Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Diet shapes cold‐water corals bacterial communities

Researchers found that diet significantly shapes the bacterial communities living in cold-water corals, with carnivorous and herbivorous diets producing distinct microbiomes. The study sheds light on the ecological factors driving microbial diversity in deep-sea coral ecosystems.

2019 Environmental Microbiology 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Variation in the gut microbiota of wild Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) likely reflects diet shifts between snow-free and snow seasons

Researchers studied the gut bacteria of wild Eurasian otters across two seasons, finding that their microbiome shifts significantly depending on what they eat — fish in summer versus high-fat prey in winter. The study notes that future comparisons with urban otters could reveal whether microplastic contamination in waterways disrupts their gut health.

2025 BMC Microbiology
Article Tier 2

Rhizospheric bacterial communities against microplastics (MPs): Novel ecological strategies based on the niche differentiation

Researchers studied how bacterial communities living around plant roots adapt when exposed to microplastics in soil. They found that rhizosphere bacteria developed distinct survival strategies depending on their ecological niche, with some species thriving while others declined in the presence of plastics. The study reveals that microplastics can reshape the microbial communities that plants depend on for nutrient uptake and disease resistance.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative analysis of gut fungal composition and structure of the yaks under different feeding models

Researchers compared the gut fungal communities of wild yaks, house-fed domestic yaks, and grazing domestic yaks on the Tibetan plateau. They found that wild and grazing yaks had significantly more diverse gut fungal communities than house-fed yaks, with the feeding model strongly influencing which fungal species thrived. The study suggests that natural grazing supports a richer gut microbiome in yaks compared to indoor feeding, with potential implications for animal health and digestion.

2023 Frontiers in Veterinary Science 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota reflect adaptation of cave-dwelling tadpoles to resource scarcity

Researchers studied the gut microbiota of cave-dwelling frog tadpoles that spend three to five years developing underground in resource-scarce conditions. They found that the cave dwellers harbored unique bacterial communities enriched in enzymes for breaking down plant fibers and producing short-chain fatty acids, potentially aiding nutrition under food scarcity. The study suggests that gut microbiota play a key role in helping organisms adapt to extreme, nutrient-limited environments.

2024 The ISME Journal 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Different living environments drive deterministic microbial community assemblages in the gut of Alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster)

Researchers found that captive and wild Alpine musk deer harbor significantly different gut microbial communities, with living environment being a deterministic factor in shaping microbial assembly and diversity in this endangered ruminant.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Coexistence of specialist and generalist species within mixed plastic derivative-utilizing microbial communities

Researchers found that microbial communities breaking down plastic-derived chemicals are dominated by generalist bacteria like Rhodococcus, supported by specialist species targeting specific compounds. This division of labor could be exploited to design more effective microbial consortia for bioremediation of plastic pollution.

2023 Microbiome 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Integrated Metagenomic and Metabolomic Analysis on Two Competing Mussels, Mytella strigata and Perna viridis, in China

Researchers used integrated metagenomic and metabolomic analysis to compare the invasive mussel Mytella strigata with the native Perna viridis in China, finding that the invasive species exhibits distinct gut microbial communities and metabolic profiles that may contribute to its competitive advantage.

2024 Animals 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbiome differences between wild and aquarium whitespotted eagle rays (Aetobatus narinari)

Researchers compared the gut microbiomes of whitespotted eagle rays living in aquariums versus the wild and found significant differences in bacterial communities, though aquarium rays appeared healthy, suggesting their microbiomes adapt to managed environments without causing obvious harm.

2022 Animal Microbiome 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Evidence for strong environmental control on bacterial microbiomes of Antarctic springtails

Researchers studied the bacterial communities living inside four species of Antarctic springtails (tiny soil insects) and found that geography — where the springtails lived — was a stronger influence on their gut microbiome than which species they were. This finding helps explain how extreme environments shape the microbial ecosystems inside animals, including those exposed to microplastic contamination.

2021 Scientific Reports 21 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of food provisioning on the gut microbiota community and antibiotic resistance genes of Yunnan snub-nosed monkey

Researchers compared the gut bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys that receive supplemental food from a reserve with those of wild-foraging groups. The study found differences in microbial communities between the two groups, suggesting that food provisioning programs, while helpful for population recovery, may alter the gut health of these endangered primates.

2024 Frontiers in Microbiology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

More deterministic assembly constrains the diversity of gut microbiota in freshwater snails

Researchers compared the gut microbiota assembly processes of invasive and native freshwater snails coexisting at multiple sites in southern China. They found that invasive snails exhibited more deterministic gut microbiome assembly with lower microbial diversity, which may contribute to their competitive advantage. The study provides insights into how gut microbial community dynamics may influence the success of invasive species in freshwater ecosystems.

2024 Frontiers in Microbiology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-omics association pattern between gut microbiota and host metabolism of a filter-feeding fish in situ exposed to microplastics

Scientists exposed filter-feeding fish to environmentally realistic levels of microplastics and found that the particles reshaped gut bacteria communities, which in turn altered the fish's liver metabolism through changes in amino acid processing. This gut-microbiome-to-organ connection matters because it shows microplastics may affect human health not just through direct toxicity but by disrupting the beneficial bacteria in our digestive systems.

2025 Environment International 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological differentiation and assembly processes of abundant and rare bacterial subcommunities in karst groundwater

Researchers examined ecological differentiation between abundant and rare bacterial communities in karst groundwater in southwest China, revealing distinct assembly processes and environmental drivers that maintain ecosystem stability in these vulnerable aquifers.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota Provides Insights into High-altitude Adaptation in Rana kukunoris on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

Researchers used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize and compare the gut microbiota of the high-altitude frog Rana kukunoris on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau with two low-altitude frog species, Rana amurensis and Rana dybowskii. The comparative analysis aimed to identify microbial community differences that may reflect adaptive strategies to extreme high-altitude conditions including low oxygen and harsh temperatures.

2025 Asian Herpetological Research
Article Tier 2

Macrogenomes reveal microbial-mediated microplastic degradation pathways in the porcine gut: a hope for solving the environmental challenges of microplastics

A metagenomic study of pig gut contents found a diverse community of microorganisms harboring genes capable of breaking down multiple types of microplastics. This raises the intriguing possibility that gut microbiota in food animals may partially degrade ingested microplastics, but it also raises questions about whether breakdown products or altered microbial communities pose risks that pass up the food chain to humans.

2024 Frontiers in Microbiology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic functional activity of a landfill microbial consortium in a microplastic-enriched environment

Scientists studied soil bacteria from a decades-old landfill to understand how microbes adapt to high concentrations of polyethylene and PET microplastics. They found that multiple bacterial species work together to break down these plastics, with different roles for bacteria floating freely versus those attached to plastic surfaces. While biodegradation of microplastics is possible, it is slow, and understanding these natural processes could eventually help with cleanup efforts.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological Rolesand Shared Microbes Differentiatethe Plastisphere from Natural Particle-Associated Microbiomes in UrbanRivers

Researchers compared the microbiomes on microplastics (the 'plastisphere') versus natural particles in ten urban rivers using metagenomics, finding similar overall taxonomic and functional compositions between the two. However, the plastisphere harbored distinct specialist taxa with enhanced capacity for complex carbohydrate metabolism and unique ecological strategies.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Different Distribution of Core Microbiota in Upper Soil Layer in Two Places of North China Plain

Researchers compared the composition and distribution of core soil microbiota in upper soil layers at two locations on the North China Plain, examining how habitat and dominant plant species shape bacterial community structure relevant to nutrient cycling and carbon storage. The study found meaningful differences in microbial community composition between the two sites, reflecting local environmental influences.

2022 The Open Microbiology Journal 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Microdiversity Within Marine Bacterial Taxa: Toward an Integrated Biogeography in the Southern Ocean

Researchers used advanced sequencing techniques to study the fine-scale diversity and geographic distribution of bacteria in the Southern Ocean. Understanding ocean microbial communities is relevant to microplastic research because plastics in the ocean host distinct microbial communities that can alter local ecology.

2021 Frontiers in Microbiology 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene Terephthalate Hydrolases in Human Gut Microbiota and Their Implications for Human Health

Researchers searched the genomes of healthy human gut bacteria and discovered enzymes capable of breaking down PET, one of the most common plastics found in food and drink packaging. They identified multiple bacterial species in the human gut that produce these PET-degrading enzymes. This discovery suggests that gut microbes may play a role in processing the microplastics people swallow, though it also raises questions about whether the breakdown products could affect human health.

2024 Microorganisms 13 citations
Article Tier 2

The interplay between host-specificity and habitat-filtering influences sea cucumber microbiota across an environmental gradient of pollution

Researchers examined how environmental pollution gradients influence intra-specific variation in microbiota diversity and structure across skin, gut, sediment, and water communities associated with sea cucumbers. They found that both host-specificity and habitat-filtering interact to shape microbial communities along pollution gradients, with animal-associated microbiota showing distinct patterns compared to environmental communities.

2024
Article Tier 2

The interplay between host-specificity and habitat-filtering influences sea cucumber microbiota across an environmental gradient of pollution

Researchers studied how pollution levels along a Hong Kong coastline affect the gut and skin microbiomes — communities of bacteria living on and in organisms — of a tropical sea cucumber, finding that the animal maintains its own distinct microbial community even in highly polluted areas. This suggests sea cucumbers have strong internal mechanisms that shape their microbiome independently of the surrounding environment, which may help them survive in contaminated coastal waters.

2024 Environmental Microbiome 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut Check: Microbiota and Obesity in Mice Exposed to Polystyrene Microspheres

Researchers found that gut microbiota appeared to play a mediating role in the obesity outcomes observed in mice fed manufactured polystyrene microspheres, suggesting that microplastic-induced alterations to the gut microbiome may be a mechanism linking microplastic exposure to metabolic dysfunction and weight gain.

2024 Environmental Health Perspectives