quality of carbohydrate was defined by dietary GI, assessed using a validated FFQ via in-person interviews. A multivariable linear regression model with restricted cubic spline functions was used to evaluate the association of measured biomarkers with carbohydrate intake and dietary GI.ResultsAfter adjustment for potential confounding factors such as cigarette smoking, BMI, and comorbidities, among others, we found that F2-IsoP-M concentrations were positively associated with both carbohydrate intake and dietary GI. Carbohydrate intake and dietary GI were weakly correlated (r = 0.12). When further mutually adjusted for the 2 factors, the positive association with F2-IsoP-M remained statistically significant for GI (P = 0.004) but not for carbohydrate intake (P = 0.50). Compared with those in the 10th percentile of dietary GI, fold increases (95% CI) in F2-IsoP-M concentrations for those in the 30th, 50th, 70th, and 90th percentiles were 1.03 (1.00, 1.07), 1.06 (1.01, 1.10), 1.09 (1.03, 1.14), and 1.13 (1.05, 1.21), respectively. Moreover, there appeared a threshold regarding the association between dietary GI and F2-IsoP-M concentrations, with the dose-effect slope of GI being 2.3 times greater when GI was ≥75 relative to GI <75.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that the quality of dietary carbohydrate may be more important than the quantity of the intake with regard to systemic lipid peroxidation.
| S-EPMC9257472 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study aims to evaluate the impacts of changes in litter quantity under simulated N deposition on litter decomposition, CO2 release, and soil C loss potential in a larch plantation in Northeast China. We conducted a laboratory incubation experiment using soil and litter collected from control and N addition (100 kg ha-1 year-1 for 10 years) plots. Different quantities of litter (0, 1, 2 and 4 g) were placed on 150 g soils collected from the same plots and incubated in microcosms for 270 days. We found that increased litter input strongly stimulated litter decomposition rate and CO2 release in both control and N fertilization microcosms, though reduced soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and dissolved inorganic N (DIN) concentration. Carbon input (C loss from litter decomposition) and carbon output (the cumulative C loss due to respiration) elevated with increasing litter input in both control and N fertilization microcosms. However, soil C loss potentials (C output-C input) reduced by 62% in control microcosms and 111% in N fertilization microcosms when litter addition increased from 1 g to 4 g, respectively. Our results indicated that increased litter input had a potential to suppress soil organic C loss especially for N addition plots.
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Project description:This study was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding fermented mulberry leaf powder (FMLP) on growth performance, slaughter performance, and meat quality of broilers. A total of 360 1-day-old chickens were randomly divided into 5 groups. The control group was fed basal diet (CON), 3% FMLP, 6% FMLP, 9% FMLP, and 3% unfermented mulberry leaf powder. The (MLP) group was fed basal diet supplemented with 3%, 6%, 9% fermented mulberry leaf powder, and 3% MLP, respectively. The experiment lasted for 56 days, with 1-28 days as the starter phase and 29-56 days as the grower phase. The results on the growth performance showed that diets supplemented with 3% FMLP significantly increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of broilers, enhanced the activity of intestinal amylase and digestibility of dry matter and crude protein, improved the average daily gain (ADG), and decreased the feed to gain ratio (F/G) (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group diet, the 3% FMLP group diet significantly increased the breast muscle yield (p < 0.05), reduced the abdominal fat ratio (0.1 < p < 0.05), and improved the slaughter performance of broilers. The 3% MLP group diet increased the shear force of breast muscle (p < 0.05) and thigh muscle of broilers compared to the control group, and adding FMLP could reverse the above results. Additionally, relative to the control group, FMLP supplementation improved the contents of inosine monophosphate (IMP), total amino acids (TAA), essential amino acids (EAA), and delicious amino acids (DAA) in breast and thigh muscle, and improved polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and essential fatty acids (EFA) in breast muscle; the 6% and 9% FMLP groups showed preferably such effects (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of FMLP can improve the digestion and absorption of nutrients, and then improve the growth performance of broilers; it also has a positive effect on improving slaughter performance and meat quality.
| S-EPMC8614317 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Climate change may affect the chemical composition of riparian leaf litter and, aquatic organisms and, consequently, leaf breakdown. We evaluated the effects of different scenarios combining increased temperature and carbon dioxide (CO2) on leaf detritus of Hevea spruceana (Benth) Müll. and decomposers (insect shredders and microorganisms). We hypothesized that simulated climate change (warming and elevated CO2) would: i) decrease leaf-litter quality, ii) decrease survival and leaf breakdown by shredders, and iii) increase microbial leaf breakdown and fungal biomass. We performed the experiment in four microcosm chambers that simulated air temperature and CO2 changes in relation to a real-time control tracking current conditions in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. The experiment lasted seven days. During the experiment mean air temperature and CO2 concentration ranged from 26.96 ± 0.98ºC and 537.86 ± 18.36 ppmv in the control to 31.75 ± 0.50ºC and 1636.96 ± 17.99 ppmv in the extreme chamber, respectively. However, phosphorus concentration in the leaf litter decreased with warming and elevated CO2. Leaf quality (percentage of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, cellulose and lignin) was not influenced by soil flooding. Fungal biomass and microbial leaf breakdown were positively influenced by temperature and CO2 increase and reached their highest values in the intermediate condition. Both total and shredder leaf breakdown, and shredder survival rate were similar among all climatic conditions. Thus, low leaf-litter quality due to climate change and higher leaf breakdown under intermediate conditions may indicate an increase of riparian metabolism due to temperature and CO2 increase, highlighting the risk (e.g., decreased productivity) of global warming for tropical streams.
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