Cognitive skills and bacterial load: comparative evidence of costs of cognitive proficiency in birds

Parasite-mediated selection may affect the evolution of cognitive abilities because parasites may influence development of the brain, but also learning capacity. Here, we tested some predictions of this hypothesis by analyzing the relationship between complex behaviours (feeding innovations (as a measure of behavioural flexibility) and ability to detect foreign eggs in their nests (i.e. a measure of discriminatory ability)) and abundance of microorganisms in different species of birds. A positive relationship would be predicted if these cognitive abilities implied a larger number of visited environments, while if these skills favoured detection and avoidance of risky environments, a negative relationship would be the prediction. Bacterial loads of eggshells, estimated for mesophilic and potentially pathogenic bacteria (i.e. Enterococcus, Staphylococcus and Enterobacteriaceae), were used as a surrogate of probability of contact with pathogenic bacteria. We found that bird species with higher feeding innovation rates and rejection rates of experimental brood parasitic eggs had higher density of bacteria on their eggshells than the average species. Since the analysed groups of microorganisms include pathogenic bacteria, these results suggest that both feeding innovation and ability to recognize foreign eggs are costly and highlight the importance of parasite-mediated selection in explaining the evolution of cognitive abilities in animals.     

不同排海方式城市尾水微生物扩散规律

尾水中含有大量病原菌,回用或排入自然水体后会对人群健康和生态安全构成威胁.为了探究不同排海方式对微生物扩散规律的影响,本研究利用高通量测序技术对春季污水处理厂尾水细菌群落结构、优势菌群、典型致病菌及其随扩散距离的变化进行研究.结果发现,先排河后排海的尾水物种更加丰富,分布在58个菌纲,相对丰度大于1%的细菌有32种,而直接排海的尾水中仅有41个菌纲,相对丰度大于1%的细菌有28种.相对于直排过程,间排方式微生物群落结构相对丰度更高,说明尾水的直接排海使得微生物更易扩散.同一污水处理厂优势菌门所占比例随着扩散距离的增大整体呈下降趋势,蓝藻菌门(Cyanobacteria)等由于在自然水体中的高浓度出现随扩散距离增大整体上升的趋势.两个系统的优势菌门都属于变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)及厚壁菌门(Firmicutes),纲、种水平重合度较低,但整体来讲排污口附近微生物多样性及丰度远高于海水(空白样品),且污水处理相关菌种丰度较高.另外,尾水中存在一定量的致病菌和条件致病菌,其中Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis、Pseudomonas anguilliseptica致病性极强,扩散后相对丰度仍然很高,且弓形杆菌属(Arcobacter spp.)与人类和动物的腹泻、菌血症等疾病密切相关.因此,尾水排放过程中应对这几种细菌重点监测.     

城市尾水排海过程中微生物及主要致病菌扩散规律

城市污水处理厂产生的尾水中含有大量微生物尤其是致病菌,排海后不仅对周围人群产生危害而且对海洋生态安全构成威胁.本研究以青岛市麦岛污水处理厂为研究对象,采用高通量测序技术,研究尾水排海过程中的微生物群落结构,分析尾水中致病菌在排海过程中的动态分布及季节变化规律.结果表明,尾水微生物分布在20~27个菌门,优势菌门为变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)和拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes),主要分布在44~65个纲,其中优势菌纲主要分布在变形菌门(Proteobacteria);尾水排海过程中的主要致病菌有55种,致病基因与癌症、心血管、免疫系统、传染性、新陈代谢、神经变性等疾病相关,其中,引起人类和动物腹泻、菌血症相关的弓形杆菌属(Arcobacter spp.)、引发院内感染的条件致病菌不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter spp.)及对海产品养殖和捕捞带来威胁的Shewanella hafniensis等占比例较大.     

Preen gland removal increases plumage bacterial load but not that of feather-degrading bacteria

The preen gland is a holocrine sebaceous gland of the avian integument which produces an oily secretion that is spread on the plumage during preening. It has been suggested that birds may defend themselves against feather-degrading bacteria (FDB) and other potential pathogens using preen gland secretions. However, besides some in vitro studies, the in vivo bacterial inhibitory effects of the preen oil on the abundance of feather-associated bacterial species has not yet been studied in passerines. Here we tested the effect of gland removal on the abundance of FDB and other-cultivable bacterial loads (OCB) of male house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Our results did not support earlier results on in vitro antibacterial activity of preen oil against FDB since the absence of the preen gland did not significantly affect their loads related to the control birds. In contrast, we found that preen gland removal led to higher loads of OCB. This result suggests that the antimicrobial spectrum of the preen oil is broader than previously thought and that, by reducing the overall feather bacterial loads, the preen gland could help birds to protect themselves against a variety of potentially harmful bacteria.     

Garden sharing and garden stealing in fungus-growing ants

 Fungi cultivated by fungus-growing ants (Attini: Formicidae) are passed on between generations by transfer from maternal to offspring nest (vertical transmission within ant species). However, recent phylogenetic analyses revealed that cultivars are occasionally also transferred between attine species. The reasons for such lateral cultivar transfers are unknown. To investigate whether garden loss may induce ants to obtain a replacement cultivar from a neighboring colony (lateral cultivar transfer), pairs of queenright colonies of two Cyphomyrmex species were set up in two conjoined chambers; the garden of one colony was then removed to simulate the total crop loss that occurs naturally when pathogens devastate gardens. Garden-deprived colonies regained cultivars through one of three mechanisms: joining of a neighboring colony and cooperation in a common garden; stealing of a neighbor's garden; or aggressive usurpation of a neighbor's garden. Because pathogens frequently devastate attine gardens under natural conditions, garden joining, stealing and usurpation emerge as critical behavioral adaptations to survive garden catastrophes. Received: 16 June 2000 / Accepted in revised form: 14 September 2000     

不同土地利用方式对土壤细菌分子生态网络的影响

利用16S rDNA基因Illumina MiSeq高通量测序技术结合分子生态网络方法,测定了4种利用类型土地中的细菌群落组成,并分别构建了可视化的细菌网络.结果表明,旱田和水田土壤细菌网络的平均路径长度与模块性较小,而节点数、连接数、平均连通度和聚类系数较高;4个细菌网络均以正相关关系占优,天然林地负相关比例较高;酸杆菌门、厚壁菌门和变形菌门中的部分菌群在土壤细菌网络中起着重要的连接作用;4个细菌网络的部分关键节点所属的菌群相对丰度较低(1%),并非本研究区域的主体细菌;旱田土壤菌群主要受TP显著影响(P0.05);水田土壤菌群主要受黏粒、粉粒和含水量显著影响(P0.05);天然林地和城市绿地土壤菌群主要受C/N显著影响(P0.05).以上研究结果表明,旱田土壤细菌网络规模更大,物种间关系更加复杂,不同利用类型土地中的细菌均以协同合作关系为主,天然林地土壤细菌之间存在更强的竞争作用.水田和旱田土壤细菌对外界环境因子的扰动更加敏感,响应迅速,群落结构更易发生变化;部分细菌在网络间存在角色转化现象,低丰度菌群在构建土壤细菌网络中具有重要作用.     

Non-specific association between filamentous bacteria and fungus-growing ants

Fungus-growing ants and their fungal cultivar form a highly evolved mutualism that is negatively affected by the specialized parasitic fungus Escovopsis. Filamentous Pseudonocardia bacteria occurring on the cuticle of attine ants have been proposed to form a mutualistic interaction with these ants in which they are vertically transmitted (i.e. from parent to offspring colonies). Given a strictly vertical transmission of Pseudonocardia, the evolutionary theory predicts a reduced genetic variability of symbionts among ant lineages. The aim of this study was to verify whether actinomycetes, which occur on Acromyrmex octospinosus leaf-cutting ants, meet this expectation by comparing their genotypic variability with restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Multiple actinomycete strains could be isolated from both individual ant workers and colonies (one to seven strains per colony). The colony specificity of actinomycete communities was high: Only 15% of all strains were isolated from more than one colony, and just 5% were present in both populations investigated. Partial sequencing of 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid of two of the isolated strains assigned both of them to the genus Streptomyces. Actinomycetes could also be isolated from workers of the two non-attine ant species Myrmica rugulosa and Lasius flavus. Sixty-two percent of the strains derived from attine ants and 80% of the strains isolated from non-attine ants inhibited the growth of Escovopsis. Our data suggest that the association between attine ants and their actinomycete symbionts is less specific then previously thought. Soil-dwelling actinomycetes may have been dynamically recruited from the environment (horizontal transmission), probably reflecting an adaptation to a diverse community of microbial pathogens.     

Isolation of antifungal bacteria from Japanese fermented soybeans, natto

An inhibitory effect of a traditional Japanese fermented food, natto, was found against plant pathogens such as Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum, and the bacteria which showed inhibition were isolated from the natto. Among isolated bacteria, BC-1 and GAc exhibited a strong antagonistic effect in vitro against plant pathogens on an agar medium. The supernatant of bacterial culture also showed strong activity against R. solani, which meant the antimicrobial substances were produced and secreted into the medium. Both of the bacteria were estimated as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens from a partial sequence of the 16s rRNA gene. High performance liquid chromatography analysis clearly showed the production of the lipopeptide antibiotic iturin A by BC-1 and GAc.     

Comprehensive characterization of indoor airborne bacterial profile

This is the first detailed characterization of the airborne bacterial profiles in indoor environments. Two restaurants were selected for this study. Fifteen genera of bacteria were isolated from each restaurant and identified by three different bacterial identification systems including MIDI, Biolog and Riboprinter®. The dominant bacteria of both restaurants were Gram-positive bacteria in which Micrococcus and Bacillus species were the most abundant. Most bacteria identified were representative species of skin and respiratory tract of human, and soil. Although the bacterial levels in these two restaurants were below the limit of the Hong Kong Indoor Air Quality Objective (HKIAQO) Level 1 standard (i.e., < 500 cfu/m³), the majority of these bacteria were opportunistic pathogens. These results suggested that the identity of airborne bacteria should also be included in the IAQ to ensure there is a safety guideline for the public.     

Do feather-degrading bacteria actually degrade feather colour? No significant effects of plumage microbiome modifications on feather colouration in wild great tits

Parasites are known to exert selective pressures on host life history traits since the energy and nutrients needed to mount an immune response are no longer available to invest in other functions. Bird feathers harbour numerous microorganisms, some of which are able to degrade feather keratin (keratinolytic microorganisms) and affect feather integrity and colouration in vitro. Although named “feather-degrading” microorganisms, experimental evidence for their effects on feathers of free-living birds is still lacking. Here, we tested whether (i) keratinolytic microorganisms can degrade feathers in vivo and thus modify the colour of feathers during the nesting period and (ii) whether feather microorganisms have a long-term effect on the investment in colouration of newly moulted feathers. We designed treatments to either favour or inhibit bacterial growth, thus experimentally modifying plumage bacterial communities, in a wild breeding population of great tits (Parus major). Our analyses revealed no significant effects of the treatments on feather colours. Moreover, we found that differences in bacterial exposure during nesting did not significantly affect the colouration of newly moulted feathers. Our results suggest that significant feather degradation obtained during in vitro studies could have led to an overestimation of the potential of keratinolytic microorganisms to shape feather colouration in free-living birds.     

异养硝化-好氧反硝化菌的筛选及脱氮性能的实验研究

通过极限稀释和显色培养基相结合筛选的方法,从畜禽养殖废水样品中筛选到1株同时具有异养硝化-好氧反硝化双重功能的细菌CPZ24.该菌株革兰氏染色呈阳性,杆状,菌落颜色为橙红色.经形态、生理生化特性,16S rDNA序列分析,初步鉴定该菌为嗜吡啶红球菌(Rhodococuus pyridinivorans).对该菌进行异养硝化功能和好氧反硝化功能进行研究,结果表明,在异养硝化过程中,该菌可将培养基中的氨氮全部去除,其中对总氮的去除率可达98.70%;在好氧反硝化过程中,该菌对硝酸盐氮的去除率可达到66.74%,总氮的去除率达到64.27%.此高效脱氮降解菌可实现自身同步硝化-反硝化脱氮功能,能够独立完成生物脱氮的全过程.     

无排泥条件下HRT对膜生物反应器硝化性能的影响及其生物群落结构分析

以无机氨氮废水(NH+4 N,500mg·L-1)为处理对象,在不排泥条件下逐渐缩短膜生物反应器的水力停留时间(HRT,30h～5h),连续运行260d.在反应器内的氨氮容积负荷和污泥负荷分别为1 2kg·(d·L)-1和2 13kg·kg-1·d-1时,氨氮去除率达98 2%以上.当HRT减少至7h时开始出现NH+4 N和NO-2 N的积累.尽管反应器内MLSS随着运行时间的延长在逐步上升,氨氧化菌(AOB)和亚硝酸氧化菌(NOB)的数量分别从HRT10h和15h起开始下降.16SrDNA聚合酶链式反应结合变性梯度凝胶电泳(PCR DGGE)的分析发现反应器内生物多样性随着运行时间的延长而增加,测序结果表明进行氨氧化作用的主要是亚硝化单胞菌属(Nitrosomonassp.),进行亚硝酸氧化的主要是硝化螺菌属(Nitrospirasp.).尽管反应器只进行无机氨氮配水,仍存在大量的异养菌,估计其生长是以胞外分泌产物和细胞裂解产物为基质.     

The potential of antagonists for fungal control

The use of antagonistic microorganisms to control fungal pathogens is very limited because very few of the species which showed potential under experimental conditions were successful in the field. To be commercially useful, organisms must be easy to propagate and introduce into the soil in sufficient numbers to affect the pathogen and the cost must be significantly less than the expected losses that would result from disease caused by the pathogen.Fungi are more able to grow in soils of low moisture content than bacteria and under such conditions bacteria are likely to be poor antagonists. However, in practice the most attractive microbial antagonists for root diseases appear to be bacteria, particularly species of Pseudomonas and Bacillus. Advances in microbial genetics have provided methods whereby it may be possible in the near future to manipulate microorganisms and produce new antagonistic strains for particular purposes. However, the breeding of strains of this nature will require a much better understanding of interactions between microorganisms, plants and the soil than we have at present.     

北京市模拟给水管网管壁微生物膜群落分析

以北京市模拟给水管网管壁微生物膜为研究对象,采用HPC(异养菌平板计数)和PCR-SSCP(单链构象多态性)方法,分析模拟给水管网管壁微生物膜异养菌数目和微生物群落结构.结果表明,在相同流速条件下,镀锌钢管的管壁微生物数量约为PVC管的5倍.在相同材质的镀锌钢管内,死水区的HPC计数量约为0.6m·s-1,是流速区的1/5.计数结果的差异可能与不同材质表面的光滑度及流速造成微生物生长所需的氧气和营养基质不同有关.而不同材质和不同流速区微生物群落的SSCP电泳图谱则显示为一样,均在相同位置出现同样条带.测序结果显示, SSCP电泳图中的3条带与蜡状芽孢杆菌(Bacillus cereus, GenBank登录号为AB190077)、假单胞菌(Peudomonas sp.yged143, GenBank登录号为EF419342)和未分类细菌(Bacterium UASWS0134, GenBank登录号为DQ190347)的同源性分别为100%、99%和94%.测序结果的一致性可能与取样点为同一模拟管网,距离比较接近,不同微生物容易在其中流动和转移有关.而潜在致病菌蜡状芽孢杆菌和假单胞菌的存在则提示应该更加重视饮用水的微生物安全性.     

Direct evidence for maternal inheritance of bacterial symbionts in small deep-sea clams (Bivalvia: Vesicomyidae)

Bacterial symbiont transmission is a key step in the renewal of the symbiotic interaction at each host generation, and different modes of transmission can be distinguished. Vesicomyidae are chemosynthetic bivalves from reducing habitats that rely on symbiosis with sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, in which two studies suggesting vertical transmission of symbionts have been published, both limited by the imaging techniques used. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization and transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrate that bacterial symbionts of Isorropodon bigoti, a gonochoristic Vesicomyidae from the Guiness cold seep site, occur intracellularly within female gametes at all stages of gametogenesis from germ cells to mature oocytes and in early postlarval stage. Symbionts are completely absent from the male gonad and gametes. This study confirms the transovarial transmission of symbionts in Vesicomyidae and extends it to the smaller species for which no data were previously available.     

Indigenous bacteria may interfere with the biocontrol of plant diseases

Prodigiosin is a reddish antibiotic pigment that plays an important role in the biocontrol of plant diseases by the bacterium Serratia marcescens. However, its activity is unstable under agricultural conditions; further, it can be degraded by various environmental factors. To examine the effect of epiphytic microbes on the stability of prodigiosin used for biological control processes, we collected a total of 1,280 bacterial isolates from the phylloplane of cyclamen and tomato plants. Approximately 72% of the bacterial strains isolated from the cyclamen plants and 66% of those isolated from the tomato plants grew on minimal agar medium containing 100 μg ml⁻¹ prodigiosin. Certain isolates obtained from both plant species exhibited prodigiosin-degrading activity. We compared the 16S rRNA gene sequences derived from the isolates with sequences in a database. The comparison revealed that the sequences determined for the prodigiosin-degrading isolates were homologous to those of the genera Pseudomonas, Caulobacter, Rhizobium, Sphingomonas, Janthinobacterium, Novosphingobium, and Rathayibacter. These results indicate that indigenous epiphytic microorganisms may interfere with the interaction between plant pathogens and biocontrol agents by degrading the antibiotics produced by the agents.     

利用高通量测序对封存CO2泄漏情景下土壤细菌的研究

全球CO2浓度不断升高的背景下,地质封存CO2为控制大气CO2浓度上升提供了全新的思路,但封存CO2潜在的泄漏风险也对生态系统产生重大威胁.土壤微生物与土壤健康密切联系.鉴于目前地质封存CO2泄漏对土壤微生物影响的研究鲜有报道,本研究通过模拟地质封存CO2泄漏情景,利用Miseq平台Illumina第二代高通量测序土壤细菌16S rRNA基因,结合相关生物信息学分析,初步探讨了封存CO2泄漏情景下农田土壤细菌群落丰富度、多样性和群落结构的变化.试验共获得15个土壤样本的43 017个OTU共486 645条读数,生物学分析结果表明,封存CO2泄漏通量和时间不同的情景下,农田土壤细菌丰富度和细菌群落多样性的变化存在差异,初步推测CO2泄漏量增大和泄漏时间持续更长的情景下,土壤细菌丰富度和多样性下降幅度较大,土壤细菌群落中优势菌群向若干细菌集中,其中土壤酸杆菌门细菌相对增多可能作为地质封存CO2泄漏对土壤生态系统影响的生物监测指标.     

Parental conflict and blue egg coloration in a seabird

When both parents provide offspring care, equal sharing of costly parental duties may enhance reproductive success. This is crucial for longlived species, where increased parental effort in current reproduction profoundly affects future reproduction. Indication of reproductive value or willingness to invest in reproduction may promote matching responses by mates, thus reducing the conflict over care. In birds with biparental care, blue-green eggshell color may function as a signal of reproductive value that affects parental effort, as predicted by the signaling hypothesis of blue-green eggshell coloration. However, this hypothesis has not been explored during incubation, when the potential stimulus of egg color is present, and has been little studied in longlived birds. We experimentally studied if egg color affected incubation patterns in the blue-footed booby, a longlived species with biparental care and blue eggs. We exchanged fresh eggs between nests of the same laying date and recorded parental incubation effort on the following 4 days. Although egg color did not affect male effort, original eggshell color was correlated with pair matching in incubation. Exchanged eggshell color did not affect incubation patterns. This suggests that biliverdin-based egg coloration reflects female quality features that are associated with pair incubation effort or that blue-footed boobies mate assortatively high-quality pairs incubating more colorful clutches. An intriguing possibility is that egg coloration facilitates an equal sharing of incubation, the signal being functional only during a short period close to laying. Results also suggest that indication of reproductive value reduces the conflict over care.     

Isolation of antifungal bacteria from Japanese fermented soybeans,natto

An inhibitory effect of a traditional Japanese fermented food, natto, was found against plant pathogens such as Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum, and the bacteria which showed inhibition were isolated from the natto. Among isolated bacteria, BC-1 and GAc exhibited a strong antagonistic effect in vitro against plant pathogens on an agar medium. The supernatant of bacterial culture also showed strong activity against R. solani, which meant the antimicrobial substances were produced and secreted into the medium. Both of the bacteria were estimated as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens from a partial sequence of the 16s rRNA gene. High performance liquid chromatography analysis clearly showed the production of the lipopeptide antibiotic iturin A by BC-1 and GAc.     

岩性对喀斯特灌丛土壤固氮菌与丛枝菌根真菌群落结构及丰度的影响

运用末端限制性片段长度多态性(terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism,T-RFLP)和荧光定量PCR(real-time PCR)法,检测喀斯特灌丛生态系统中不同岩性条件下土壤固氮菌与丛枝菌根(arbuscular mycorrhizal,AM)真菌群落结构与丰度的变化,揭示岩性对灌丛生态系统土壤中固氮菌与AM真菌群落结构与丰度的影响.结果表明不同岩性条件下,土壤固氮菌与AM真菌丰度存在显著差异,其中,固氮菌与AM真菌丰度在石灰岩土壤中最大,白云岩土壤中最小,石灰岩-白云岩夹层土壤介于两者之间;同样,不同岩性土壤中固氮菌与AM真菌群落结构存在显著性差异.土壤Olsen-P、有机碳、黏粒含量与固氮菌丰度存在显著正相关关系,而土壤全氮、黏粒含量与AM真菌丰度存在显著正相关.RDA分析表明,植物均匀度影响固氮菌群落组成结构,而植物均匀度、香农多样性指数及丰富度指数影响AM真菌群落组成结构.以上的研究结果表明:岩性主要是通过影响植物与土壤养分来影响土壤固氮菌与AM真菌群落组成结构及丰度.