Metagenomic profiling of bacterial diversity and community structure in termite mounds and surrounding soils.

The study focuses on analysis of the compositional and diversity of bacteria in termite mound soils in comparison with the surrounding soils to verify the assertion that the high nutrient concentrations in termite mound soils influence a complex diversity of microorganisms. Here, whole DNA was extracted from soil samples collected from termite mounds and their surrounding soils which were 10 m apart and subsequently, sequenced using shotgun metagenomic approach. Our findings showed that both environments have several soil bacterial phyla in common. However, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria significantly dominated the termite mound soils and the surrounding soils, respectively, with Tenericutes peculiar to only the termite mound soils. Furthermore, Bergeyella, Gloeothece, Thalassospira, and Glaciecola genera were exclusively identified in the termite mound soil samples. Diversity analysis showed that bacterial composition was different among the four sites (phyla level). This study also revealed a lot of unclassified groups of bacteria and this could point to the presence of potentially novel species. The differences observed in the bacterial structure and diversity from this study may be ascribed to variances in the physicochemical nature existing between the two environments. Mapping out schemes to culture these unclassified groups of bacteria discovered from this study would possibly set the platform for the discovery of novel bacteria for biotechnological applications.

Dataset of amplicon metagenomic assessment of barley rhizosphere bacteria under different fertilization regimes.

The metagenomic dataset profiled in this research is built on bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon of DNA mined from barley rhizosphere under chemical (CB) and organic (OB) fertilization. Amplicon-based sequencing was prepared by the Illumina platform, and the raw sequence dataset was examined using Metagenomic Rast Server (MG-RAST). The metagenome comprised sixteen samples that include CB1 (494,583 bp), CB2 (586,532 bp), CB3 (706,685 bp), CB4 (574,606 bp), CB5 (395,460 bp), CB6 (520,822 bp), CB7 (511,729 bp), CB8 (548,074 bp), OB1 (642,794 bp), OB2 (513,767 bp), OB3 (461,293 bp), OB4 (498,241 bp), OB5 (689,497 bp), OB6 (423,436 bp), OB7 (478,657 bp) and OB8 (279,186 bp). Information from the metagenome sequences is accessible under the bioproject numbers PRJNA827679 (CB1), PRJNA827686 (CB2), PRJNA827693 (CB3), PRJNA827699 (CB4), PRJNA827706 (CB5), PRJNA827761 (CB6), PRJNA827780 (CB7), PRJNA827786 (CB8), PRJNA826806 (OB1), PRJNA826824 (OB2), PRJNA826834 (OB3), PRJNA826841 (OB4), PRJNA826853 (OB5), PRJNA827254 (OB6), PRJNA827256 (OB7), and PRJNA827257 (OB8) at NCBI. Actinobacteria dominated the soil samples at the phylum level.

Anthropogenic fertilization influences a shift in barley rhizosphere microbial communities.

Background: Anthropogenic mediations contribute a significant role in stimulating positive reactions in soil-plant interactions; however, methodical reports on how anthropogenic activities impact soil microorganism-induced properties and soil health are still inadequate. In this study, we evaluated the influence of anthropogenic fertilization of farmland soil on barley rhizosphere microbial community structure and diversity, and the significant impacts on agro-ecosystem productivity. This will help validate the premise that soil amendment with prolonged synthetic fertilizers can lead to a significant reduction in bacterial abundance and diversity, while soils amended with organic fertilizers elicit the succession of the native soil microbial community and favor the growth of copiotrophic bacteria. Methods: The total metagenomic DNA was extracted from soils obtained from the barley rhizosphere under chemical fertilization (CB), organic fertilization (OB), and bulk soil (NB). Subsequently, these samples were sequenced using an amplicon-based sequencing approach, and the raw sequence dataset was examined using a metagenomic rast server (MG-RAST). Results: Our findings showed that all environments (CB, OB, and NB) shared numerous soil bacterial phyla but with different compositions. However, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria predominated in the barley rhizosphere under chemical fertilization, organic fertilization, and bulk soils, respectively. Alpha and beta diversity analysis showed that the diversity of bacteria under organic barley rhizosphere was significantly higher and more evenly distributed than bacteria under chemical fertilization and bulk soil. Conclusion: Understanding the impact of conventional and organic fertilizers on the structure, composition, and diversity of the rhizosphere microbiome will assist in soil engineering to enhance microbial diversity in the agroecosystem.

Dataset of 16S ribosomal DNA sequence-based identification of bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria isolated from fermented food samples.

The dataset profiled in this research is built on sequencing of lactic acid bacteria 16S rDNA mined from Nono (N4 and N5), Kunu (K4 and K1) and Garri. The 16S rDNA sequences files are accessible under the data identification numbers: OK017047, OK017046, OK017044, OK017043, OK017045 at the GenBank database, NCBI. Taxonomic identification and phylogenetic tree analysis were done using the online BLAST (blastn) and MEGA11 software, respectively. The effect of the bacteriocin produced by these organisms on spoilage bacteria associated with salad was evaluated using an agar well diffusion assay. Limosilactobacillus pontis strain EOINONO, Limosilactobacillus pontis strain OGENONO, Limosilactobacillus pontis strain SEOGARI, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain MJIKUNU and Limosilactobacillus pontis strain EEIKUNU were the identified bacteriocinogenic organisms while Bacillus tequilensis strain SEOABACHA, Bacillus tequilensis strain EEIABACHA, Achromobacter xylosoxidans strain IMABACHA and Achromobacter insolitus strain MJIABACHA were the identified spoilage organisms.

Metagenomics Reveals the Microbiome Multifunctionalities of Environmental Importance From Termite Mound Soils.

The ecological deterioration caused by the continuous and excessive use of synthetic inputs in agriculture has prompted the search for environmentally favorable resources for crop production. Many have advocated for the use of soils from termite mounds to improve soil and plant health; therefore, the purpose of this study was to characterize the microbiome multifunctionalities that are important for plant health and growth in termite mound soil. The metagenomics of soil from termite mounds revealed taxonomic groups with functional potentials associated with promoting the growth and health of plants in nutrient-poor, virtually dry environments. Analysis of microorganisms revealed that Proteobacteria dominated the soil of termite colonies, while Actinobacteria ranked second. The predominance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, the well-known antibiotic-producing populations, indicates that the termite mound soil microbiome possesses metabolic resistance to biotic stresses. Functions recognized for diverse proteins and genes unveiled that a multi-functional microbiome carry out numerous metabolic functions including virulence, disease, defense, aromatic compound and iron metabolism, secondary metabolite synthesis, and stress response. The abundance of genes in termite mound soils associated with these prominent functions could unquestionably validate the enhancement of plants in abiotic and biotically stressed environments. This study reveals opportunities to revisit the multifunctionalities of termite mound soils in order to establish a connection between taxonomic diversity, targeted functions, and genes that could improve plant yield and health in unfavorable soil conditions.

Communication between Plants and Rhizosphere Microbiome: Exploring the Root Microbiome for Sustainable Agriculture.

Plant roots host numerous microorganisms around and inside their roots, forming a community known as the root microbiome. An increasing bulk of research is underlining the influences root-associated microbial communities can have on plant health and development. However, knowledge on how plant roots and their associated microbes interact to bring about crop growth and yield is limited. Here, we presented (i) the communication strategies between plant roots and root-associated microbes and (ii) the applications of plant root-associated microbes in enhancing plant growth and yield. This review has been divided into three main sections: communications between root microbiome and plant root; the mechanism employed by root-associated microbes; and the chemical communication mechanisms between plants and microbes and their application in plant growth and yield. Understanding how plant root and root-associated microbes communicate is vital in designing ecofriendly strategies for targeted disease suppression and improved plant growth that will help in sustainable agriculture. Ensuring that plants become healthy and productive entails keeping plants under surveillance around the roots to recognize disease-causing microbes and similarly exploit the services of beneficial microorganisms in nutrient acquisition, stress mitigation, and growth promotion.

High-throughput sequencing data of soil bacterial communities from Tweefontein indigenous and commercial forests, South Africa.

In this report, the high-throughput sequencing data of soil bacterial communities from indigenous and commercial forests in Tweefontein, South Africa are presented. These data were collected to study the influence of land-use change on soil bacterial diversity and community structure in forests. Illumina Miseq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicon was carried out on soils sampled from Tweefontein commercial (TC) and indigenous (TI) forests in South Africa. The metagenome contained 101,938 sequences with 46,709,377 bp size and 57% G + C content in TI and 91,160 sequences with 41,707,827 bp size and 57% G + C content in TC. Metagenome sequence information are available at NCBI under the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) database with accession numbers SRR8134476 (TI) and SRR8135323 (TC). Taxonomic hits distribution from Metagenomic Rast Server (MG-RAST) analysis of the TI sample revealed the dominance of the phyla Acidobacteria (21.61%), Actinobacteria (18.23%) and Verrucomicrobia (16.78%). Predominant genera were Candidatus Koribacter (12.82%), Candidatus Solibacter (11.74%) and Chthoniobacter (9.36%). MG-RAST assisted analysis of TC sample also detected the dominance of Actinobacteria (23.62%) along with Verrucomicrobia (21.92%) and Acidobacteria (20.74%). Predominant genera were Chthoniobacter (24.94%), Candidatus Solibacter (16.74%) and Candidatus Koribacter (9.39%) which play vital ecological functions in forest ecosystems.

Deciphering the microbiota data from termite mound soil in South Africa using shotgun metagenomics.

We present the metagenomic dataset of the microbial DNA of a termite mound in the North West Province of South Africa. This is the foremost account revealing the microbial diversity of a termite mound soil using the shotgun metagenomics approach in the Province. Next-generation sequencing of the community DNA was carried out on an Illumina Miseq platform. The metagenome comprised of 7,270,818 sequences representing 1,172,099,467 bps with a mean length of 161 bps and 52% G + C content. The sequence data is accessible at the NCBI SRA under the bioproject number PRJNA526912. Metagenomic Rapid Annotations using Subsystems Technology (MG-RAST) was employed for community analysis and it was observed that 0.36% sequences were of archeal origin, 9.51% were eukaryotes and 90.01% were fit to bacteria. A total of 5 archeal, 27 bacterial, and 22 eukaryotic phyla were revealed. Abundant genera were Sphingomonas (6.00%), Streptomyces (5.00%), Sphingobium (4.00%), Sphingopyxis (3.00%), and Mycobacterium (3.00%), representing 19.23% in the metagenome. For functional examination, Cluster-of-Orthologous-Group (COG) based annotation showed that 46.44% sequences were metabolism associated and 17.45% grouped in the poorly characterized category. Subsystem based annotation method indicated that 14.00% sequences were carbohydrates, 13.00% were clustering-based subsystems, and 10.00% genes for amino acids and derivatives together with the presence of useful traits needed in the body of science.

Termite Societies Promote the Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Archaeal Communities in Mound Soils.

Recent studies involving microbial communities in termite mounds have been more focused on bacteria and fungi with little attention given to archaea, which play significant roles in nutrient cycling. Thus, we aimed at characterizing the archaeal taxonomic and functional diversity in two termite mound soils using the shotgun sequencing method with the assumption that termite activities could promote archaeal diversity. Our findings showed that termite mound soils have archaeal groups that are taxonomically different from their surrounding soils, with Euryarchaeota, Korarchaeota, and Nanoarchaeota being predominant while Thaumarchaeota and Crenarchaeota were predominant in the surrounding soils. Additionally, the observed nutrient pathways: phosphorus, nitrogen, and sulfur were all significantly more predominant in termite mound soils than in their comparative surrounding soils. Alpha diversity showed that archaea were not significantly different within termite mound soils and the surrounding soils. The beta diversity revealed significant differences in the archaeal taxonomic composition and their functional categories between the termite mounds and surrounding soils. Our canonical correspondence analysis revealed that the distribution of archaeal communities was likely dependent on the soil properties. Our results suggested that termite activities may promote the diversity of archaea; with some of our sequences grouped as unclassified archaea, there is a need for further research to unveil their identity.

Profiling the Functional Diversity of Termite Mound Soil Bacteria as Revealed by Shotgun Sequencing.

Profiling the metabolic processes performed by bacteria is vital both for understanding and for manipulating ecosystems for industrial or research purposes. In this study we aim to assess the bacterial functional diversity in termite mound soils with the assumption that significant differences will be observed in the functional diversity of bacteria between the termite mound soils and their surrounding soils and that each environment has a distinguishing metabolic profile. Here, metagenomic DNA extracted from termite mound soils and their corresponding surrounding soils, which are 10 m apart, were sequenced using a shotgun sequencing approach. Our results revealed that the relative abundances of 16 functional categories differed significantly between both habitats. The α diversity analysis indicated no significant difference in bacterial functional categories within the habitats while the ß diversity showed that the bacterial functional categories varied significantly between the termite mound soils and the surrounding soil samples. The variations in soil physical and chemical properties existing between the two environments were held accountable for the differences in bacterial functional structure. With the high relative abundance of functional categories with unknown function reported in this study, this could signify the likelihood of getting novel genes from termite mound soils, which are needed for research and commercial applications.