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      Bacterial Composition and Survival on Sahara Dust Particles Transported to the European Alps

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          Abstract

          Deposition of Sahara dust (SD) particles is a frequent phenomenon in Europe, but little is known about the viability and composition of the bacterial community transported with SD. The goal of this study was to characterize SD-associated bacteria transported to the European Alps, deposited and entrapped in snow. During two distinct events in February and May 2014, SD particles were deposited and promptly covered by falling snow, thus preserving them in distinct ochre layers within the snowpack. In June 2014, we collected samples at different depths from a snow profile at the Jungfraujoch (Swiss Alps; 3621 m a.s.l.). After filtration, we performed various microbiological and physicochemical analyses of the snow and dust particles therein that originated in Algeria. Our results show that bacteria survive and are metabolically active after the transport to the European Alps. Using high throughput sequencing, we observed distinct differences in bacterial community composition and structure in SD-layers as compared to clean snow layers. Sporulating bacteria were not enriched in the SD-layers; however, phyla with low abundance such as Gemmatimonadetes and Deinococcus-Thermus appeared to be specific bio-indicators for SD. Since many members of these phyla are known to be adapted to arid oligotrophic environments and UV radiation, they are well suited to survive the harsh conditions of long-range airborne transport.

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          Navigating the multiple meanings of β diversity: a roadmap for the practicing ecologist.

          A recent increase in studies of β diversity has yielded a confusing array of concepts, measures and methods. Here, we provide a roadmap of the most widely used and ecologically relevant approaches for analysis through a series of mission statements. We distinguish two types of β diversity: directional turnover along a gradient vs. non-directional variation. Different measures emphasize different properties of ecological data. Such properties include the degree of emphasis on presence/absence vs. relative abundance information and the inclusion vs. exclusion of joint absences. Judicious use of multiple measures in concert can uncover the underlying nature of patterns in β diversity for a given dataset. A case study of Indonesian coral assemblages shows the utility of a multi-faceted approach. We advocate careful consideration of relevant questions, matched by appropriate analyses. The rigorous application of null models will also help to reveal potential processes driving observed patterns in β diversity. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.
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            Cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes.

            For centuries ecologists have studied how the diversity and functional traits of plant and animal communities vary across biomes. In contrast, we have only just begun exploring similar questions for soil microbial communities despite soil microbes being the dominant engines of biogeochemical cycles and a major pool of living biomass in terrestrial ecosystems. We used metagenomic sequencing to compare the composition and functional attributes of 16 soil microbial communities collected from cold deserts, hot deserts, forests, grasslands, and tundra. Those communities found in plant-free cold desert soils typically had the lowest levels of functional diversity (diversity of protein-coding gene categories) and the lowest levels of phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity. Across all soils, functional beta diversity was strongly correlated with taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity; the desert microbial communities were clearly distinct from the nondesert communities regardless of the metric used. The desert communities had higher relative abundances of genes associated with osmoregulation and dormancy, but lower relative abundances of genes associated with nutrient cycling and the catabolism of plant-derived organic compounds. Antibiotic resistance genes were consistently threefold less abundant in the desert soils than in the nondesert soils, suggesting that abiotic conditions, not competitive interactions, are more important in shaping the desert microbial communities. As the most comprehensive survey of soil taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity to date, this study demonstrates that metagenomic approaches can be used to build a predictive understanding of how microbial diversity and function vary across terrestrial biomes.
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              Primary biological aerosol particles in the atmosphere: a review

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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                Front Microbiol
                Front Microbiol
                Front. Microbiol.
                Frontiers in Microbiology
                Frontiers Media S.A.
                1664-302X
                22 December 2015
                2015
                : 6
                : 1454
                Affiliations
                Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
                Author notes

                Edited by: Peter Dunfield, University of Calgary, Canada

                Reviewed by: Marshall Wayne Bowles, University of Bremen, Germany; Chris Kempes, SETI Institute, USA; Peter Dunfield, University of Calgary, Canada

                *Correspondence: Josef Zeyer josef.zeyer@ 123456env.ethz.ch

                This article was submitted to Extreme Microbiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Microbiology

                Article
                10.3389/fmicb.2015.01454
                4686684
                26733988
                7ddd35ac-88a7-4157-aae3-965b7be0e70c
                Copyright © 2015 Meola, Lazzaro and Zeyer.

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

                History
                : 17 September 2015
                : 04 December 2015
                Page count
                Figures: 11, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 105, Pages: 17, Words: 12485
                Funding
                Funded by: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich 10.13039/501100003006
                Categories
                Microbiology
                Original Research

                Microbiology & Virology
                saharan dust event,jungfraujoch,snow,bioaerosols,miseq illumina,biolog,uv radiation,desiccation stress

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