Interactions between autotrophs and heterotrophs are central to carbon (C) exchange across trophic levels in essentially all ecosystems and metabolite exchange is a frequent mechanism for distributing C within spatially structured ecosystems. Yet, despite the importance of C exchange, the timescales at which fixed C is transferred in microbial communities is poorly understood. We employed a ...

High-latitude fjords and continental shelves are shown to be sinks for atmospheric CO2, yet large spatial-temporal variability and poor regional coverage of sea-air CO2 flux data, especially from fjord systems, makes it difficult to scale our knowledge on how they contribute to atmospheric carbon regulation. The magnitude and seasonal variability of atmosphere-sea CO2 flux was investigated in ...

Fitness benefits from division of labor are well documented in microbial consortia, but the dependency of the benefits on environmental context is poorly understood. Two synthetic Escherichia coli consortia were built to test the relationships between exchanged organic acid, local environment, and opportunity costs of different metabolic strategies. Opportunity costs quantify benefits not realized ...

Nannochloropsis gaditana is a promising microalga for biotechnology. One of the strategies to stimulate its full potential in metabolite production is exposure to flashing lights. Here, we report how N. gaditana adapts to different flashing light regimes (5, 50, and 500 Hz) by changing its cellular physiology and the relative expression of genes related to critical cellular functions. We analyzed ...

Rising atmospheric carbon concentrations affect global health, the economy, and overall quality of life. We are fast approaching climate tipping points that must be addressed, not only by reducing emissions but also through new innovation and action toward carbon capture for sequestration and utilization (CCSU). In this perspective, we delineate next-generation biotechnologies for CCSU supported by ...

An intriguing aspect in microbial communities is that pairwise interactions can be influenced by neighboring species. This creates context dependencies for microbial interactions that are based on the functional composition of the community. Context dependent interactions are ecologically important and clearly present in nature, yet firmly established theoretical methods are lacking from many modern ...

Simplified microbial communities, or “benchtop microbiomes,” enable us to manage the profound complexity of microbial ecosystems. Widespread activities aiming to design and control communities result in novel resources for testing ecological theories and also for realizing new biotechnologies. There is much to be gained by reconciling engineering design principles with ecological processes that shape ...

Soil microorganisms play fundamental roles in cycling of soil carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients, yet we have a poor understanding of how soil microbiomes are shaped by their nutritional and physical environment. In this study, we investigated the successional dynamics of a soil microbiome during 21 weeks of enrichment on chitin and its monomer, N-acetylglucosamine. We examined succession of the ...

Acute and chronic exposure to organophosphates (OPs), including agricultural pesticides, industrial chemicals, and chemical warfare agents, remain a significant worldwide health risk. The mechanisms by which OPs alter development and cognition in exposed individuals remain poorly understood, in part due to the large number of structurally diverse OPs and the wide range of affected proteins and ...