Biology subjects

Detcharoen, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Detcharoen, M..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Metagenomics insights into microbial diversity shifts among seagrass sediments

Seagrasses are important in marine ecosystems by providing food and shelter for animals, storing carbon, and reducing sulfide and methane emissions. Previous studies found variations in the microbiomes of seagrass both above and below sediment surface, with certain microbes serving as indicators of seagrass health. Despite numerous studies on bacterial communities in specific seagrass species, little is known about bacterial communities in mixed seagrass beds. This study used metagenomics to investigate microbial diversity in bare and seagrass-associated sediments, across seven seagrass species combinations. The findings revealed higher alpha diversity of bacteria and archaea in the upper layers, whereas microbial eukaryotes were more diverse in the lower layers. Significant taxonomic differences were found between bare and seagrass sediments, and among seagrass species. Several metagenome-assembled genomes were reconstructed, primarily from Pseudomonadota and Thermodesulfobacteriota. This study improves our understanding of complex interactions between seagrasses and their associated microbial communities and laying a foundation for efficient strategies for the management and restoration of seagrass ecosystems.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

No influence of antibiotic on locomotion in Drosophila nigrosparsa after recovery, but influence on microbiome, possibly mediating wing-morphology change

Antibiotics, such as tetracycline, has been frequently used to cure endosymbiont Wolbachia in arthropods. After the symbionts had been removed, the hosts must be waited for some generations to recover from side effects of the antibiotics. Knowledge of potential long-term effects of the antibiotic is important. Here, we treated Drosophila nigrosparsa with and without antibiotic tetracycline for three generations and two generations recovering time to investigate effects of the tetracycline on the flies concerning locomotion of larvae and adults, wing morphology, and gut microbiome of adults. In addition, gut-microbiome restoration was tested as a solution to reducing potential side effects of tetracycline on the flies microbiome more quickly. We found significant differences in larval and adult locomotion within groups but no significant differences among the control, antibiotic-treated, and gut-restoration groups. We found a slight differentiation of wing morphology into the three groups and significant differences in bacterial abundance among groups. The influence of tetracycline on the gut microbiome may have contributed to wing-morphology differences among groups, which would be an indirect effect of the antibiotic. Together with the absence of an effect on locomotion, this suggests that checking for both direct and indirect effects of tetracycline after a particular recovery time before using tetracycline curing is important. The microbiome of the gut-restoration group was not like that of the control group. Therefore, gut restoration cannot be used to remove effects of tetracycline in D. nigrosparsa, at least in the setup used here.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Differential gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster and D. nigrosparsa infected with the same Wolbachia strain

Wolbachia, maternally inherited endosymbionts, infect nearly half of all arthropod species. Wolbachia manipulate their hosts to maximize their transmission, but they can also provide benefits such as nutrients and resistance to viruses for their hosts. The Wolbachia strain wMel was recently found to increase locomotor activities and possibly trigger cytoplasmic incompatibility in the fly Drosophila nigrosparsa. Here, we compared differential gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster (original host) and D. nigrosparsa (novel host), both uninfected and infected with wMel, using RNA sequencing to see if the two Drosophila species respond to the infection in the same or different ways. A total of 2164 orthologous genes were used. We found species-specific gene expression patterns. Significant changes shared by the fly species were confined to the expression of genes involved in heme binding and oxidation-reduction; the two host species differently changed the expression of genes when infected. Some of the genes were down-regulated in the infected D. nigrosparsa, which might indicate small positive effects of Wolbachia. We discuss our findings also in the light of how Wolbachia survive within both the native and the novel host.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Wolbachia affect behavior and possibly reproductive compatibility but not thermoresistance, fecundity, and morphology in a novel transinfected host, Drosophila nigrosparsa

Wolbachia, intracellular endosymbionts, are estimated to infect about half of all arthropod species. These bacteria manipulate their hosts in various ways for their maximum benefits. The rising global temperature may accelerate species migration and, thus, horizontal transfer of Wolbachia may occur across species previously not in contact. We transinfected and then cured the alpine fly Drosophila nigrosparsa with Wolbachia strain wMel to study its effects on this species. We found low Wolbachia titer, possibly cytoplasmic incompatibility, and an increase in locomotion of both infected larvae and adults compared with cured ones. However, no change in fecundity, no impact on heat and cold tolerance, and no change in wing morphology were observed. Although Wolbachia increased locomotor activities in this species, we conclude that D. nigrosparsa may not benefit from the infection. Still, D. nigrosparsa can serve as a host for Wolbachia because vertical transmission is possible but may not be as high as in the native host of wMel, Drosophila melanogaster.

ecology↗