Few microbial functions have been compared to a comprehensive survey of the human fecal microbiome. We evaluated determinants of fecal microbial β-glucuronidase and β-glucosidase activities, focusing especially on associations with microbial alpha and beta diversity and taxonomy. We enrolled 51 healthy volunteers (26 female, mean age 39) who provided questionnaire data and multiple aliquots of ...

This study aimed to determine the effects of root pruning on the physicochemical characteristics and microbial activities of poplar rhizosphere soil. The root systems of 5-year-old poplar (Populus×euramericana cv. 'Neva') trees were manually pruned at 6, 8, or 10 times diameter at breast height (DBH) from the trunk (severe, moderate, and light, respectively) along both inter-row sides. Moderate...

Potential rates of aerobic respiration, denitri®cation, sulfate reduction and methanogenesis were investigated in 10 di€erent wetland soils with a wide range of biogeochemical characteristics, with the objective of determining relationships between process rates and soil properties. Electron acceptor amendments to methanogenic soils caused gradual (1±13 d) to immediate transitions in electron ̄...

Steers, equipped with simple rumen cannulas, were given diets of approximately equal parts of rolled barley and straw supplemented with urea. The diets provided sufficient estimated rumen degradable nitrogen (RDN; RDN:metabolizable energy values of 1:3) to maintain maximum microbial synthesis. In some experiments Na235SO4 was introduced into the rumen to label microbial protein. Rumen digesta s...

The goal of this study was to examine whether supplemental fructooligosaccharides (FOS) plus mannanoligosaccharides (MOS) influenced immune function and ileal and fecal microbial populations of adult dogs. Eight adult dogs surgically fitted with ileal cannulas were used in a crossover design. Dogs were fed 200 g of a dry, extruded, kibble diet twice daily. At each feeding, dogs were dosed with ...

Palm oil is one of the major fats and oils produced and traded in the world today. It forms an important ingredient in the diet of many people in West Africa. The quality of palm oil is mostly determined by the fatty acid, moisture and impurity content, and bleachability. This study examined the quality of palm oil produced at cottage industry level in Ghana with a view to improve its quality t...

The diversity of microbiota in waste waters has not been thoroughly examined, despite the potential impact of microbes on effluent quality. Wastewater microbial communities harbor pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and parasites. To study microbial communities in domestic sewage outfalls, 454 pyrosequencing technology was used to investigate the composition of microbial communities associated with m...

Bacterial communities are thought to have fundamental effects on the growth and development of nestling birds. The antigen exposure hypothesis suggests that, for both nestlings and adult birds, exposure to a diverse range of bacteria would select for stronger immune defences. However, there are relatively few studies that have tested the immune/bacterial relationships outside of domestic poultr...

Ecological interactions between aboveground and belowground biodiversity have received many attentions in the recent decades. Although soil biodiversity declined with the decrease of plant diversity, many previous studies found plant species identities were more important than plant diversity in controlling soil biodiversity. This study focused on the responses of soil biodiversity to the alter...

The High Arctic is dominated by polar desert habitats whose microbial communities are poorly understood. In this study, we used next generation sequencing to describe the α- and β-diversity of microbial communities in polar desert soils from the Kongsfjorden region of Svalbard. Ten phyla dominated the soils and accounted for 95% of all sequences, with the Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Chl...