Watch recordings of each of the FEMS Microbiology Ecology  Webinars, featuring top scientists and authors of recent papers on a range of topics:

 

Approaches, Methods and Challenges in Microbiome Research

(First aired 08.12.2021)

The continued development of DNA sequencing technologies is providing exciting new capabilities to characterize complex microbial communities in various habitats. This webinar explores some of the new developments and challenges in microbiome research methods and takes a critical look at what we can learn about the inhabitants of diverse microbiomes and their possible functions. Key topics include the concerns with reproducibility and controls in microbiome research, the improvements in Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing technology, and the role of the microbial rare biosphere.

Chair: Max Häggblom, Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Speaker 1: Bastian V H Hornung; Center for Microbiome Analyses and Therapeutics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden (The Netherlands) Author of: Issues and current standards of controls in microbiome research, Hornung BVH, Zwittink RD, Kuijper EJ.; FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Volume 95, Issue 5, May 2019, fiz045, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/95/5/fiz045/5435435

Speaker 2: Lee J. Kerkhof; Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ (USA) Author of: Is Oxford Nanopore sequencing ready for analyzing complex microbiomes?, Kerkhof LJ; FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Volume 97, Issue 3, March 2021, fiab001, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/97/3/fiab001/6098400

Speaker 3 and 4: Francisco Pascoal and Catarina Magalhães, CIIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research of the University of Porto (Portugal) Authors of: The microbial rare biosphere: current concepts, methods and ecological principles, Francisco Pascoal, Rodrigo Costa, Catarina Magalhães; FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Volume 97, Issue 1, January 2021, fiaa227, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/97/1/fiaa227/5974270

 

Sustainable Agriculture

(First aired 20.05.2021)

This webinar explores sustainable agriculture by diving into the interactions between common crops and their microbiomes. Our speakers will demonstrate how modern sequencing techniques can reveal how plant microbiomes influence the postharvest pathogens and storability of crops, the root and soil rhizosphere, and plant performance. This knowledge on the soil and plant microbiota of various crops has applications in developing agricultural management practices for sustainable crop production.

Chair: Max Häggblom, Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Speaker 1: Gabriele Berg, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria. Author of: Kusstatscher et al. Microbiome approaches provide the key to biologically control postharvest pathogens and storability of fruits and vegetables. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96: fiaa119, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/7/fiaa119/5857999

Speaker 2: Rodrigo Mendes, Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Embrapa Environment, Jaguariúna SP, Brazil. Author of: Rossmann et al. Multitrophic interactions in the rhizosphere microbiome of wheat: from bacteria and fungi to protists. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96: fiaa032, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/4/fiaa032/5775476

Speaker 3: Doreen Babin, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) – Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Braunschweig, Germany. Author of: Babin et al. Distinct rhizomicrobiota assemblages and plant performance in lettuce grown in soils with different agricultural management histories. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2021, 97:fiab027, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/97/4/fiab027/6133471

 

Microbes vs Metals

(First aired 08.04.2021)

Microbes have evolved to facilitate a range of metabolic processes via redox reaction pathways using many different metal atoms and ions. From respiration of metallic compounds, to adjusting and responding to their extracellular environment, to merely surviving in extremely metal-polluted habitats, microbes have found ways to incorporate metals into their physiology using a surprising set of mechanisms.

Thematic Issue to explore: Microbes vs Metals

Chair: Max Häggblom, Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Speaker 1: John F. Stolz, Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University. Pittsburgh PA (USA). Author of: M Wells, JF Stolz. Microbial selenium metabolism: a brief history, biogeochemistry and ecophysiology, FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96: fiaa209, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/12/fiaa209/5921172​

Speaker 2: Lucian Staicu, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw (Poland). Author of: LC Staicu et al. PbS biomineralization using cysteine: Bacillus cereus and the sulfur rush. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96: fiaa151, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/9/fiaa151/5881300​

Speaker 3: Valentine Cyriaque, Research Institute for Biosciences, Université de Mons, Mons (Belgium). Author of: V Cyriaque et al. Metal-induced bacterial interactions promote diversity in river-sediment microbiomes, FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96:fiaa076, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/6/fiaa076/5826176​

Speaker 4: Ronald Oremland, US Geological Survey, Menlo Park CA (USA). Author of: RS Orelmand. Got Selenium? FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96:fiaa094, doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaa094, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/6/fiaa094/5843721

 

Microbial Ecotoxicology

(First aired 04.03.2021)

The term “microbial ecotoxicology” was coined to describe interdisciplinary investigations of the response of the microbial compartment in ecosystems subject to environmental contamination. The webinar speakers will present key recent investigations in this emerging area of microbial ecology research: microbial adaptation in antimony contaminated soils; response of soil and phyllosphere microbial communities to repeated fungicide application; and shaping of urban bacterial communities by green infrastructure and atmospheric pollution.

Chair: Max Häggblom, Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Speaker 1: Stéphane Vuilleumier, University of Strasbourg (France). Intro: Key questions in microbial ecotoxicology

Speaker 2: Dimitrios G Karpouzas, University of Thessaly (Greece). Author of: A Katsoula, et al. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96:fiaa056, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/6/fiaa056/5813261 

Speaker 3: Karen Wuyts, University of Antwerp (Belgium). Author of: K Wuyts et al., FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96:fiz173, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/1/fiz173/5607792​

Speaker 4: Weimin Sun,Guangdong Institute of Eco-environmental Science & Technology, Guangzhou (China). Author of: R Xu, et al., FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96:fiaa188, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/11/fiaa188/5910484

 

Marine Microbial Ecology

(First aired 04.02.2021)

Understanding the effects of time and space on microbial communities is a central theme in Marine Microbial Ecology. The speakers in this FEMS Microbiology Ecology  webinar will describe some key biogeochemical processes: consumption and production of amino acids and fatty acid metabolites on hourly scales in coastal sediments; the influence of a 4-month exposure to different intertidal regions on gut communities in farmed clams and oysters; and a transcriptomic study of 10-15 million year old sediments from the North Atlantic.

Chair: Max Häggblom, Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Speaker 1: Lee J Kerkhof, Dept. of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ, USA and Editor, FEMS Microbiology Ecology.

Intro: Key questions in marine microbial ecology

Speaker 2: Marcus Elvert, MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen (Germany). Author of: Rebecca F Aepfler et al. Substrate characteristic bacterial fatty acid production based on amino acid assimilation and transformation in marine sediments, FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., Oct 2019, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/95/10/fiz131/5555570

Speaker 3: Gwenaelle Le Blay, Laboratoire des Sciences de l’Environnement, Marin Institut Universitaire et Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Plouzané (France). Author of: Clément Offret et al. The marine intertidal zone shapes oyster and clam digestive bacterial microbiota, FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., Aug 2020, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/8/fiaa078/5827529

Speaker 4: William D. Orsi, Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, München (Germany). Author of: Aurèle Vuillemin et al. Exploring the abundance, metabolic potential and gene expression of subseafloor Chloroflexi in million-year-old oxic and anoxic abyssal clay, FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., Dec 2020, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/12/fiaa223/5956488

 

Ecology of Soil Microorganisms

(First aired 12.11.2020)

Soil is alive, and soil microorganisms are the driving force of elemental biogeochemical cycling and the bridge linking above- and below-ground ecosystem interactions. The microbial ecology of soils has the potential to answer multiple questions that not only advance our basic understanding of ecological principles, but are also relevant for the present focal areas of the anthropogenic effects, ecosystem productivity and other applied subjects.

Moderator: Max Häggblom, Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Speaker 1: Michael E Van Nuland, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA Author of: ME Van Nuland, DP Smith, JM Bhatnagar, A Stefanski, SE Hobbie, PB Reich, KG Peay. Warming and disturbance alter soil microbiome diversity and function in a northern forest ecotone. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96:fiaa108, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/7/fiaa108/5849001

Speaker 2: Amanda Black, Bio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand Author of: A-K Byers, L Condron, T Donavan, M O’Callaghan, T Patuawa, N Waipara, A Black. Soil microbial diversity in adjacent forest systems – contrasting native, old growth kauri (Agathis australis) forest with exotic pine (Pinus radiata) plantation forest. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96:fiaa047, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/5/fiaa047/5808812

Speaker 3: Flemming Ekelund, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Author of: T Bang-Andreasen, MZ Anwar, A Lanzén, R Kjøller, R Rønn, F Ekelund, CS Jacobsen. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020 96:fiaa016, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/3/fiaa016/5721238

 

Aquatic Microbial Ecology

(First aired 15.10.2020)

Aquatic habitats are rich environments for microbial life and have a global impact on the carbon and nitrogen cycles. The behaviour of microbes in response to changes in these environments can have a huge influence on ecology across the world.

Moderator: Max Häggblom, Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Speaker 1: Martin W. Hahn, Research Department for Limnology, University of Innsbruck, Mondsee, Austria, Editor, FEMS Microbiology Ecology – Introduction: Microbial ecology of freshwater systems 

Speaker 2: Marian Schmidt, The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Integrative Biology, Austin, TX USA Author of: Marian L Schmidt, Bopaiah A Biddanda, Anthony D Weinke, Edna Chiang, Fallon Januska, Ruben Props, Vincent J Denef. Microhabitats are associated with diversity–productivity relationships in freshwater bacterial communities. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 2020, 96:fiaa029, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/4/fiaa029/5762669

Speaker 3: Megan Dillon, Novozymes, Davis, CA, USA Author of: Energetic and Environmental Constraints on the Community Structure of Benthic Microbial Mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica. ML Dillon, I Hawes, AD Jungblut, TJ Mackey, JA Eisen, PT Doran, DY Sumner. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96:fiz207, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/2/fiz207/5697196

Speaker 4: Weidong Kong, Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Author of: Mukan Ji, Weidong Kong, Linyan Yue, Junbo Wang, Ye Deng, Liping Zhu. Salinity reduces bacterial diversity, but increases network complexity in Tibetan Plateau lakes. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2019, 95:fiz190, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/95/12/fiz190/5645230

 

Animal Microbiome

(First aired 24.09.2020)

This webinar looks at the fascinating topic of animal microbiomes. Microbial communities living on or in animals affect the physiology and behavior of their hosts. But what exactly is the interplay between these animal microbiomes and the animals themselves?

Moderator: Max Häggblom, Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Speaker 1: Nilusha Malmuthuge, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, Author of: Yang Song, Nilusha Malmuthuge, Fuyong Li, Le Luo Guan. Colostrum feeding shapes the hindgut microbiota of dairy calves during the first 12h of life. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2019, 95:fiy203, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/95/1/fiy203/5127040

Speaker 2: Connie A. Rojas, Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA, Author of: Connie A Rojas, Kay E Holekamp, Andrew D Winters, Kevin R Theis. Body site-specific microbiota reflect sex and age-class among wild spotted hyenas. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96:fiaa007, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article-abstract/96/2/fiaa007/5700710?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Speaker 3: Julian Bär, Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland, Author of: Julian Bär, Jacqueline M. Leung, Christina Hansen, P’ng Loke, Alex R. Hall, Laura Conour, Andrea L. Graham. Strong effects of lab-to-field environmental transitions on the bacterial intestinal microbiota of Mus musculus are modulated by Trichuris muris infection. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2020, 96:fiaa167, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/femsec/fiaa167/5894916?redirectedFrom=fulltext

 

Environmental Dimensions of Antibiotic Resistance

(First aired 06.08.2020)

This webinar looks at anthropogenic use of antibiotics in various ecosystems and the implications for human health. Topics of interest include: evolution of antibiotic resistance, fate and effects of antibiotics in various ecosystems, dissemination of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes, bacteria with transferable resistances, co-selection, links between the environment and human health, and mitigation strategies.

Thematic Issues to explore:

EDAR 2020: https://academic.oup.com/femsec/pages/environmental_dimension_of_antibiotic_resistance
EDAR 2018: https://academic.oup.com/femsec/pages/edar_2018

Join us for a webinar on the Environmental Dimension of Antibiotic Resistance, featuring the authors of recent papers in FEMS Microbiology Ecology, with:

Moderator: Max Häggblom, Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Speaker 1: Kornelia Smalla, Julius Kühn-Institut Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Braunschweig, Germany

Speaker 2: Elizabeth M.H. Wellington, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

Speaker 3: Michael Gillings, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney. Australia

Recent paper:

Smalla K, Cook K, Djordjevic SP, Klümper U, Gillings M. Environmental dimensions of antibiotic resistance: assessment of basic science gaps. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 2018, 94:fiy195, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/94/12/fiy195/5114257

 

Polar and Alpine Microbiology

(First aired 23.07.2020)

Earth’s polar and alpine regions comprise a range of distinct habitats and ecosystems which share important common traits. Their biogeochemical and ecological processes are mostly driven by microorganisms, which are extremely vulnerable to ongoing climate change. Evolved from initial descriptive studies of various habitats and environments into a fully-fledged hypothesis-driven research field that uses state of the art field and laboratory approaches, polar and alpine microbiology is therefore an important and timely discipline.

Moderator: Max Häggblom, Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

Speaker 1: Thulani Makhalanyane, Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, University of Pretoria, South Africa Author of: Barnard S, Van Goethem MW, de Scally SZ, Cowan DA, van Rensburg PJ, Claassens S, Makhalanyane TP. ‘Increased temperatures alter viable microbial biomass, ammonia oxidizing bacteria and extracellular enzymatic activities in Antarctic soils’ FEMS Microbiology Ecology 2020, 96:fiaa065, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article-abstract/96/5/fiaa065/5818763?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Speaker 2: Lucie A. Malard, Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Switzerland Author of: Malard LA, Anwar MZ, Jacobsen CS, Pearce DA. ‘Biogeographical patterns in soil bacterial communities across the Arctic region’. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 2019, 95:fiz128, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/95/9/fiz128/5552140

Speaker 3: Neslihan Taş, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) – Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division Berkeley CA, United States Author of: Xue Y, Jonassen I, Øvreås L, Taş N. ‘Metagenome-assembled genome distribution and key functionality highlight importance of aerobic metabolism in Svalbard permafrost’. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 2020, 96:fiaa057, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/96/5/fiaa057/5821278

 

Sponge Microbiome

(First aired 09.07.2020)

Sponges, the oldest extant multicellular animals (i.e. more than 600 million years old), are holobionts comprised of the host and its symbiotic microbes. Marine sponges are ecologically important components of coral reef ecosystems where they provide habitat for a wide range of species and couple the benthic and pelagic zones through their high seawater filtration capability

Moderator: Max Häggblom, Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

Speaker 1: Russell Hill, Institute of Marine & Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore MD, United States – author of: Zhang F, Jonas L, Lin H, Hill RT. ”Microbially mediated nutrient cycles in marine sponges.” FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2019, 95:fiz155, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article-abstract/95/11/fiz155/5582607?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Speaker 2: Laura Steindler, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel – author of: Britstein M, Saurav K, Teta R, Sala GD, Bar-Shalom R, Stoppelli N, Zoccarato L, Costantino V, Steindler L. ”Identification and chemical characterization of N-acyl-homoserine lactone quorum sensing signals across sponge species and time.” FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2018, 94:fix182, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/94/2/fix182/4757059

Speaker 3: Rodrigo Costa, Department of Bioengineering of Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal – author of: Karimi E, Slaby BM, Soares AR, Blom J, Hentschel U, Costa R. ”Metagenomic binning reveals versatile nutrient cycling and distinct adaptive features in alphaproteobacterial symbionts of marine sponges.” FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2018, 94:fiy074, https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article-abstract/94/6/fiy074/4985835?redirectedFrom=fulltext