Degradation of corn stalk by the composite microbial system of MC1

The composite microbial system of MC1 was used to degrade corn stalk in order to determine properties of the degraded products as well as bacterial composition of MC1. Results indicated that the pH of the fermentation broth was typical of lignocellulose degradation by MC1, decreasing in the early phase and increasing in later stages of the degradation. The microbial biomass peaked on the day 3 after degradation. The MC1 efficiently degraded the corn stalk by nearly 70% during which its cellulose content decreased by 71.2%, hemicellulose by 76.5% and lignin by 24.6%. The content of water-soluble carbohydrates （WSC） in the fermentation broth increased progressively during the first three days, and decreased thereafter, suggesting an accumulation of WSC in the early phase of the degradation process. Total levels of various volatile products peaked in the third day after degradation, and 7 types of volatile products were detected in the fermentation broth. These were ethanol, acetic acid, 1,2-ethanediol, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, 3- methyl-butanoic acid and glycerine. Six major compounds were quantitatively analysed and the contents of each compound were ethanol （0.584 g/L）, acetic acid （0.735 g/L）, 1,2-ethanediol （0.772 g/L）, propanoic acid （0.026 g/L）, butanoic acid （0.018 g/L） and glycerine （4.203 g/L）. Characterization of bacterial cells collected from the culture solution, based on 16S rDNA PCR-DGGE analysis of DNAs, showed that the composition of bacterial community in MC1 coincided basically with observations from previous studies. This indicated that the structure of MC1 is very stable during degradation of different lignocellulose materials.

Screening of a Composite Microbial System and Its Characteristics of Wheat Straw Degradation

To accelerate the decomposition of wheat straw directly returned to soil, we constructed a microbial system （ADS-3） from agricultural soil containing rotting straw residues using a 40-wk limited cultivation. To assess its potential use for accelerating straw decomposing, the decomposing characteristics and the microbial composition of ADS-3 were analyzed. The results indicated that it could degrade wheat straw and filter paper by 63.8 and 80%, respectively, during 15 d of incubation. Straw hemicellulose degraded dramatically 51.2% during the first 3 d, decreasing up to 73.7% by the end of incubation. Cellulose showed sustained degradation reaching 53.3% in 15 d. Peak values of xylanase and cellulase activities appeared at 3 and 11 d, with 1.32 and 0.15 U mL-1, respectively. Estimated pH averaged 6.4-7.6 during the degradation process, which approximated acidity and alkalinity of normal soils. The microbial composition of ADS-3 was stable based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） analysis. By using bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal 26S rRNA gene clone library analysis, 20 bacterial clones and 7 fungal clones were detected. Closest identified relatives of bacteria represented by Bacillus fusiformis, Cytophaga sp., uncultured Clostridiales bacterium, Ruminobacillus xylanolyticum, Clostridium hydroxybenzoicum, and uncultured proteobacterium and the fungi were mainly identified as related to Pichia sp. and uncultured fungus.

Degradation of Cry1Ab Protein Within Transgenic Bt Maize Tissue by Composite Microbial System of MC1

Environmental safety issues involved in transgenic plants have become the concern of researchers, practitioners and policy makers in recent years. Potential differences between Bt maize（ND1324 and ND2353 expressing the insecticidal Cry1Ab protein） and near-isogenic non-Bt varieties（ND1392 and ND223） in their influence on the composite microbial system of MC1 during the fermentation process were studied during 2011-2012. Cry1Ab protein in Bt maize residues didn＇t affect characteristics of lignocellulose degradation by MC1, pH of fermentation broth decreasing at initial stage and increasing at later stage of degradation. The quality of various volatile products in fermentation broth showed that no signifi cant difference of residues fermentation existed between Bt maize and non-Bt maize. During the fermentation MC1 efficiently degraded maize residues by 83%-88%, and cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin content decreased by 70%-72%, 72%-75% and 30%-37%, respectively. Besides that, no consistent difference was found between Bt and non-Bt maize residues lignocellulose degradation by MC1 during the fermentation process. MC1 degraded 88%-89% Cry1Ab protein in Bt maize residues, and in the fermentation broth of MC1 and bacteria of MC1 Cry1Ab protein was not detected. DGGE profi le analyses revealed that the microbial community drastically changed during 1-3 days and became stable until the 9th day. Though the dominant strains at different fermentation stages had signifi cantly changed, no difference on the dominant strains was observed between Bt and non-Bt maize at different stages. Our study indicated that Cry1Ab protein did not infl uence the growth characteristic of MC1.

Metagenomic Insight Reveals the Microbial Structure and Function of the Full-Scale Coking Wastewater Treatment System:Gene-Based Nitrogen Removal

Microbial communities play crucial roles in pollutant removal and system stability in biological systems for coking wastewater(CWW)treatment,but a comprehensive understanding of their structure and functions is still lacking.A five month survey of four sequential bioreactors,anoxic 1/oxic 1/anoxic 2/oxic 2(A1/O1/A2/O2),was carried out in a full-scale CWW treatment system in China to elucidate operational performance and microbial ecology.The results showed that A1/O1/A2/O2 had excellent and stable performance for nitrogen removal.Both total nitrogen(TN;(17.38±6.89)mgL1)and ammonium-nitrogen(NH4 t-N;(2.10±1.34)mg·L^(-1))in the final biological effluent satisfied the Chinese national standards for CWW.Integrated analysis of 16S ribosome RNA(rRNA)sequencing and metagenomic sequencing showed that the bacterial communities and metagenomic function profiles of A1 and O1 shared similar functional structures,while those of A2 significantly varied from those of other bioreactors(p<0.05).The results indicated that microbial activity was strongly connected with activated sludge function.Nitrosospira,Nitrosomonas,and SM1A02 were responsible for nitrification during the primary anoxic-oxic(AO)stage and Azoarcus and Thauera acted as important denitrifiers in A2.Nitrogen cycling-related enzymes and genes work in the A1/O1/A2/O2 system.Moreover,the hao genes catalyzing hydroxylamine dehydrogenase(EC 1.7.2.6)and the napA and napB genes catalyzing nitrate reductase(EC 1.9.6.1)played important roles in the nitrification and denitrification processes in the primary and secondary AO stages,respectively.The mixed liquor suspended solids(MLSS)/total solids(TS),TN removal rate(RR),total organic carbon(TOC)(RR),and NH_(4)^(+)t-N(RR)were the most important environmental factors for regulating the structure of core bacterial genera and nitrogen-cycling genes.Proteobacteria were the potential main participants in nitrogen metabolism in the A1/O1/A2/O2 system for CWW treatment.This study provides an original and comprehensive understanding of the microbial community and functions at the gene level,which is crucial for the efficient and stable operation of the full-scale biological process for CWW treatment.

The microbial community,nutrient supply and crop yields differ along a potassium fertilizer gradient under wheat-maize double-cropping systems

Soil microorganisms play critical roles in ecosystem function.However,the relative impact of the potassium(K)fertilizer gradient on the microbial community in wheat-maize double-cropping systems remains unclear.In this long-term field experiment(2008-2019),we researched bacterial and fungal diversity,composition,and community assemblage in the soil along a K fertilizer gradient in the wheat season(K0,no K fertilizer;K1,45 kg ha^(-1) K_(2)O;K_(2),90 kg ha^(-1)K_(2)O;K3,135 kg ha^(-1)K_(2)O)and in the maize season(K0,no K fertilizer;K_(1),150 kg ha^(-1) K_(2)O;K_(2),300 kg ha^(-1)K_(2)O;K_(3),450 kg ha^(-1)K_(2)O)using bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal internally transcribed spacer(ITS)data.We observed that environmental variables,such as mean annual soil temperature(MAT)and precipitation,available K,ammonium,nitrate,and organic matter,impacted the soil bacterial and fungal communities,and their impacts varied with fertilizer treatments and crop species.Furthermore,the relative abundance of bacteria involved in soil nutrient transformation(phylum Actinobacteria and class Alphaproteobacteria)in the wheat season was significantly increased compared to the maize season,and the optimal K fertilizer dosage(K2 treatment)boosted the relative bacterial abundance of soil nutrient transformation(genus Lactobacillus)and soil denitrification(phylum Proteobacteria)bacteria in the wheat season.The abundance of the soil bacterial community promoting root growth and nutrient absorption(genus Herbaspirillum)in the maize season was improved compared to the wheat season,and the K2 treatment enhanced the bacterial abundance of soil nutrient transformation(genus MND1)and soil nitrogen cycling(genus Nitrospira)genera in the maize season.The results indicated that the bacterial and fungal communities in the double-cropping system exhibited variable sensitivities and assembly mechanisms along a K fertilizer gradient,and microhabitats explained the largest amount of the variation in crop yields,and improved wheat?maize yields by 11.2-22.6 and 9.2-23.8%with K addition,respectively.These modes are shaped contemporaneously by the different meteorological factors and soil nutrient changes in the K fertilizer gradients.

Microbial metabolic interaction in fermentation ecosystem and cooperation in flavor compounds formation of Chinese cereal vinegar

Shanxi aged vinegar(SAV)is a famous cereal vinegar in China,which is produced through a solid-state fermentation where diverse microbes spontaneously and complex interactions occur.Here,combined with the metatranscriptomics,the microbial co-occurrence network was constructed,indicating that Lactobacillus,Acetobacter and Pediococcus are the most critical genera to maintain the fermentation stability.Based on an extensive collection of 264 relevant literatures,a transport network containing 2271 reactions between microorganisms and compounds was constructed,showing that glucose(84%of all species),fructose(67%)and maltose(67%)are the most frequently utilized substrates while lactic acid(64%),acetic acid(45%)are the most frequently occurring metabolites.Specifically,the metabolic influence of species pairs was calculated using a mathematical calculation model and the metabolic influence network was constructed.The topology properties analysis found that Lactobacillus was the key role with robust metabolic control of vinegar fermentation ecosystem and acetic acid and lactic acid were the main metabolites with feedback regulation in microbial metabolism of SAV.Furthermore,systematic coordination of positive and negative impacts was proved to be inevitable to form flavor compounds and maintain a natural microbial ecosystem.This study provides a new perspective for understanding microbial interactions in fermented food.

Screening and field application of microbial-flooding activator systems

This study aims to further enhance the oil recovery of reservoirs in the Zhong-2 Block of the Gudao Oilfield by identifying the most effective microbial-flooding activator systems and applying them in the field.We began by analyzing the structure of the reservoirs'endogenous microbial communities to understand the potential impact of microbial flooding.This was followed by determining commonly used activator systems based on their abilities to stimulate oil-displacement functional bacteria.Through laboratory experiments on oil displacement efficiency and sweep characteristics,we determined the optimal activator injection method(injection ratio)and the requisite bacterial concentration for maximal microbial-flooding efficacy.Finally,we selected the optimal activator systems and applied them to field tests.Our findings suggest the target block is highly receptive to microbial-flooding.In terms of performance,the activator systems ranked as No.3>No.4>No.1>No.2.Interestingly,a deep activator system,when compared to the top-performing No.3 system,exhibited a higher bacterial concentration peak and longer peaking duration.Optimal oil displacement effects were observed at a 1:4 vol ratio between the No.3 activator and deep activator systems,with bacterial concentrations of up to 106 cells/mL or above.Field tests with the selected activator systems,following a specific injection protocol,demonstrated a notable increase in oil production and a reduction in water cut.

Metabolic flux simulation of microbial systems based on optimal planning algorithms

The genomic scale metabolic networks of the microorganisms can be constructed based on their genome se-quences,functional annotations,and biochemical reactions,reflecting almost all of the metabolic functions.Mathematical simulations of metabolic fluxes could make these functions be visualized,thereby providing guidance for rational engineering design and experimental operations.This review summarized recently devel-oped flux simulation algorithms of microbial systems.For the single microbial systems,the optimal planning algorithm has low complexity because there is no interaction between microorganisms,and it can quickly simulate the stable metabolic states through the pseudo-steady hypothesis.Besides,the experimental conditions of single microbial systems are easier to reach or close to the optimal states of simulation,compared with pol-ymicrobial systems.The polymicrobial culture systems could outcompete the single microbial systems as they could relieve metabolic pressure through metabolic division,resource exchange,and complex substrate co-utilization.Besides,they provide varieties of intracellular production environments,which render them the po-tential to achieve efficient bioproduct synthesis.However,due to the quasi-steady hypothesis that restricts the simulation of the dynamic processes of microbial interactions and the algorithm complexity,there are few re-searches on simulation algorithms of polymicrobial metabolic fluxes.Therefore,this review also analyzed and combed the microbial interactions based on the commonly used hypothesis of maximizing growth rates,and studied the strategies of coupling interactions with optimal planning simulations for metabolism.Finally,this review provided new insights into the genomic scale metabolic flux simulations of polymicrobial systems.

Immobilization techniques for beverage production using yeast cell systems: challenges, types, and future perspectives - a mini review

Yeast immobilization is a process of physical entrapment of yeast cells using different techniques while maintaining their biological activity.Continuous fermentation systems have significant advantages over conventional methods.Research highlights that immobilized yeast cell systems have several benefits as compared to free yeast cells.The immobilized yeast cell systems improve fermentation rates,especially when paired with continuous fermentation and appropriate immobilization techniques.Understanding various immobilization techniques,continuous fermentation processes,yeast metabolic activity related to beverage flavor production,and bioreactor designs is vital for optimizing the use of immobilized yeast cells systems on industrial scale.This review provides an overview of recent basic research on immobilized yeast cell systems,with a focus on continuous beverage fermentation.In this study,different reactor configurations and immobilization techniques are explored.The study focus on the impacts of immobilization on the yeast cells,and discuss the recent advancements in these techniques.The review concludes with a discussion on the practical applications of immobilized yeast cells and continuous fermentation in beverage production.

Scalability of biomass-derived graphene derivative materials as viable anode electrode for a commercialized microbial fuel cell: A systematic review

Microbial fuel cell(MFC) is an advanced bioelectrochemical technique that can utilize biomass materials in the process of simultaneously generating electricity and biodegrading or bio transforming toxic pollutants from wastewater. The overall performance of the system is largely dependent on the efficiency of the anode electrode to enhance electron transportation. Furthermore, the anode electrode has a significant impact on the overall cost of MFC setup. Hence, the need to explore research focused towards developing cost-effective material as anode in MFC. This material must also have favourable properties for electron transportation. Graphene oxide(GO) derivatives and its modification with nanomaterials have been identified as a viable anode material. Herein, we discussed an economically effective strategy for the synthesis of graphene derivatives from waste biomass materials and its subsequent fabrication into anode electrode for MFC applications. This review article offers a promising approach towards replacing commercial graphene materials with biomass-derived graphene derivatives in a view to achieve a sustainable and commercialized MFC.

Metagenomic analysis revealing the metabolic role of microbial communities in the free amino acid biosynthesis of Monascus rice vinegar during fermentation

Free amino acid(FAA)is the important component of vinegar that infl uences quality perception and consumer acceptance.FAA is one of the major metabolites produced by microorganisms;however,the microbial metabolic network on FAA biosynthesis remains unclear.Through metagenomic analysis,this work aimed to elucidate the roles of microbes in FAA biosynthesis during Monascus rice vinegar fermentation.Taxonomic profiles from functional analyses showed 14 dominant genera with high contributions to the metabolism pathways.The metabolic network for FAA biosynthesis was then constructed,and the microbial distribution in different metabolic pathways was illuminated.The results revealed that 5 functional genera were closely involved in FAA biosynthesis.This study illuminated the metabolic roles of microorganisms in FAA biosynthesis and provided crucial insights into the functional attributes of microbiota in vinegar fermentation.

Investigates of substrate mingling ratio and organic loading rate of KOH pretreated corn stover and pig manure in batch and semi-continuous system:Anaerobic digestion performance and microbial characteristics

The effects of substrate mingling ratio(SMR)(1:1,1:2,1:3,3:1,and 2:1)and organic loading rate(OLR)(50-90 g total solids per liter per day)on anaerobic co-digestion performance and microbial characteristics were investigated for pig manure(PM)and pretreated/untreated corn stover in batch and semicontinuous anaerobic digestion(AD)system.The results showed that SMR and pretreatment affected co-digestion performance.The maximum cumulative methane yield of 428.5 ml·g^(-1)(based on volatile solids(VS))was obtained for PCP13,which was 35.7%and 40.0%higher than that of CSU and PM.In the first 5 days,the maximum methane yield improvement rate was 378.1%for PCP13.The daily methane yield per gram VS of PCP13 was 11.4%-18.5%higher than that of PC_(U)13.Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1,DMER64,and Bacteroides and Methanosaeta,Methanobacterium,and Methanospirillum had higher relative abundance at the genus level.Therefore,SMR and OLR are important factor affecting the AD process,and OLR can affect methane production through volatile fatty acids.

Effect of powdery mildew on interleaf microbial communities and leaf antioxidant enzyme systems

Chinese peony(Paeonia lactiflora Pall.)is both medicinally and aesthetically beneficial.Powdery mildew is a common fungal disease that seriously jeopardizes the value of numerous species,including peonies as a crop.In order to provide a basis for the prevention and treatment of peony powdery mildew,we examined the microbial diversity,the malondialdehyde(MDA)concentrations and antioxidant enzyme activities of peony leaves infected with three levels of powdery mildew to determine any modifications to the leaf's antioxidant enzyme systems and microbial community structure following the onset of disease.The results show that the MDA content rose as the degree of infection became worse.Antioxidant enzyme activity rose and then declined.Following the initiation of powdery mildew,fungal community diversity decreased,whereas there was not any appreciable change in bacterial communities according to microbial diversity sequencing.The relative abundance of more than half of fungal species decreased,with the bacterial genera displaying both abundant and diminished communities with less pronounced alterations in their community structure after the disease spread.Significant different taxa that were critical to the organization of each microbiome were found.Correlation analysis showed that the relative abundance of powdery mildew pathogenic fungal genus Erysiphe was correlated with those of 11 fungal genera and one bacterial genus.Among them,Aureobasidium,Neosetophoma and Sclerostagonospora showed significant positive correlations with Erysiphe and MDA.

Coupled multiphysical model for investigation of influence factors in the application of microbially induced calcite precipitation

The study presents a comprehensive coupled thermo-bio-chemo-hydraulic(T-BCH)modeling framework for stabilizing soils using microbially induced calcite precipitation(MICP).The numerical model considers relevant multiphysics involved in MICP,such as bacterial ureolytic activities,biochemical reactions,multiphase and multicomponent transport,and alteration of the porosity and permeability.The model incorporates multiphysical coupling effects through well-established constitutive relations that connect parameters and variables from different physical fields.It was implemented in the open-source finite element code OpenGeoSys(OGS),and a semi-staggered solution strategy was designed to solve the couplings,allowing for flexible model settings.Therefore,the developed model can be easily adapted to simulate MICP applications in different scenarios.The numerical model was employed to analyze the effect of various factors,including temperature,injection strategies,and application scales.Besides,a TBCH modeling study was conducted on the laboratory-scale domain to analyze the effects of temperature on urease activity and precipitated calcium carbonate.To understand the scale dependency of MICP treatment,a large-scale heterogeneous domain was subjected to variable biochemical injection strategies.The simulations conducted at the field-scale guided the selection of an injection strategy to achieve the desired type and amount of precipitation.Additionally,the study emphasized the potential of numerical models as reliable tools for optimizing future developments in field-scale MICP treatment.The present study demonstrates the potential of this numerical framework for designing and optimizing the MICP applications in laboratory-,prototype-,and field-scale scenarios.

Recent progress in microbial cell surface display systems and their application on biosensors

Microbial cell surface display technology is a recombinant technology to express target proteins on the cell membrane,which can be used to redesign the cell surface with functional proteins and peptides.Bacterial and yeast surface display systems are the most common cell surface display systems of prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins,that are widely applied as the core elements in the field of biosensors due to their advantages,including enhanced stability,high yield,good safety,expression of larger and more complex proteins.To further promote the performance of biosensors,the biomineralized microbial surface display technology was proposed.This review summarized the different microbial surface display systems and the biomineralized surface display systems,where the mechanisms of surface display and biomineralization were introduced.Then we described the recent progress of their applications on biosensors for different types of detection targets.Finally,the outlooks and tendencies were discussed and forecasted with the expectation to provide some general functions and enlightenments to this aspect of research.

Afforestation increases microbial diversity in low-carbon soils

Afforestation has an important role in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem function improvement.A meta-analysis was carried out in China,which has the largest plantation area globally,to quantify the effects of plantings on soil microbial diversity.The results showed that the overall effect of afforestation on soil microbial diversity was positive across the country.Random forest algorithm suggested that soil carbon was the most important factor regulating microbial diversity and the positive response was only found with new plantings on low-carbon bare lands but not on high-carbon farmlands and grasslands.In addition,afforestation with broadleaved species increased microbial diversity,whereas planting with conifers had no effect on microbial diversity.This study clarified the effects of plantings on soil microbial diversity,which has an important implication for establishing appropriate policies and practices to improve the multiple functionalities(e.g.,biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation)during plantation establishment.

Afforestation with an age-sequence of Mongolian pine plantation promotes soil microbial residue accumulation in the Horqin Sandy Land, China

Land use change affects the balance of organic carbon(C)reserves and the global C cycle.Microbial residues are essential constituents of stable soil organic C(SOC).However,it remains unclear how microbial residue changes over time following afforestation.In this study,16-,23-,52-,and 62-year-old Mongolian pine stands and 16-year-old cropland were studied in the Horqin Sandy Land,China.We analyzed changes in SOC,amino sugar content,and microbial parameters to assess how microbial communities influence soil C transformation and preservation.The results showed that SOC storage increased with stand age in the early stage of afforestation but remained unchanged at about 1.27-1.29 kg/m2 after 52 a.Moreover,there were consistent increases in amino sugars and microbial residues with increasing stand age.As stand age increased from 16 to 62 a,soil pH decreased from 6.84 to 5.71,and the concentration of total amino sugars increased from 178.53 to 509.99 mg/kg.A significant negative correlation between soil pH and the concentration of specific and total amino sugars was observed,indicating that the effects of soil acidification promote amino sugar stabilization during afforestation.In contrast to the Mongolian pine plantation of the same age,the cropland accumulated more SOC and microbial residues because of fertilizer application.Across Mongolian pine plantation with different ages,there was no significant change in calculated contribution of bacterial or fungal residues to SOC,suggesting that fungi were consistently the dominant contributors to SOC with increasing time.Our results indicate that afforestation in the Horqin Sandy Land promotes efficient microbial growth and residue accumulation in SOC stocks and has a consistent positive impact on SOC persistence.

Spatiotemporal variations of sand hydraulic conductivity by microbial application methods

The spatiotemporal distributions of microbes in soil by different methods could affect the efficacy of the microbes to reduce the soil hydraulic conductivity.In this study,the specimens of bio-mediated sands were prepared using three different methods,i.e.injecting,mixing,and pouring a given microbial so-lution onto compacted sand specimens.The hydraulic conductivity was measured by constant-head tests,while any soil microstructural changes due to addition of the microbes were observed by scan-ning electron microscope(SEM)and mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)tests.The amount of dextran concentration produced by microbes in each type of specimen was quantified by a refractometer.Results show that dextran production increased exponentially after 5-7 d of microbial settling with the supply of culture medium.The injection and mixing methods resulted in a similar amount and uniform dis-tribution of dextran in the specimens.The pouring method,however,produced a nonuniform distri-bution,with a higher concentration near the specimen surface.As the supply of culture medium discontinued,the dextran content near the surface produced by the pouring method decreased dramatically due to high competition for nutrients with foreign colonies.Average dextran concentration was negatively and correlated with hydraulic conductivity of bio-mediated soils exponentially,due to the clogging of large soil pores by dextran.The hydraulic conductivity of the injection and mixing cases did not change significantly when the supply of culture medium was absent.

Dietary eubiotics of microbial muramidase and glycan improve intestinal villi,ileum microbiota composition and production trait of broiler

Background Optimal gut health is important to maximize growth performance and feed efficiency in broiler chickens.A total of 1,365 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into 5 treatments groups with 21 replicates,13 birds per replicate.The present research investigated effects of microbial muramidase or a precision glycan alone or in combination on growth performance,apparent total tract digestibility,total blood carotenoid content,intestinal villus length,meat quality and gut microbiota in broiler chickens.Treatments included:NC:negative control(basal diet group);PC:positive control(basal diet+0.02%probiotics);MR:basal diet+0.035%microbial muramidase;PG:basal diet+0.1%precision glycan;and MRPG:basal diet+0.025%MR+0.1%PG,respectively.Results MRPG group increased the body weight gain and feed intake(P<0.05)compared with NC group.Moreover,it significantly increased total serum carotenoid(P<0.05)and MRPG altered the microbial diversity in ileum contents.The MRPG treatment group increased the abundance of the phylum Firmicutes,and family Lachnospiraceae,Ruminococcaceae,Oscillospiraceae,Lactobacillaceae,Peptostreptococcaceae and decreased the abundance of the phylum Campilobacterota,Bacteroidota and family Bacteroidaceae.Compared with the NC group,the chickens fed MRPG showed significantly increased in duodenum villus length at end the trial.Conclusion In this study,overall results showed that the synergetic effects of MR and PG showed enhancing growth performance,total serum carotenoid level and altering gut microbiota composition of broilers.The current research indicates that co-supplementation of MR and PG in broiler diets enhances intestinal health,consequently leading to an increased broiler production.

Characteristics of the microbial communities regulate soil multi-functionality under different cover crop amendments in Ultisol

The use of cover crops is a promising strategy for influencing the soil microbial consortium,which is essential for the delivery of multiple soil functions(i.e.,soil multifunctionality).Nonetheless,relatively little is known about the role of the soil microbial consortium in mediating soil multifunctionality under different cover crop amendments in dryland Ultisols.Here,we assessed the multifunctionality of soils subjected to four cover crop amendments(control,non-amended treatment;RD,radish monoculture;HV,hairy vetch monoculture;and RDHV,radish-hairy vetch mixture),and we investigated the contributions of soil microbial richness,network complexity,and ecological clusters to soil multifunctionality.Our results demonstrated that cover crops whose chemical composition differed from that of the main plant crop promoted higher multifunctionality,and the radish-hairy vetch mixture rendered the highest enhancement.We obtained evidence that changes in soil microbial richness and network complexity triggered by the cover crops were associated with higher soil multifunctionality.Specifically,specialized microbes in a key ecological cluster(ecological cluster 2)of the soil microbial network were particularly important for maintaining soil multifunctionality.Our results highlight the importance of cover crop-induced variations in functionally important taxa for promoting the soil multifunctionality of dryland Ultisols.