Attachment Issues: Microbes, Minerals, And The Persistence Of Soil Organic Matter,
2023
West Virginia University
Attachment Issues: Microbes, Minerals, And The Persistence Of Soil Organic Matter, Md Shafiul Islam Rion
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
The remnants of microorganisms are now understood to account for the majority of organic matter in many mineral soils. Despite the significance of this microbial necromass for soil carbon storage, we know relatively little about how the traits of microorganisms interact with soil minerals to determine the stability of microbe derived carbon in soil. Soil minerals differ in their surface area and chemistry potentially influencing microbial attachment, biofilm formation, and the persistence of microbial necromass. To address this knowledge gap, we grew twelve bacterial species from four broad groups of varying cell wall morphology (Gram positive, Gram negative, filamentous actinobacteria, …
Optimizing Sample Collection And Data Interpretation For Effective Wastewater-Based Epidemiology In Combined Sewer Systems,
2023
West Virginia University
Optimizing Sample Collection And Data Interpretation For Effective Wastewater-Based Epidemiology In Combined Sewer Systems, Christopher Allen Anderson
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
COVID-19 has spurred growth in the science surrounding wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) pertaining to the detection of severe acute respiratory virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in waste streams as an early warning signal for public health. However, the highly variable wastewater environment has made it difficult to standardize an approach for sampling and analysis, especially in locations using combined sewer infrastructure. This study addresses knowledge gaps of WBE via three specific aims: (1) to compare diurnal fluctuations of SARS-CoV-2 and the human fecal indicator, pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent samples collected during dry versus wet weather conditions; …
Evaluating Innovative Methods Of Quantitatively Linking Microbial Community Structure To Ecosystem Function,
2023
West Virginia University
Evaluating Innovative Methods Of Quantitatively Linking Microbial Community Structure To Ecosystem Function, Jeth Gv Walkup
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Microbial functional diversity is the product of community structure and intraspecific trait variation. Due to microbial diversity and limited availability of microbial trait measurements, it has been challenging to quantitatively link community structure to microbial function. Although community-level activity rates vary with community composition, issues in the scale of their measurement inhibit our understanding of their relationship. Quantitative stable isotope probing (qSIP) is a method for quantitatively measuring taxon-specific microbial traits, providing new opportunities to apply trait-based approaches for studying microbial ecology. Quantitative microbial trait data from these experiments enables the functional characterization of microbial communities, potentially enabling the extrapolation …
Triclosan Degrading Bacteria From Wastewater Treatment Plants In Central Illinois,
2023
Eastern Illinois University
Triclosan Degrading Bacteria From Wastewater Treatment Plants In Central Illinois, Mohammed Alsulami
Masters Theses
Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent that has been used in personal care products and has been identified to cause malformation on cartilage and bone development in zebrafish and influence on thyroid hormone system in humans. Due to its widespread usage and insufficient removal from wastewater treatment plants, triclosan has emerged as a pervasive contaminant that poses a potential threat to the environment and human health. The goal of the study was to isolate and characterize triclosan-degrading bacteria from WWTPs in central Illinois. Using enrichment culture with NMS media containing triclosan as sole carbon source, eighteen bacterial strains were isolated. The …
Host-Microbe Interactions In Non-Native Estuarine Anemones: Biogeography And Temperature,
2023
Cal Poly Humboldt
Host-Microbe Interactions In Non-Native Estuarine Anemones: Biogeography And Temperature, Parker K. Lund
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Non-native species are increasing in prevalence around the world, resulting in negative economic and ecological impacts. However, the broad distributions of non-native species also offer a system for investigating the response of host-associated microbial communities to environmental factors across a range of ecological scales. At the broadest scale, I investigated the geography of microbial communities in the non-native estuarine anemone Diadumene lineata on the west coast of the United States of America. Across latitudes, microbial community composition was very similar and displayed a high percentage of Klebsiella spp. at all sites. However, the communities in California tended to exhibit higher …
Changes And Relationships Of Soil Aluminum, Organic Matter, And Hydrogen Ion Concentration With Rye Cover Crop,
2023
Cal Poly Humboldt
Changes And Relationships Of Soil Aluminum, Organic Matter, And Hydrogen Ion Concentration With Rye Cover Crop, Arron Wilder
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Soil acidity is a common agricultural problem worldwide, as approximately 50% of all potentially arable soils are affected by pH limitations. At soil pH 3+) is considered to be the chemical form of aluminum in acid soil that hinders plant growth the most. Potentially, soil organic matter (SOM) can ameliorate the toxic effects of Al3+ on plants and microbes by binding with Al3+, thus preventing Al3+ (and other species of aluminum) from interacting in the rhizosphere. Increasing SOM also increases soil health indicators (i.e., microbial activity, soil water holding capacity, aggregate stability, porosity, etc.) while the …
Identification Of Novel Biosynthetic Gene Clusters Encoding For Polyketide/Nrps-Producing Chemotherapeutic Compounds From Marine-Derived Streptomyces Hygroscopicus From A Marine Sanctuary,
2023
University of New Hampshire, Durham
Identification Of Novel Biosynthetic Gene Clusters Encoding For Polyketide/Nrps-Producing Chemotherapeutic Compounds From Marine-Derived Streptomyces Hygroscopicus From A Marine Sanctuary, Hannah Ruth Flaherty
Honors Theses and Capstones
Nearly one out of six deaths in 2020, around ten million people, were caused by cancer, making it a leading cause of death worldwide (WHO, 2022). This major public health issue, in addition to the rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, provides a high demand for the discovery of new pharmaceutical drugs to be used clinically to treat these conditions. The Streptomyces genus accounts to produce 39% of all microbial metabolites currently approved for human health, indicating its potential as an important species to study for antimicrobial and anticancer agents. The long linear genome of Streptomyces contains specialized sequences known as …
Evaluation Of Methods To Analyze Microbial Composition In Soils,
2023
University of Northern Iowa
Evaluation Of Methods To Analyze Microbial Composition In Soils, Joseph Correa
Honors Program Theses
DNA testing has become a vital tool for studying microbes in their natural environments, but there is a lack of standardization in the protocols for extracting environmental DNA. Cave systems provide a special and unique area to research how life thrives in extreme environments. Many parts of caves receive no sunlight and very little nutrients yet harbor microbial communities. Previous work in our lab developed a DNA extraction protocol that works with a wide range of microbial species and with different soil types. I updated this protocol by adding a pre-lysis rinse step and tested whether it performed better with …
Extension Of The Ergot Alkaloid Gene Cluster,
2023
West Virginia University
Extension Of The Ergot Alkaloid Gene Cluster, Samantha Joy Fabian
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Specialized metabolites produced by fungi impact human health. A large portion of the pharmaceuticals currently on the market are derived from metabolites biosynthesized by microbes. Ergot alkaloids are a class of fungal metabolites that are important in the interactions of environmental fungi with insects and mammals and also are used in the production of pharmaceuticals. In animals, ergot alkaloids can act as partial agonists or antagonists at receptors for 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin), dopamine, and noradrenaline as ergot alkaloids have chemical structures similar to those neurotransmitters. Therefore, they affect insects and mammals that consume them and can be used to produce drugs …
Community Ecology And Disease Dynamics In Pacific Oysters: Unraveling Microbiome-Pathogen Interactions In The Wild,
2023
Cal Poly Humboldt
Community Ecology And Disease Dynamics In Pacific Oysters: Unraveling Microbiome-Pathogen Interactions In The Wild, Victoria E. Cifelli
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
In the context of multispecies microbial assemblages, disruptions can occur when there are alterations in host conditions, such as the onset of a disease. Notably, viruses have the potential to reshape a host's microbial community. However, the role of the host's habitat and environment, which could be pivotal in communities with shifting niche space and habitat filters, is often overlooked in host-microbe-pathogen interactions. Recognizing the importance of these factors, I employed a field-based approach to understand microbial community dynamics in the presence of disease. To address the influence of geographical location, I conducted an analysis involving healthy and infected oysters …
Investigating The Effectiveness Of Microplastic Removal And The Relationship Between Microplastics, Bacterial Communities, And Nitrogen Cycling In The Natural Treatment Systems At The Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility,
2023
Humboldt State University
Investigating The Effectiveness Of Microplastic Removal And The Relationship Between Microplastics, Bacterial Communities, And Nitrogen Cycling In The Natural Treatment Systems At The Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility, Fiona Connor
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
This thesis addressed two challenging aspects of microplastic research, including the quantification of microplastics in organic-rich water, and the investigation of how microplastics impact microorganisms and related nutrient-cycling. Two projects were designed and executed to address specific research objectives relating to these broad topics. The first objective was to develop and implement methods to determine the effectiveness of microplastic removal across the natural treatment systems at the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility (AWTF). The second objective was to observe how microplastics found in domestic wastewater impact the bacterial communities and nitrogen cycling in freshwater treatment wetland sediment through a bench-scale experiment, …
Fine-Scale Genetic Structure In Rhizosphere Microbial Communities Associated With Chamaecrista Fasciculata (Fabaceae),
2023
Mississippi State University
Fine-Scale Genetic Structure In Rhizosphere Microbial Communities Associated With Chamaecrista Fasciculata (Fabaceae), Mahboubeh Hosseinalizadeh Nobarinezhad, Lisa E. Wallace
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Soil microbiota of the rhizosphere are an important extension of the plant phenotype because they impact the health and fitness of host plants. The composition of these communities is expected to differ among host plants due to influence by host genotype. Given that many plant populations exhibit fine-scale genetic structure (SGS), associated microbial communities may also exhibit SGS. In this study, we tested this hypothesis using Chamaecrista fasciculata, a legume species that has previously been determined to have significant SGS. We collected genetic data from prokaryotic and fungal rhizosphere communities in association with 70 plants in an area of …
Understanding Human Gut Bacterial Interactions And Their Role In Colonization Resistance Against Clostridioides Difficile Using Mini-Bioreactor Array And Caenorhabditis Elegans As Model Systems,
2023
South Dakota State University
Understanding Human Gut Bacterial Interactions And Their Role In Colonization Resistance Against Clostridioides Difficile Using Mini-Bioreactor Array And Caenorhabditis Elegans As Model Systems, Achuthan Ambat
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
No abstract provided.
Evaluation Of Welded And Polished Stainless-Steel Surfaces In Supporting Sporeformer Biofilms In Dairy Plants,
2023
South Dakota State University
Evaluation Of Welded And Polished Stainless-Steel Surfaces In Supporting Sporeformer Biofilms In Dairy Plants, Taghreed Almalki
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
No abstract provided.
Microbial Communities In The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve: An Assessment Of The Responses Of Spartina Alterniflora Epiphytes To Nitrogen Enrichment, And A Characterization Of Benthic Cyanobacterial Diversity,
2023
University of North Florida
Microbial Communities In The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve: An Assessment Of The Responses Of Spartina Alterniflora Epiphytes To Nitrogen Enrichment, And A Characterization Of Benthic Cyanobacterial Diversity, Anne C. Hurley
UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Elevated nitrogen and phosphorus inputs from anthropogenic sources, which can lead to significant increases in algal biomass and changes in algal community composition, poses a serious threat to estuarine ecosystems worldwide. While numerous studies have addressed the impacts of nutrient enrichment on epiphytic algae in seagrass habitats, few have investigated potential nutrient-driven changes to epiphytes on emergent salt marsh plants, such as Spartina alterniflora. Epiphytic microalgae on S. alterniflora play an important role in food availability in salt marsh ecosystems, and epiphytic nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria also provide an important source of nitrogen for salt marsh consumers. The first study included …
Effect Of Soil Ph And Indigenous Bacterial Populations In Selecting Rhizobial Endophytes Within Soybean Root Nodules,
2023
Missouri State University
Effect Of Soil Ph And Indigenous Bacterial Populations In Selecting Rhizobial Endophytes Within Soybean Root Nodules, Brianne Danielle Edwards
Graduate Theses/Dissertations
Soybean plants fulfill most of their nitrogen requirement by developing symbiotic associations with four different rhizobial genera, including Bradyrhizobium, Sinorhizobium, Mesorhizobium, and genus Rhizobium. In general, members of Bradyrhizobium and Sinorhizobium have been reported as dominant root nodule endophytes under acidic soils and alkaline soil conditions, respectively. So far, it is unknown whether the selection of rhizobial endophytes is regulated by their ability to survive under different soil pH or driven by host plants regardless of their relative abundance in soil. This study was focused on the assessment of the potential role of soil pH in …
The Impact Of Nutrient Depletion On The Effect Of Hhq On Emiliania Huxleyi,
2023
University of New Hampshire, Durham
The Impact Of Nutrient Depletion On The Effect Of Hhq On Emiliania Huxleyi, Marley Gonsalves
Honors Theses and Capstones
Emiliania huxleyi is a ecologically important, bloom-forming coccolithophore. HHQ is a bacteria compound that causes cell stasis in E. huxleyi that can lead to bloom termination. This study analyzed the role that nutrient depletion plays in this relationship. Results show that nitrogen depletion protects cells from the effects of HHQ, affecting bloom dynamics.
Rapid Bacterial And Fungal Successional Dynamics In First Year After Chaparral Wildfire,
2022
University of California, Riverside
Rapid Bacterial And Fungal Successional Dynamics In First Year After Chaparral Wildfire, M. Fabiola Pulido-Chavez, James W. J. Randolph, Cassandra A. Zalman, Loralee Larios, Peter M. Homyak, Sydney I. Glassman
Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research
The rise in wildfire frequency and severity across the globe has increased interest in secondary succession. However, despite the role of soil microbial communities in controlling biogeochemical cycling and their role in the regeneration of post-fire vegetation, the lack of measurements immediately post-fire and at high temporal resolution has limited understanding of microbial secondary succession. To fill this knowledge gap, we sampled soils at 17, 25, 34, 67, 95, 131, 187, 286, and 376 days after a southern California wildfire in fire-adapted chaparral shrublands. We assessed bacterial and fungal biomass with qPCR of 16S and 18S and richness and composition …
The Expanding Marine Built Environment And Biofilm Formation Processes,
2022
The University of Southern Mississippi
The Expanding Marine Built Environment And Biofilm Formation Processes, Rachel Mugge
Dissertations
The marine built environment (i.e., places or things made or modified by humans) in the northern Gulf of Mexico is rapidly expanding and includes over 2,000 known historic shipwrecks, nearly 4,100 artificial reefs, and other built structures for natural resource extraction, marine aquaculture, renewable energy generation, munitions dumping areas, and commercial and recreational activities. While these structures have the potential to develop into artificial reefs, acting as biodiversity hotspots that provide food and shelter and facilitate organism transport, it is unclear how they affect biodiversity and ecosystem function in the marine environment. The success of artificial reefs to become ecosystems …
Guano Among Bat Species From Two Regions Shows Influence Of Geography And Diet On Bacterial Community,
2022
Kennesaw State Universtiy
Guano Among Bat Species From Two Regions Shows Influence Of Geography And Diet On Bacterial Community, Rahma Ahmed, Thomas Mcelroy, Shannon Whitney, Lydia Moore
Symposium of Student Scholars
Studies of bat guano have shown that the diversity and structure of associated microbial communities can be related to factors such as host phylogeny, life history and reproductive stage, geography, and diet. Many insectivorous bat species in the southeastern U.S. have generalist diets that may shift seasonally to take advantage of abundant prey species or maximize caloric intake. Seasonal shifts in prey availability or consumption should be reflected in a guano microbiome change. We also expected to detect distinct guano microbiomes within species. Within species, distinct microbial communities related to geography, and finally life history and reproductive stage. We compared …
