Diversity is the main descriptor of community structure and is a determining factor in the dynamics and function of ecological communities [1]. However, the latter implicitly differs based on the different types of organisms and their relative abundance within the community which is considered to be significant [2]. Research in microbial ecology focuses on the study of microbial community dynam...

pH and fermentable substrates impose selective pressures on gut microbial communities and their metabolisms. We evaluated the relative contributions of pH, alkalinity, and substrate on microbial community structure, metabolism, and functional interactions using triplicate batch cultures started from fecal slurry and incubated with an initial pH of 6.0, 6.5, or 6.9 and 10 mM glucose, fructose, o...

Children's daycare centers appear to be hubs of respiratory infectious disease transmission, yet there is only limited information about the airborne microbial communities that are present in daycare centers. We have investigated the microbial community of the air in a daycare center, including seasonal dynamics in the bacterial community and the presence of specific viral pathogens. We collect...

To investigate the ecological mechanisms governing the community structure of the gut microbial ecosystem, we have attempted to simulate the rat gut ecosystem in vitro using a two-stage continuous culture. Extensive sampling of the rat hindgut has established a set of criteria with which the in vitro system may be compared. This paper discusses one of the criteria, the community composition and...

The effects of modified heavy metal (HM) availability on the microbial community structure and on the microbe-mediated degradation of herbicide isoproturon (IPU) were evaluated in soil with a long-term HM contamination. The fate of C-ring labelled IPU was investigated for over 60 days under controlled microcosm conditions. Phosphate mineral apatite and a water solution of Pb, Zn, and Cd salts w...