TY - JOUR A1 - Schwensow, Nina I. A1 - Detering, Harald A1 - Pederson, Stephen A1 - Mazzoni, Camila A1 - Sinclair, Ron A1 - Peacock, David A1 - Kovaliski, John A1 - Cooke, Brian A1 - Fickel, Jörns A1 - Sommer, Simone T1 - Resistance to RHD virus in wild Australian rabbits BT - comparison of susceptible and resistant individuals using a genomewide approach JF - Molecular ecology N2 - Deciphering the genes involved in disease resistance is essential if we are to understand host-pathogen coevolutionary processes. The rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) was imported into Australia in 1995 as a biocontrol agent to manage one of the most successful and devastating invasive species, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). During the first outbreaks of the disease, RHDV caused mortality rates of up to 97%. Recently, however, increased genetic resistance to RHDV has been reported. Here, we have aimed to identify genomic differences between rabbits that survived a natural infection with RHDV and those that died in the field using a genomewide next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach. We detected 72 SNPs corresponding to 133 genes associated with survival of a RHD infection. Most of the identified genes have known functions in virus infections and replication, immune responses or apoptosis, or have previously been found to be regulated during RHD. Some of the genes identified in experimental studies, however, did not seem to play a role under natural selection regimes, highlighting the importance of field studies to complement the genomic background of wildlife diseases. Our study provides a set of candidate markers as a tool for the future scanning of wild rabbits for their resistance to RHDV. This is important both for wild rabbit populations in southern Europe where RHD is regarded as a serious problem decimating the prey of endangered predator species and for assessing the success of currently planned RHDV variant biocontrol releases in Australia. KW - adaptation KW - genetic resistance KW - host-pathogen coevolution KW - natural selection KW - rabbit KW - rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14228 SN - 0962-1083 SN - 1365-294X VL - 26 SP - 4551 EP - 4561 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - THES A1 - Schraplau, Anne T1 - Regulation der Expression von Xenobiotika-metabolisierenden Enzymen und Deiodasen durch die Xenobiotika-abhängige wechselseitige Induktion von Xenosensor-Transkriptionsfaktoren und Prostaglandin E2 BT - Auswirkung auf die Aktivierung und Inaktivierung von Schilddrüsenhormonen Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Valente, Luis A1 - Etienne, Rampal S. A1 - Davalos, Liliana M. T1 - Recent extinctions disturb path to equilibrium diversity in Caribbean bats JF - Nature Ecology & Evolution N2 - Islands are ideal systems to model temporal changes in biodiversity and reveal the influence of humans on natural communities. Although theory predicts biodiversity on islands tends towards an equilibrium value, the recent extinction of large proportions of island biotas complicates testing this model. The well-preserved subfossil record of Caribbean bats-involving multiple insular radiations-provides a rare opportunity to model diversity dynamics in an insular community. Here, we reconstruct the diversity trajectory in noctilionoid bats of the Greater Antilles by applying a dynamic model of colonization, extinction and speciation to phylogenetic and palaeontological data including all known extinct and extant species. We show species richness asymptotes to an equilibrium value, a demonstration of natural equilibrium dynamics across an entire community. However, recent extinctions-many caused by humans-have wiped out nearly a third of island lineages, dragging diversity away from equilibrium. Using a metric to measure island biodiversity loss, we estimate it will take at least eight million years to regain pre-human diversity levels. Our integrative approach reveals how anthropogenic extinctions can drastically alter the natural trajectory of biological communities, resulting in evolutionary disequilibrium. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-016-0026 SN - 2397-334X VL - 1 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reil, Daniela A1 - Rosenfeld, Ulrike A1 - Imholt, Christian A1 - Schmidt, Sabrina A1 - Ulrich, Rainer G. A1 - Eccard, Jana A1 - Jacob, Jens T1 - Puumala hantavirus infections in bank vole populations BT - host and virus dynamics in Central Europe JF - BMC ecology N2 - Background In Europe, bank voles (Myodes glareolus) are widely distributed and can transmit Puumala virus (PUUV) to humans, which causes a mild to moderate form of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, called nephropathia epidemica. Uncovering the link between host and virus dynamics can help to prevent human PUUV infections in the future. Bank voles were live trapped three times a year in 2010–2013 in three woodland plots in each of four regions in Germany. Bank vole population density was estimated and blood samples collected to detect PUUV specific antibodies. Results We demonstrated that fluctuation of PUUV seroprevalence is dependent not only on multi-annual but also on seasonal dynamics of rodent host abundance. Moreover, PUUV infection might affect host fitness, because seropositive individuals survived better from spring to summer than uninfected bank voles. Individual space use was independent of PUUV infections. Conclusions Our study provides robust estimations of relevant patterns and processes of the dynamics of PUUV and its rodent host in Central Europe, which are highly important for the future development of predictive models for human hantavirus infection risk KW - Myodes glareolus KW - Population dynamics KW - Puumala virus seroprevalence KW - Space use KW - Survival Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-017-0118-z SN - 1472-6785 VL - 17 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reschke, Stefan A1 - Mebs, Stefan A1 - Sigfridsson-Clauss, Kajsa G. V. A1 - Kositzki, Ramona A1 - Leimkühler, Silke A1 - Haumann, Michael T1 - Protonation and Sulfido versus Oxo Ligation Changes at the Molybdenum Cofactor in Xanthine Dehydrogenase (XDH) Variants Studied by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy JF - Inorganic chemistry N2 - Enzymes of the xanthine oxidase family are among the best characterized mononuclear molybdenum enzymes. Open questions about their mechanism of transfer of an oxygen atom to the substrate remain. The enzymes share a molybdenum cofactor (Moco) with the metal ion binding a molybdopterin (MPT) molecule via its dithiolene function and terminal sulfur and oxygen groups. For xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) from the bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus, we used X-ray absorption spectroscopy to determine the Mo site structure, its changes in a pH range of 5-10, and the influence of amino acids (Glu730 and Gln179) close to Moco in wild-type (WT), Q179A, and E730A variants, complemented by enzyme kinetics and quantum chemical studies. Oxidized WT and Q179A revealed a similar Mo (VI) ion with each one MPT, Mo=O, Mo-O-, and Mo=S ligand, and a weak Mo-O(E730) bond at alkaline pH. Protonation of an oxo to a hydroxo (OH) ligand (pK similar to 6.8) causes inhibition of XDH at acidic pH, whereas deprotonated xanthine (pK similar to 8.8) is an inhibitor at alkaline pH. A similar acidic pK for the WT and Q179A. variants, as well as the metrical parameters of the Mo site and density functional theory calculations, suggested protonation at the equatorial oxo group. The sulfido was replaced with an oxo ligand in the inactive E730A variant, further showing another oxo and one Mo OH ligand at Mo, which are independent of pH. Our findings suggest a reaction mechanism for XDH in which an initial oxo rather than a hydroxo group and the sulfido ligand are essential for xanthine oxidation. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6b02846 SN - 0020-1669 SN - 1520-510X VL - 56 IS - 4 SP - 2165 EP - 2176 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Shubchynskyy, Volodymyr A1 - Boniecka, Justyna A1 - Schweighofer, Alois A1 - Simulis, Justinas A1 - Kvederaviciute, Kotryna A1 - Stumpe, Michael A1 - Mauch, Felix A1 - Balazadeh, Salma A1 - Müller-Röber, Bernd A1 - Boutrot, Freddy A1 - Zipfel, Cyril A1 - Meskiene, Irute T1 - Protein phosphatase AP2C1 negatively regulates basal resistance and defense responses to Pseudomonas syringae JF - Journal of experimental botany N2 - Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) mediate plant immune responses to pathogenic bacteria. However, less is known about the cell autonomous negative regulatory mechanism controlling basal plant immunity. We report the biological role of Arabidopsis thaliana MAPK phosphatase AP2C1 as a negative regulator of plant basal resistance and defense responses to Pseudomonas syringae. AP2C2, a closely related MAPK phosphatase, also negatively controls plant resistance. Loss of AP2C1 leads to enhanced pathogen-induced MAPK activities, increased callose deposition in response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns or to P. syringae pv. tomato (Pto) DC3000, and enhanced resistance to bacterial infection with Pto. We also reveal the impact of AP2C1 on the global transcriptional reprogramming of transcription factors during Pto infection. Importantly, ap2c1 plants show salicylic acid-independent transcriptional reprogramming of several defense genes and enhanced ethylene production in response to Pto. This study pinpoints the specificity of MAPK regulation by the different MAPK phosphatases AP2C1 and MKP1, which control the same MAPK substrates, nevertheless leading to different downstream events. We suggest that precise and specific control of defined MAPKs by MAPK phosphatases during plant challenge with pathogenic bacteria can strongly influence plant resistance. KW - Callose KW - defense genes KW - MAPK KW - MAPK phosphatase KW - PAMP KW - PP2C phosphatase KW - Pseudomonas syringae KW - salicylic acid KW - transcription factors Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erw485 SN - 0022-0957 SN - 1460-2431 VL - 68 IS - 5 SP - 1169 EP - 1183 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gietler, Marta A1 - Nykiel, Malgorzata A1 - Orzechowski, Slawomir A1 - Fettke, Jörg A1 - Zagdanska, Barbara T1 - Protein carbonylation linked to wheat seedling tolerance to water deficiency JF - Environmental and experimental botany N2 - The appearance of the first leaf from the coleoptile in wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L.) coincides with the development of seedling susceptibility to water deficiency on the fifth day following imbibition. In dehydrated wheat seedlings, an increase in the protein carbonyl group has been observed. The coincidence of higher protein carbonylation levels with development of dehydration intolerance drew our attention. To gain more insight into the molecular basis of wheat drought tolerance, the seedling profiles of carbonylated proteins were analysed and compared. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF and LC-MS/MS) were used to indicate and identify differential carbonylated proteins. Among the protein spots with at least a two-fold change in protein abundance in dehydrated seedlings in relation to control (well-watered) plants during the tolerant phase of growth, 19 carbonylated proteins increased and 18 carbonylated proteins decreased in abundance. Among 26 differentially expressed carbonylated proteins in sensitive seedlings, the abundance of 10 protein spots increased while that of 16 proteins decreased upon dehydration. We have demonstrated a link between protein carbonylation and seedling sensitivity to dehydration. The analysis of carbonylated protein profiles clearly showed that proteins with a potential role in the maintenance of dehydration tolerance in wheat seedlings are mainly linked to energy production, anti-fungal and/or insecticidal activity, or to the regulation of both protein synthesis and degradation. KW - Protein carbonylation KW - Dehydration tolerance KW - Triticum aestivum L. KW - Seedlings KW - Proteomic Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2017.02.004 SN - 0098-8472 SN - 1873-7307 VL - 137 SP - 84 EP - 95 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schmidt, Marco F. ED - Schmidt, Marco F. T1 - Preface T2 - Drug target miRNA Y1 - 2016 SN - 978-1-4939-6563-2 SN - 978-1-4939-6561-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6563-2 SN - 1064-3745 SN - 1940-6029 VL - 1517 SP - V EP - V PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kleine-Vehn, Jürgen A1 - Sauer, Michael ED - Kleine-Vehn, Jürgen ED - Sauer, Michael T1 - Preface T2 - Plant Hormones: Methods and Protocols Y1 - 2017 SN - 978-1-4939-6469-7 SN - 978-1-4939-6467-3 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6469-7 SN - 1064-3745 SN - 1940-6029 VL - 1497 SP - V EP - V PB - Springer CY - New York ET - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - McGinnis, Daniel F. A1 - Flury, Sabine A1 - Tang, Kam W. A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - Porewater methane transport within the gas vesicles of diurnally migrating Chaoborus spp. BT - an energetic advantage JF - Scientific reports N2 - Diurnally-migrating Chaoborus spp. reach populations of up to 130,000 individuals m−2 in lakes up to 70 meters deep on all continents except Antarctica. Linked to eutrophication, migrating Chaoborus spp. dwell in the anoxic sediment during daytime and feed in the oxic surface layer at night. Our experiments show that by burrowing into the sediment, Chaoborus spp. utilize the high dissolved gas partial pressure of sediment methane to inflate their tracheal sacs. This mechanism provides a significant energetic advantage that allows the larvae to migrate via passive buoyancy rather than more energy-costly swimming. The Chaoborus spp. larvae, in addition to potentially releasing sediment methane bubbles twice a day by entering and leaving the sediment, also transport porewater methane within their gas vesicles into the water column, resulting in a flux of 0.01–2 mol m−2 yr−1 depending on population density and water depth. Chaoborus spp. emerging annually as flies also result in 0.1–6 mol m−2 yr−1 of carbon export from the system. Finding the tipping point in lake eutrophication enabling this methane-powered migration mechanism is crucial for ultimately reconstructing the geographical expansion of Chaoborus spp., and the corresponding shifts in the lake’s biogeochemistry, carbon cycling and food web structure. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep44478 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 7 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lu, Yong-Ping A1 - Hasan, Ahmed A. A1 - Zeng, Shufei A1 - Hocher, Berthold T1 - Plasma ET-1 concentrations are elevated in pregnant women with hypertension - meta-analysis of clinical studies JF - Kidney & blood pressure research : official organ of the Gesellschaft für Nephrologie ; official organ of the Deutsche Liga zur Bekämpfung des Hohen Blutdruckes e.V., Deutsche Hypertonie-Gesellschaft N2 - Background/Aims: The ET system might be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. The objective is to analyse the impact of ET-1 in hypertensive pregnant women by a strict meta-analysis of published human clinical studies. Methods: Based on the principle of Cochrane systematic reviews, Cohort studies in PubMed (Medline), Google Scholar and China Biological Medicine Database (CBM-disc) designed to identify the role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the pathophysiology of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia were screened. Review Manager Version 5.0 (Rev-Man 5.0) was applied for statistical analysis. Mean difference and 95% confidence interval (CI) were shown in inverse variance (IV) fixed-effects model or IV random-effects model. Results: Sixteen published cohort studies including 1739 hypertensive cases and 409 controls were used in the meta-analysis. ET-1 plasma concentrations were higher in hypertensive pregnant women as compared to the controls (mean difference between groups: 19.02 [15.60～22.44], P < 0.00001,). These finding were driven by severity of hypertension and/or degree of proteinuria. Conclusion: Plasma ET-1 concentrations are elevated in hypertensive disorders during human pregnancy. In particular women with preeclampsia (hypertensive pregnant women with proteinuria) have substantially elevated plasma ET-1 concentration as compared to pregnant women with normal blood pressure. KW - Et-1 KW - Pregnancy KW - Hypertension KW - Meta-analysis Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1159/000482004 SN - 1420-4096 SN - 1423-0143 VL - 42 IS - 4 SP - 654 EP - 663 PB - Karger CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinze, Johannes A1 - Joshi, Jasmin Radha T1 - Plant-soil feedback effects can be masked by aboveground herbivory under natural field conditions JF - Oecologia N2 - For plants, herbivory and interactions with their surrounding soil ecosystem are crucial factors influencing individual performance and plant-community composition. Until now, research has mostly focused on individual effects of herbivory or plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) on plant growth and community composition, but few studies have explicitly investigated herbivory in the context of PSFs. These few studies, however, were performed under greenhouse conditions even though PSFs and herbivory may differ between greenhouse and field conditions. Therefore, we performed a field experiment in a grassland, testing the growth responses of three grass species that consistently differ in local abundance, on soils previously conditioned by these species. We tested these PSF effects for the three species both in the presence and in the absence of aboveground herbivores. Without herbivores, the two subdominant species suffered from negative PSF effects. However, in the presence of herbivores and on heterospecific soils, the same two species experienced a significant loss of shoot biomass, whereas, in contrast, enhanced root growth was observed on conspecific soils, resulting in overall neutral PSF effects. The dominant species was not damaged by herbivores and showed overall neutral PSF effects in the field with and without herbivores. Our study provides empirical evidence that negative PSF effects that exist under natural field conditions in grasslands can be overwhelmed by aboveground herbivory. Hence, potential PSF effects might not be detected in the field, because other abiotic and biotic interactions such as aboveground herbivory have stronger effects on plant performance and might therefore mask or override these PSF effects. KW - Herbivores KW - Field experiment KW - Plant-community composition KW - Plant diversity KW - Plant-soil feedback Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-017-3997-y SN - 0029-8549 SN - 1432-1939 VL - 186 IS - 1 SP - 235 EP - 246 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR ED - Kleine-Vehn, Jürgen ED - Sauer, Michael T1 - Plant Hormones BT - Methods and Protocols JF - Methods in Molecular Biology N2 - This volume aims to present a representative cross-section of modern experimental approaches relevant to Plant Hormone Biology, ranging from relatively simple physiological to highly sophisticated methods. Chapters describe physiological, developmental, microscopy-based techniques, measure hormone contents, and heterologous systems. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. KW - phenotyping KW - four-dimensional tissue reconstruction KW - hormonal pathways KW - measure hormone contents KW - heterologous systems Y1 - 2017 SN - 978-1-4939-6467-3 SN - 978-1-4939-8210-3 SN - 978-1-4939-6469-7 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6469-7 SN - 1064-3745 SN - 1940-6029 IS - 1497 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gall, Andrea A1 - Uebel, Udo A1 - Ebensen, Uwe A1 - Hillebrand, Helmut A1 - Meier, Sandra A1 - Singer, Gabriel A1 - Wacker, Alexander A1 - Striebel, Maren T1 - Planktotrons BT - a novel indoor mesocosm facility for aquatic biodiversity and food web research JF - Limnology and oceanography-methods N2 - We established a new indoor mesocosm facility, 12 fully controlled Planktotrons, designed to conduct marine and freshwater experiments for biodiversity and food web approaches using natural or artificial, benthic or planktonic communities. The Planktotrons are a unique and custom-tailored facility allowing long-term experiments. Wall growth can be inhibited by a rotating gate paddle with silicone lips. Additionally, temperature and light intensity are individually controllable for each Planktotron and the large volume (600 L) enables high-frequency or volume-intense measurements. In a pilot freshwater experiment various trophic levels of a pelagic food web were maintained for up to 90 d. First, an artificially assembled phytoplankton community of 11 species was inoculated in all Planktotrons. After 22 d, two ciliates were added to all, and three Daphnia species were added to six Planktotrons. After 72 d, dissolved organic matter (DOM, an alkaline soil extract) was added as an external disturbance to six of the 12 Planktotrons, involving three Planktotrons stocked with Daphnia and three without, respectively. We demonstrate the suitability of the Planktotrons for food web and biodiversity research. Variation among replicated Planktotrons (n=3 minimum) did not differ from other laboratory systems and field experiments. We investigated population dynamics and interactions among the different trophic levels, and found them affected by the sequence of ciliate and Daphnia addition and the disturbance caused by addition of DOM. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10196 SN - 1541-5856 VL - 15 SP - 663 EP - 677 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Martins, Renata F. A1 - Fickel, Jörns A1 - Minh Le, A1 - Thanh Van Nguyen, A1 - Nguyen, Ha M. A1 - Timmins, Robert A1 - Gan, Han Ming A1 - Rovie-Ryan, Jeffrine J. A1 - Lenz, Dorina A1 - Förster, Daniel W. A1 - Wilting, Andreas T1 - Phylogeography of red muntjacs reveals three distinct mitochondrial lineages JF - BMC evolutionary biology N2 - Background: The members of the genus Muntiacus are of particular interest to evolutionary biologists due to their extreme chromosomal rearrangements and the ongoing discussions about the number of living species. Red muntjacs have the largest distribution of all muntjacs and were formerly considered as one species. Karyotype differences led to the provisional split between the Southern Red Muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) and the Northern Red Muntjac (M. vaginalis), but uncertainties remain as, so far, no phylogenetic study has been conducted. Here, we analysed whole mitochondrial genomes of 59 archival and 16 contemporaneous samples to resolve uncertainties about their taxonomy and used red muntjacs as model for understanding the evolutionary history of other species in Southeast Asia. Results: We found three distinct matrilineal groups of red muntjacs: Sri Lankan red muntjacs (including the Western Ghats) diverged first from other muntjacs about 1.5 Mya; later northern red muntjacs (including North India and Indochina) and southern red muntjacs (Sundaland) split around 1.12 Mya. The diversification of red muntjacs into these three main lineages was likely promoted by two Pleistocene barriers: one through the Indian subcontinent and one separating the Indochinese and Sundaic red muntjacs. Interestingly, we found a high level of gene flow within the populations of northern and southern red muntjacs, indicating gene flow between populations in Indochina and dispersal of red muntjacs over the exposed Sunda Shelf during the Last Glacial Maximum. Conclusions: Our results provide new insights into the evolution of species in South and Southeast Asia as we found clear genetic differentiation in a widespread and generalist species, corresponding to two known biogeographical barriers: The Isthmus of Kra and the central Indian dry zone. In addition, our molecular data support either the delineation of three monotypic species or three subspecies, but more importantly these data highlight the conservation importance of the Sri Lankan/South Indian red muntjac. KW - Phylogeography KW - Archival DNA KW - Muntjac KW - Southeast Asia KW - Species complex Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-017-0888-0 SN - 1471-2148 VL - 17 IS - 34 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - THES A1 - Kubsch, Bastian T1 - Phase-specific fusion between biomembranes using SNARE mimetics Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kolk, Jens A1 - Naaf, Tobias A1 - Wulf, Monika T1 - Paying the colonization credit BT - converging plant species richness in ancient and post-agricultural forests in NE Germany over five decades JF - Biodiversity and conservation N2 - Massive historical land cover changes in the Central European lowlands have resulted in a forest distribution that now comprises small remnants of ancient forests and more recently established post-agricultural forests. Here, land-use history is considered a key driver of recent herb-layer community changes, where an extinction debt in ancient forest remnants and/or a colonization credit in post-agricultural forests are being paid over time. On a regional scale, these payments should in theory lead toward a convergence in species richness between ancient and post-agricultural forests over time. In this study, we tested this assumption with a resurvey of 117 semi-permanent plots in the well-studied deciduous forests of the Prignitz region (Brandenburg, NE Germany), where we knew that the plant communities of post-agricultural stands exhibit a colonization credit while the extinction debt in ancient stands has largely been paid. We compared changes in the species richness of all herb layer species, forest specialists and ancient forest indicator species between ancient and post-agricultural stands with linear mixed effect models and determined the influence of patch connectivity on the magnitude of species richness changes. Species richness increased overall, but the richness of forest specialists increased significantly more in post-agricultural stands and was positively influenced by higher patch connectivity, indicating a convergence in species richness between the ancient and postagricultural stands. Furthermore, the richness of ancient forest indicator species only increased significantly in post-agricultural stands. For the first time, we were able to verify a gradual payment of the colonization credit in post-agricultural forest stands using a comparison of actual changes in temporal species richness. KW - Herb layer KW - Land-use history KW - Land-use legacy KW - Long-term change KW - Resurvey KW - Temperate forest Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1271-y SN - 0960-3115 SN - 1572-9710 VL - 26 SP - 735 EP - 755 PB - Springer CY - Dordrecht ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Taube, Robert A1 - Ganzert, Lars A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter A1 - Gleixner, Gerd A1 - Premke, Katrin T1 - Organic matter quality structures benthic fatty acid patterns and the abundance of fungi and bacteria in temperate lakes JF - The science of the total environment : an international journal for scientific research into the environment and its relationship with man N2 - Benthic microbial communities (BMCs) play important roles in the carbon cycle of lakes, and benthic littoral zones in particular have been previously highlighted as biogeochemical hotspots. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) presents the major carbon pool in lakes, and although the effect of DOM composition on the pelagic microbial community composition is widely accepted, little is known about its effect on BMCs, particularly aquatic fungi. Therefore, we investigated the composition of benthic littoral microbial communities in twenty highly diverse lakes in northeast Germany. DOM quality was analyzed via size exclusion chromatography (SEC), fluorescence parallel factor analyses (PRAFACs) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. We determined the BMC composition and biomass using phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFA) and extended the interpretation to the analysis of fungi by applying a Bayesian mixed model. We present evidence that the quality of DOM structures the BMCs, which are dominated by heterotrophic bacteria and show low fungal biomass. The fungal biomass increases when the DOM pool is processed by microorganisms of allochthonous origin, whereas the opposite is true for bacteria. KW - PLFA KW - PARAFAC KW - Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) KW - Aquatic fungi KW - Stable isotopes KW - FASTAR Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.256 SN - 0048-9697 SN - 1879-1026 VL - 610 SP - 469 EP - 481 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hornick, Thomas A1 - Bach, Lennart T. A1 - Crawfurd, Katharine J. A1 - Spilling, Kristian A1 - Achterberg, Eric P. A1 - Woodhouse, Jason Nicholas A1 - Schulz, Kai G. A1 - Brussaard, Corina P. D. A1 - Riebesell, Ulf A1 - Grossart, Hans-Peter T1 - Ocean acidification impacts bacteria-phytoplankton coupling at low-nutrient conditions JF - Biogeosciences N2 - The oceans absorb about a quarter of the annually produced anthropogenic atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), resulting in a decrease in surface water pH, a process termed ocean acidification (OA). Surprisingly little is known about how OA affects the physiology of heterotrophic bacteria or the coupling of heterotrophic bacteria to phytoplankton when nutrients are limited. Previous experiments were, for the most part, undertaken during productive phases or following nutrient additions designed to stimulate algal blooms. Therefore, we performed an in situ large-volume mesocosm (similar to 55 m(3)) experiment in the Baltic Sea by simulating different fugacities of CO2 (fCO(2)) extending from present to future conditions. The study was conducted in July-August after the nominal spring bloom, in order to maintain low-nutrient conditions throughout the experiment. This resulted in phytoplankton communities dominated by small-sized functional groups (picophytoplankton). There was no consistent fCO(2)-induced effect on bacterial protein production (BPP), cell-specific BPP (csBPP) or biovolumes (BVs) of either free-living (FL) or particle-associated (PA) heterotrophic bacteria, when considered as individual components (univariate analyses). Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) revealed a significant effect of the fCO(2) treatment on entire assemblages of dissolved and particulate nutrients, metabolic parameters and the bacteria-phytoplankton community. However, distance-based linear modelling only identified fCO(2) as a factor explaining the variability observed amongst the microbial community composition, but not for explaining variability within the metabolic parameters. This suggests that fCO(2) impacts on microbial metabolic parameters occurred indirectly through varying physicochemical parameters and microbial species composition. Cluster analyses examining the co-occurrence of different functional groups of bacteria and phytoplankton further revealed a separation of the four fCO(2)-treated mesocosms from both control mesocosms, indicating that complex trophic interactions might be altered in a future acidified ocean. Possible consequences for nutrient cycling and carbon export are still largely unknown, in particular in a nutrient-limited ocean. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1-2017 SN - 1726-4170 SN - 1726-4189 VL - 14 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Busch, Verena A1 - Klaus, Valentin H. A1 - Penone, Caterina A1 - Schäfer, Deborah A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Müller, Jörg A1 - Socher, Stephanie A. A1 - Niinemets, Ülo A1 - Penuelas, Josep A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Fischer, Markus A1 - Kleinebecker, Till T1 - Nutrient stoichiometry and land use rather than species richness determine plant functional diversity JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - Plant functional traits reflect individual and community ecological strategies. They allow the detection of directional changes in community dynamics and ecosystemic processes, being an additional tool to assess biodiversity than species richness. Analysis of functional patterns in plant communities provides mechanistic insight into biodiversity alterations due to anthropogenic activity. Although studies have consi-dered of either anthropogenic management or nutrient availability on functional traits in temperate grasslands, studies combining effects of both drivers are scarce. Here, we assessed the impacts of management intensity (fertilization, mowing, grazing), nutrient stoichiometry (C, N, P, K), and vegetation composition on community-weighted means (CWMs) and functional diversity (Rao's Q) from seven plant traits in 150 grasslands in three regions in Germany, using data of 6 years. Land use and nutrient stoichiometry accounted for larger proportions of model variance of CWM and Rao's Q than species richness and productivity. Grazing affected all analyzed trait groups; fertilization and mowing only impacted generative traits. Grazing was clearly associated with nutrient retention strategies, that is, investing in durable structures and production of fewer, less variable seed. Phenological variability was increased. Fertilization and mowing decreased seed number/mass variability, indicating competition-related effects. Impacts of nutrient stoichiometry on trait syndromes varied. Nutrient limitation (large N:P, C:N ratios) promoted species with conservative strategies, that is, investment in durable plant structures rather than fast growth, fewer seed, and delayed flowering onset. In contrast to seed mass, leaf-economics variability was reduced under P shortage. Species diversity was positively associated with the variability of generative traits. Synthesis. Here, land use, nutrient availability, species richness, and plant functional strategies have been shown to interact complexly, driving community composition, and vegetation responses to management intensity. We suggest that deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms shaping community assembly and biodiversity will require analyzing all these parameters. KW - biodiversity exploratories KW - fertilization KW - leaf economics KW - mowing KW - nutrient availability KW - nutrient ratios KW - phosphorus KW - plant functional traits KW - plant strategies KW - seed mass Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3609 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - 601 EP - 616 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER -