Significant changes in soil microbial community structure and metabolic function after Mikania micrantha invasion.

Currently, Mikania micrantha (M. micrantha) has invaded Guangdong, Guangxi and other provinces in China, causing serious harm to the forests of southeastern China. Soil microorganisms play an important role in the establishment of M. micrantha invasion, affecting plant productivity, community dynamics, and ecosystem function. However, at present, how M. micrantha invasion affects soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus phase functional genes and the environmental factors that cause gene expression changes remain unclear, especially in subtropical forest ecosystems. This study was conducted in Xiangtoushan National Forest Park in Guangdong Province to compare the changes in soil nutrients and microorganisms after M. micrantha invasion of a forest. The microbial community composition and metabolic function were explored by metagenome sequencing. Our results showed that after M. micrantha invasion, the soil was more suitable for the growth of gram-positive bacteria (Gemmatimonadetes). In addition, the soil microbial community structure and enzyme activity increased significantly after M. micrantha invasion. Correlation analysis and Mantel test results suggested that total phosphorus (TP), nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N), and soil dissolved organic matter (DOM; DOC and DON), were the strong correlates of soil microbial nitrogen functional genes, while soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and available phosphorus (Soil-AP) were strongly correlated with the expression of soil microbial phosphorus functional gene. Mikania micrantha invasion alters soil nutrients, microbial community composition and metabolic function in subtropical forests, creates a more favorable growth environment, and may form a positive feedback process conducive to M. micrantha invasion.

Laser-Induced Graphene Stretchable Strain Sensor with Vertical and Parallel Patterns.

In intelligent manufacturing and robotic technology, various sensors must be integrated with equipment. In addition to traditional sensors, stretchable sensors are particularly attractive for applications in robotics and wearable devices. In this study, a piezoresistive stretchable strain sensor based on laser-induced graphene (LIG) was proposed and developed. A three-dimensional, porous LIG structure fabricated from polyimide (PI) film using laser scanning was used as the sensing layer of the strain sensor. Two LIG pattern structures (parallel and vertical) were fabricated and integrated within the LIG strain sensors. Scanning electron microscopy, an X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer, and Raman scattering spectroscopy were used to examine the microstructure of the LIG sensing layer. The performance and strain sensing properties of the parallel and vertical stretchable LIG strain sensors were investigated in tensile tests. The relative resistance changes and the gauge factors of the parallel and vertical LIG strain sensors were quantified. The parallel strain sensor achieved a high gauge factor of 15.79 in the applied strain range of 10% to 20%. It also had high sensitivity, excellent repeatability, good durability, and fast response times during the tensile experiments. The developed LIG strain sensor can be used for the real-time monitoring of human motions such like finger bending, wrist bending, and throat swallowing.