abstract: Water contamination with nitrate (NO3−) (from fertilizers) and perchlorate (ClO4−) (from rocket fuel and explosives) is a widespread environmental problem. I employed the Membrane Biofilm Reactor (MBfR), a novel bioremediation technology, to treat NO3− and ClO4− in the presence of naturally occurring sulfate (SO42−). In the MBfR, bacteria reduce oxidized pollutants that act as electron acceptors, and they grow as a biofilm on the outer surface of gas-transfer membranes that deliver the electron donor (hydrogen gas, (H2). The overarching objective of my research was to achieve a comprehensive understanding of ecological interactions among key microbial members in the MBfR when treating polluted water with NO3− and ClO4− in the presence of SO42−. First, I characterized competition and co-existence between denitrifying bacteria (DB) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) when the loading of either the electron donor or electron acceptor was varied. Then, I assessed the microbial community structure of biofilms mostly populated by DB and SRB, linking structure with function based on the electron-donor bioavailability and electron-acceptor loading. Next, I introduced ClO4− as a second oxidized contaminant and discovered that SRB harm the performance of perchlorate-reducing bacteria (PRB) when the aim is complete ClO4− destruction from a highly contaminated groundwater. SRB competed too successfully for H2 and space in the biofilm, forcing the PRB to unfavorable zones in the biofilm. To better control SRB, I tested a two-stage MBfR for total ClO4− removal from a groundwater highly contaminated with ClO4−. I document successful remediation of ClO4− after controlling SO4 2− reduction by restricting electron-donor availability and increasing the acceptor loading to the second stage reactor. Finally, I evaluated the performance of a two-stage pilot MBfR treating water polluted with NO3− and ClO4−, and I provided a holistic understanding of the microbial community structure and diversity. In summary, the microbial community structure in the MBfR contributes to and can be used to explain/predict successful or failed water bioremediation. Based on this understanding, I developed means to manage the microbial community to achieve desired water-decontamination results. This research shows the benefits of looking "inside the box" for "improving the box". / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Sustainability 2014

A correta adoção de medidas de manejo de resistência de insetos-pragas é motivo de preocupação constante, inclusive para as novas tecnologias disponíveis, como as plantas geneticamente modificadas para a expressão de toxinas da bactéria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Portanto, para manter a eficiência das plantas-Bt comercialmente disponíveis, é preconizada a manutenção de áreas de refúgio (livres de plantas Bt) para evitar a rápida seleção de insetos resistentes. No caso de insetos polífagos, a determinação das áreas de refúgio pode levar em consideração a contribuição que fontes não-comerciais e/ou não-transgênicas têm na produção de adultos colonizadores que não sofreram seleção para o evento de transgenia de interesse. A identificação da fonte alimentar pode determinar a procedência de insetos e tornar mais eficiente e segura a implementação de zonas de refúgio e a determinação dos riscos de desenvolvimento de resistência pelo inseto-praga alvo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi o de avaliar o potencial de dois marcadores biológicos, a assinatura isotópica e a microbiota intestinal, para a identificação da fonte de alimento do imaturo pela análise de adultos de Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), como subsídio para o monitoramento da origem de insetos migrantes em áreas de cultivo Bt para a adoção de estratégias adequadas de manejo de resistência. A análise isotópica de adultos foi realizada utilizando-se insetos criados em 12 plantas hospedeiras distintas, seis de metabolismo C3 e seis de metabolismo C4. Parte dos adultos provenientes dessa criação foram liofilizados, macerados e submetidos à análise isotópica para a determinação dos níveis de ?13C e ?15N. Amostras das plantas utilizadas na alimentação desses insetos também foram submetidas ao mesmo processo de análise. A outra parte dos adultos recémemergidos de S. frugiperda foi utilizada para a determinação da microbiota intestinal pela análise de região do gene do 16S rRNA após sequenciamento em plataforma 454. Os resultados da análise isotópica de carbono para as plantas utilizadas como fonte alimentar apresentaram médias entre -31,37? e -25,07? para plantas C3 e entre -13,03? e -12,26? para plantas C4. Adultos de S. frugiperda oriundos de lagartas criadas em plantas do grupo C3 apresentaram média de ?13C entre - 30,36? e -23,72?, enquanto aqueles do grupo C4 apresentaram média entre - 18,25? e -13,28?. O sequenciamento da microbiota via metagenômica produziu 126,970 sequências com cerca de 421 pb. O alimento influenciou substancialmente a diversidade da microbiota intestinal associada ao intestino de adultos, independentemente do metabolismo fotossintético da planta hospedeira. Análises comparativas de diversidade em que a abundância relativa dos diferentes componentes foi considerada (Unifrac ponderado) permitiu a distinção de praticamente todas as microbiotas. Foram identificadas várias UTOs exclusivamente associadas à microbiota intestinal de adultos provenientes de cada fonte de alimento, mas a maioria apresentou abundância relativa extremamente baixa. Apenas as UTOs 1199 e 2255 foram exclusivamente associados ao milho com abundância relativa superior a 2,5%. / The correct insect resistant management has been a topic of constant concern, even for the newer technologies available, such as genetically modified crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins. The use of refuge areas with non-Bt crops to avoid the fast selection for resistant insects is proposed for maintaining the efficiency of Bt-crops. The implementation of refuge areas for polyphagous insects can consider non-commercial and non-Bt crops as sources of susceptible insects. The identification of the food source used during immature development can make the implementation of refuge areas safer and more efficient and allow for better estimates of risk assessment for insect resistance development. The objective of this study is to determine the potential use of, the isotopic signature and gut microbiota of adults as biological markers to allow for the identification of the food source during the larval stage of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). Adults were obtained from larval rearing on 12 food sources, six host-plants with a C3 photosynthetic metabolism and six host-plants with a C4 metabolism. Part of the adults obtained and the food source used during their immature development were lyophilized and macerated, and subjected to ?13C e ?15N isotopic analysis. The remaining adults of S. frugiperda were used to determine the composition of the gut microbiota by metagenomic analysis of the V1-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene using a 454 sequencing platform. The carbon isotopic signatures obtained for the hostplants used as food source were between -31.37? and -25.07? for C3 plants, and - 13.03? and -12.26? for C4 plants. Adults of S. frugiperda obtained from larval rearing on C3 plants had a carbon isotopic signature between -30.36? and -23.72?, while those from C4 host-plants has between -18.25? and -13.28?. The metagenomic sequencing yielded 126,970 reads with an average of 421bp. The larval food source substantially influenced the diversity of the adult gut microbiota regardless of the plant\'s photosynthesis metabolism. Comparative analysis among gut microbiota in which the relative abundance was taken into account (weight- Unifrac) allowed the discrimination of the majority of the communities. Several OTUs were identified as exclusive to the adult gut microbiota from different food sources, but most of these OTUs were minor components of the community. OTUs 1199 and 2255, both exclusively associated with corn, were the only ones to represent at least 2.5% of their community.

Alquilbenzeno linear sulfonado (LAS) é um surfactante presente em água residuária de lavanderia. Em virtude da complexidade de sua degradação, o presente estudo envolveu a análise de alguns fatores, destacando-se: diversidade de co-substratos; tempo de detenção hidráulico (TDH); e concentração de co-substratos. Avaliou-se a degradação de LAS com diferentes co-substratos (metanol, etanol e extrato de levedura) em reator UASB, em TDH de 24 h e 14±2 mg/L de LAS. A influência de TDH e concentração de co-substratos foram analisadas em sete reatores UASB, com 12±3 mg/L de LAS; TDH de 6, 35 e 80 h, e diferentes concentrações de co-substratos (etanol, metanol e extrato de levedura), expressada pela carga orgânica específica (COE), entre 0,03 e 0,18 gDQO/gSTV.d. Ao final, avaliou-se a degradação de LAS em água residuária de lavanderia diluída, nessa mesma configuração de reator com TDH de 35 h e 10±5 mg/L de LAS. Em todos os ensaios foi utilizado inóculo granulado proveniente de reator UASB empregado no tratamento de água residuária de abatedouro de aves, mantendo-se intacta a forma granulada. No ensaio variando co-substratos, observou-se maior remoção de LAS (50%) na presença de co-substrato complexo (extrato de levedura) que na presença de metanol e etanol (29-41%). Diferença pouco significativa entre as comunidades do domínio Archaea e Bacteria (cerca de 60 e 40%, respectivamente) foi observada na presença de diferentes co-substratos, mediante análise de hibridação fluorescente in situ (fluorescent in situ hybridization FISH). Verificou-se maior influência da concentração de co-substratos na degradação de LAS, seguida pelo TDH. Aplicando a menor COE (0,03 gDQO/gSTV.d), obteve-se alta degradação de LAS (76%), enquanto nos reatores variando TDH foram observadas eficiências de 18% (6 h), 37-53% (35 h) e 55% (80 h). Nos reatores variando TDH e concentração de co-substratos, observou-se significativa remoção de LAS no separador de fases (20-53%; na manta de lodo observou-se 13-43%), relacionada à baixa concentração de co-substratos e condição anaeróbia facultativa nessa região. Por meio da técnica de PCR-DGGE (polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) nas amostras do ensaio variando TDH e concentração de co-substratos, verificou-se maior coeficiente de similaridade na manta de lodo (Archaea: 70-90%; Bacteria: 69-83%), devido à estrutura de grânulo do inóculo utilizado. Verificou-se alta degradação de LAS (82%) no reator com água de lavanderia, atribuída à diversidade de co-substratos (12 ácidos orgânicos voláteis detectados) e à concentração baixa desses co-substratos (COE: 0,03 gDQO/gSTV.d). Mediante análise de pirosequenciamento da região do RNAr 16S de amostras do ensaio com água residuária de lavanderia foram encontrados 147 gêneros, dos quais 32 foram relacionados com a degradação de LAS (gêneros capazes de degradar compostos aromáticos, dessulfonação, e -oxidação). Observou-se significativa abundância relativa (>1%) dos seguintes gêneros relacionados com a degradação de LAS: Comamonas, Dechloromonas, Desulfovibrio, Gemmatimonas, Holophoga, Parvibaculum, Pseudomonas, Rhodanobacter, Sporomusa, Synergistes e Zoogloea. No separador de fases do reator com água de lavanderia, a alta remoção de LAS (90%) e a abundância relativa dos gêneros aeróbios (23%) e anaeróbios (6%) relacionados com a degradação de LAS corroboraram a relação entre remoção de LAS e condição anaeróbia facultativa / Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) is a surfactant present in laundry wastewater. Due to the complexity of its degradation, the present study involved the analysis of some features, highlighting: co-substrates diversity; hydraulic retention time (HRT); and co-substrates concentration. The LAS degradation with different co-substrates (methanol, ethanol and yeast extract) was evaluated in UASB reactor, at HRT of 24 h and LAS 14±2 mg/L. The influence of HRT and concentration of co-substrates was analyzed in seven UASB reactors, with LAS 12±3 mg/L; the HRT was 6, 35 and 80 h, and different concentration of co-substrates (methanol, ethanol and yeast extract), as specific organic load rate (SOLR) between 0.03 and 0.18 gCOD/gTVS.d. At the end, the LAS degradation was performed in UASB reactor fed with diluted laundry wastewater, at HRT of 35 h and LAS 10±5 mg/L. In all assays was used a granular inoculum from a UASB reactor employed in treatment of wastewater from poultry slaughterhouse, maintaining the granular form. In the assay varying the co-substrates, it was observed greater LAS removal (50%) in the presence of complex co-substrate (yeast extract) than in the presence of methanol and ethanol (removal: 29-41%). Insignificant difference between the communities from Archaea and Bacteria domain (about 60 and 40%, respectively) was observed in the presence of different co-substrates, according to the fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. It was verified greater influence of cosubstrates concentration than the HRT in the LAS degradation. At the lowest SOLR (0.03 gCOD/gTVS.d), high LAS degradation (76%) was obtained while in the reactors varying the HRT were observed efficiencies of 18% (6 h), 37-53% (35 h) and 55% (80 h). In the reactors varying the HRT and concentration of co-substrates, a significant LAS removal rate (20-53%; in the sludge blanket the rate was 13-43%) was observed in the phase separator, related to the low concentration of co-substrates and the anaerobic facultative condition in this region. By the PCR-DGGE (polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) technique of samples from the assay varying the HRT and concentration of co-substrates, it was verified great similarity coefficient in the sludge blanket (Archaea: 70-90%; Bacteria: 69- 83%) due to the granule structure of the inoculum used. High LAS degradation (82%) was verified in the reactor with laundry wastewater, which was attributed to the diversity of cosubstrates (12 organic volatile acids detected) and the low concentration of co-substrates (SOLR: 0.03 gCOD/gTVS.d). By pyrosequencing analysis of 16S RNAr genes in the samples from assay with laundry wastewater, it was found 147 genus, which 32 were related to the LAS degradation (genus able to degrade aromatic compounds, desulfonation, and - oxidation). A significant relative abundance (>1%) was observed in the following genus related to the degradation of LAS: Comamonas, Dechloromonas, Desulfovibrio, Gemmatimonas, Holophoga, Parvibaculum, Pseudomonas, Rhodanobacter, Sporomusa, Synergistes and Zoogloea. In the phases separator of the reactor with laundry wastewater, the high LAS removal (90%) and the relative abundance of genus aerobic (23%) and anaerobic (6%) related to the degradation of LAS corroborated the relation between LAS removal and the anaerobic facultative condition

O guaraná, Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis, espécie nativa do Brasil é uma cultura de relevância para o país, principalmente nos estados da Bahia e Amazonas. O fruto contém substâncias estimulantes, como a cafeína, que conferem ao guaraná um grande potencial exploratório, visto que esta é uma das substâncias estimulantes mais consumidas no mundo. Apesar de sua importância, a cultura do guaraná é pouco estudada, portanto pouco se sabe sobre sua genética e as interações microbianas existentes, tanto em relação aos microrganismos endofíticos e epifíticos, quanto em relação aos patógenos. De tal forma que a cultura do guaraná na região Amazônica vem sendo afetada por condições fitossanitárias desfavoráveis, como a presença do fungo do gênero Colletotrichum, causador da antracnose, doença considerada uma ameaça à produção comercial do guaraná. Assim, visando compreender a dinâmica envolvida na interação planta - microrganismos e o possível controle da antracnose, o presente trabalho acessou a comunidade bacteriana associada às folhas com e sem sintomas de antracnose, de forma independente e dependente de cultivo; bem como, investigou o potencial biotecnológico e de biocontrole dos isolados bacterianos. A comunidade bacteriana acessada de forma dependente e independente de cultivo apresentaram similaridades, como maior valor de riqueza e menor diversidade bacteriana em folhas assintomáticas, quando comparadas com folhas sintomáticas, e com relação ao filo Proteobacteria, mais abundantemente acessado nas duas comunidades. Comparações realizadas com isolados bacterianos acessados epi e endofiticamente de folhas com e sem sintoma da antracnose apontaram que o aparecimento da doença antracnose na folha pareceu ser o fator que mais influenciou na estrutura da comunidade bacteriana. Com relação às diferenças entre tecidos sintomáticos e assintomáticos, foi possível identificar alguns gêneros abundantes mais frequentemente acessados em plantas sintomáticas, sendo que os gêneros Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas e Pantoea foram acessados em grande frequência tanto de forma dependente como independente de cultivo. Porém, de forma independente de cultivo foram acessados outros táxons abundantes que diferiram significativamente entre as plantas, sendo que folhas sintomáticas apresentaram Acinetobacter, Acidobacter_GP1 e Sphingobacteria, e em folhas assintomáticas foram acessados os táxons Methylobacterium, Beijerinckia, Bacilli e um grupo de Rhizobiales não classificados. Além disto, os microrganismos endofíticos e epifíticos cultivados foram testados com o fitopatógeno Colletotrichum sp. em ensaios de antagonismos, sendo que isolados do gênero Bacillus, Stenotrophomonas, Pantoea, Erwinia, Entereobacter, Pseudomonas, entre outros, apresentaram inibição do crescimento do fungo fitopatogênico. As bactérias cultivadas ainda foram testadas quanto ao potencial biotecnológico de produção de enzimas hidrolíticas e sideróforo. Muitos isolados apresentaram produção de protease e sideróforo. Foi possível também correlacionar a produção das enzimas amilase, lipase e poligalacturanase com os isolados provenientes de tecidos sintomáticos. / Guarana, Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis, is a native culture of Brazil that has relevance to the country, mainly in the states of Bahia and Amazonas. The fruit contains stimulants substances, such as caffeine, that gives a high exploration potential to the culture, since this is one of the most consumed stimulant substance in the world. Despite its importance, the culture of guarana hasnt gotten much of attention, and little is known about its genetics and microbial interactions with both epiphytic and endophytic microorganisms, and in relation to pathogens. So, the guarana culture in the Amazon region has been affected by bad phytosanitary conditions, such as the presence of the fungi Colletotrichum, which causes anthracnose disease thats considered a threat to guarana commercial production. Thus, to understand the dynamics involved in the interaction plant-microorganism and the possible control of anthracnose, this study accessed the bacterial community associated to leaves with and without anthracnose symptoms, combining culture-dependent and -independent methodologies and also investigated the biotechnology potential and biocontrol of culture-dependent bacteria. The bacterial community accessed by culture-dependent and -independent manner presented similarities, both presented higher bacterial richness but lower bacterial diversity in asymptomatic leaves when compared with symptomatic leaves, and both communities presented the Proteobacteria phylum as the most abundant one. Comparisons between the endophytic and epiphytic bacterial isolates associated with leaves with and without anthracnose symptoms showed that the onset of anthracnose disease on leaf seemed to be the most important factor that modified the bacterial community structure. Regarding the differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic tissue it was possible to identify some genera most frequently accessed in symptomatic plants such as Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas and Pantoea accessed in both culture-dependent and independent methodologies. However, the cultureindependent approach of bacterial accessed others abundants taxa that differed significantly between plants. Symptomatic leaves showed Acinetobacter, Acidobacter_GP1 and Sphingobacteria and asymptomatic leaves presented taxa Methylobacterium, Beijerinckia, group Bacilli and a group of unclassified Rhizobiales. In addition, endophytic and epiphytic isolates microorganisms were tested with the pathogen Colletotrichum sp. in antagonism assays, and isolates from the genus Bacillus, Stenotrophomonas, Pantoea, Erwinia, Entereobacter, Pseudomonas, and others, showed inhibition of growth of the fungus. The bacterial isolates were also tested for production of hydrolytic enzymes and siderophore. Many isolates showed protease and siderophore production. It was possible to correlate the production of amylase, lipase and poligalacturanase with isolates from symptomatic tissue.

The sea surface microlayer is a millimeter-scale interfacial layer between the atmosphere and the ocean. A number of studies have suggested that there is a unique ecosystem for marine bacteria in the sea surface microlayer, but little information exists on the microbial community composition of this ecosystem due to sampling complexities. In this work, we present an improved method to sample and compare the bacterial diversity of the sea surface microlayer with that of subsurface water at the same site. Bacterial samples were collected from the sea surface microlayer with a sampling method, which minimized sample contamination from the research platform and the subsurface water. Sampling was conducted using a polycarbonate membrane filter to obtain the bacterial community structure at open water and coastal water sites in the Straits of Florida. The microlayer sampling was planned to coincide with synthetic aperture radar satellite overpasses (COSMO SkyMed), which capture a range of fine-scale features on the sea surface. The presence of surfactants affect the synthetic aperture radar imaging process because surfactants in the sea surface microlayer suppress short gravity-capillary ocean surface waves, thereby decreasing the backscatter and allowing the radar to detect surfactant-covered areas. Although sources of surfactants vary, certain marine bacteria are known to produce and transform surfactants, which suggest that these surfactant-related marine bacteria have an important biological influence on fine-scale synthetic aperture radar satellite imagery. Therefore, the comparison between synthetic aperture radar satellite images and in situ field samples may be used for interpreting and studying fine-scale features on the sea surface. The surfactant-associated bacterial composition of the sampling sites was determined using high-throughput, 454 pyrosequencing methods. A total of 61,663 sequences were analyzed and the results indicated the presence of surfactant-associated bacteria such as Moraxellaceae, Halomonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Bacillaceae, and Nocardiaceae. By establishing these bacterial groups that influence the presence of surfactants, remote sensing techniques which involve monitoring the microlayer are expected to be enhanced and may provide additional information on the state of the upper ocean ecosystem.

We applied culture-independent, next-generation sequencing (NGS) high throughput pyrosequencing, to characterize the microbial communities associated with near shore seawater in Broward County, FL. These waters flow over coral reef communities, which are part of the Florida reef tract, and are close to shore where bathers frequent. Through a close partnership with the NOAA FACE program, 38 total seawater samples were taken from 6 distinct locales -the Port Everglades and Hillsboro Inlets, Hollywood and Broward wastewater outfalls, and the associated reef waters-over the course of one year. Tagged 16S rRNA amplicons were used to generate longitudinal taxonomic profiles of marine bacteria and archaea for one year. 236,322 rRNA quality checked sequences with an average length of 250 base pairs were generated. Sequences were found to vary significantly due to seasonal effects, but depth showed no significant correlation. The most abundant taxa among these samples included Synechococcus, Pelagibacteraceae (SAR11), Bacteroidetes, various Proteobacteria, and Archaea, such as Thermoplasmata. Other taxa found, albeit in low numbers, were the Thiotrichales, and some members of which can indicate pollution, the Alteromonadales, a biofilm forming order. Inlet sequences were found to be significantly different from the outfall and reef communities by various analyses. Unifrac analysis of microbial beta diversity showed a significant clustering pattern for the inlet samples. Precipitation during the three days before and after sampling was low meaning there was little to no high terrestrial runoff during the sampling days. Higher levels of turbidity were seen at the inlet sites and significantly affected the growth of surface colonizing and biofilm forming bacterial families such at the Rhodobacteraceae and Flavobacteriaceae. This study represents one of the first to apply NGS analyses for a deep analysis of microbial community dynamics in these S. Florida waters.

Au cours des dernières anneés, la taxonomie bactérienne a subi de profonds changements mais peu de consensus existent quant à la description précise des procaryotes. La diversité des procaryotes a été estimeé à 107 espèces, et la classification actuelle contient plus de 12 900 espèces officiellement reconnues. Ceci souligne l'absence d'un répertoire des procaryotes isolés chez l'homme. Nous avons constitué ce répertoire qui contient 2 156 espèces différentes réparties en 12 phyla,Notre second travail est la caractérisation du microbiote digestif par 5 approches varieés (cytométrie de flux, coloration de gram, TEM, qPCR, pyroséquençage). Nous avons analysé 16 selles de patients en comparant le taux de procaryotes de type gram positif/négatif. La moitié des procaryotes de type gram négatif n'est pas détecté par le pyroséquençage,alors qu'ils sont décrits comme les constituants majeurs de ce microbiote d'après les 1ères études réaliseés utilisant la culture.Dans notre 3ème travail, nous avons voulu montrer que l'utilisation de la culture bactérienne n'est pas inférieure aux techniques de séquençage pour étudier la diversité du microbiote digestif. Au total, depuis 4 ans, 685 échantillons ont été analysés et plus de 500 000 colonies ont été identifieés par MALDI-TOF. Ce travail a permis d'augmenter de 77,5 % le nombre d'espèces identifieés dans le tube digestif. Les nouvelles espèces sont décrites suivant le concept « taxonogenomics » incluant des donneés phénotypiques et le séquençage du génome. / Bacterial taxonomy has undergone tremendous changes over time, with little historical consensus regarding specific descriptions of prokaryotes. The prokaryotes have been estimated about 107 species, and the current classification contained more than 12,900 species. This highlights the absence of an exhaustive and specific database listing all prokaryotes associated with humans. We found than the human prokaryotic repertoire contained 2,156 species, divided among 12 different phyla.The second aim of our work was to characterize the human gut microbiota using 5 different techniques, including morphologic and molecular approaches (flow cytometry, gram staining, electron microscopy, qPCR and pyrosequencing). We analyzed 16 stools samples of patient and we copared the rate of gram-positive and gram-negative prokaryotes obtained with each technique. We found than by pyrosequencing only a half of gram-negative prokaryotes was detected.Our third goal was to demonstrate that bacterial culture was not inferior to pyrosequencing to describe the gut diversity. Culturomics concept created during the pioneer study has revolutionized the approach of the microbiota exploration. Since 4 years, we have performed the analyze of 685 different samples and identified more than 500,000 colonies using the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. We have increased by 77.5% the number of species isolated in the gut. Each new species will be described following our new concept named "taxonogenomics", including phenotypic data and genome sequencing.

There are about 100,000 described fungal species, however, the diversity could be higher because conventional techniques do not allow identification of all groups of fungi and there are still unexplored geographical areas. High-throughput DNA sequencing methods provide the opportunity to resolve the diversity and distribution of mycelia in soil. Soils are the largest pool of terrestrial carbon and macromolecular materials, such as lignin and cellulose, form an important part of this soil carbon. Saprotrophs (decomposers) fungi degrade lignin and cellulose that is important to the global carbon cycle, although lignin is highly resistant to degradation if compared with cellulose. In this work, we investigated the diversity of fungi in sand-dune soils and their involvement in the decomposition of lignin and cellulose. The key findings of this work were:•A comparison of sand-dune ecosystems from two reserves in the UK showed differences in the ion concentrations, pH and total organic carbon in soils, suggesting that there were different environmental conditions that could potentially affect the distribution/presence of microbial communities in soils, e.g. fungal communities.•Fungi from field samples were identified using 454 pyrosequencing. The identified fungal species belong to groups with different ecologies, among which are wood-rotting fungi that are the main agents responsible for the lignin breakdown. The fungal communities were distributed differently across the different sand-dune ecosystems, sampling times and type of bait materials.•Lignin and cellulose can be degraded in field samples over time. Lignin degradation was shown by the shifts in the [Ac/Al]S, [Ac/Al]G and [S/G] relative lignin decomposition state proxies, and cellulose degradation by the shifts in the [cellulose:cellulose+lignin] ratio. Cellulose degradation was faster than lignin, thus confirming previous studies.•The degradation of both lignin and cellulose was different depending on the type of plant material, ecosystem/soil characteristics where the material was buried and fungal communities present on the bait materials.•Lignin breakdown was most likely to be by white-rot fungi that were identified colonising the bait materials.

"Où peut-on trouver des microbes, et comment survivent-ils dans ces lieux ?" sont des questions essentielles afin de comprendre la vie sur Terre. Les populations bactériennes du sol sont connues pour jouer un rôle important dans les cycles biogéochimiques, l'entretien des sols, les effets climatiques et l'agriculture.Dans ce travail, j'ai utilisé la technique de pyroséquençage, via le produit d’une PCR d’ADNr 16S amplifiée extraite d’ADN totale, afin de révéler les populations bactériennes présentes dans quatre environnements inhabituels et oligotrophes différents:A. Les écosystèmes saumâtres sont largement distribués sur Terre et sont représentés par des systèmes aquifères salés et des sols salins. Nous avons examiné la composition bactérienne des sédiments des estuaires, sols saumâtres et des échantillons de sol sablonneux de la région de Camargue, échantillonnés pendant deux années consécutives. Les membres appartenant au phylum Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria et Actinobactéries ont été trouvés principalement dans les sols et sédiments. Nous avons constaté que les membres de ces groupes bactériens étaient associés principalement à des bactéries halophiles, sulfatoréductrices (SRB), nitratoréductrices et coliformes, dont leurs proportions ont probablement été affectées par la salinité et leurs localisations géographiques.B. Les bactéries associées à la rhizosphère des plantes sont connues pour jouer un rôle essentiel dans les cycles biogéochimiques, la nutrition des plantes et la lutte biologique contre les maladies végétales. Nous avons examiné les populations bactériennes de la rhizosphère du riz (Oryza sativa) en fin de croissance dans la région de la Camargue en 2013 et 2014. Les populations bactériennes les plus abondantes se sont révélées être des membres appartenant au phylum Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi et Gemmatimonadetes. Les genres bactériens auxquels appartiennent ces différents phylums sont connus pour participer dans des processus biogéochimiques du sol, tel que la nitrification, la dénitrification, l'oxydation, ainsi que comme agents de control biologique. Les proportions bactériennes trouvées varient considérablement en fonction de leur localisation géographique et selon l’année d’échantillonnage.C. Nous avons examiné les sols de surface de "Padza de Dapani" situés sur l'île de Mayotte au large de la côte est de l'Afrique, car cette région n’est pas un vrai désert, mais y ressemble due à l’érosion du sol. Les sols de Mayotte sont acides, oligotrophes et minéralisées, et leur population bactérienne principale appartient aux phylums des Actinobactéries, Proteobacteria et Acidobacteria. Un fait intéressant, les membres des genres Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter, Burkholderia et Bacillus sont prédominants dans nos échantillons, comme observé dans des déserts (asiatiques) chauds et jouant probablement un rôle dans la minéralisation des sols, expliquant la désertification.D. Les régions arides de la Terre constituent > de 30% de la surface continentale et les sols oligotrophes sont soumis à des facteurs environnementaux difficiles tels que la faible pluviométrie moyenne annuelle, l'exposition aux UV et les grandes fluctuations de température. Nous avons examiné les populations bactériennes présentes dans la rhizosphère des plantes pionnières et les sols de surface du désert de Jizan d'Arabie Saoudite. Les phylums bactériens les plus abondants appartiennent aux groupes des Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria et Firmicutes qui diffèrent entre la rhizosphère des plantes étudiées par rapport à la surface du sol, à l'exception de la plante "Panicum Turgidum" qui contient des proportions élevées (70%) des membres appartenant au genre Flavobacterium. / “What microbes are where, and how do they live there” is now an essential question to understand life on Earth, even when comparing seemingly similar ecosystems in different locations. Soil bacterial populations are known to play important roles in biogeochemical cycles, soil maintenance, climatic effects and agriculture. I used pyrosequencing of PCR amplified 16S rDNA from total extracted DNA in order to reveal the bacterial populations living in four different unusual and oligotrophic environments: A. Saline areas are widely distributed on Earth’s and are represented by both saline lakes and saline soils. We examined the bacterial composition of estuary sediments, brackish and sandy soil samples from the Camargue region (Rhône delta in southern France) sampled in two consecutive years. Members belonging to the Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria phyla were found principally in saline sediment and soil samples. We found that members from these phyla were associated principally to halophilic bacteria, sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB), nitrate reducing bacteria and coliforms, and that their varying proportions were likely affected by salinity and geographical location. B. Bacterial populations associated with the rhizosphere of plants are known to play essential roles in biogeochemical cycles, plant nutrition and disease biocontrol. We examined the bacterial populations of the rhizosphere of rice (Oryza sativa) growing in the Camargue region in 2013 and 2014. The most abundant bacterial populations were found to be members belonging to the Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi and Gemmatimonadetes phyla. The genera members belong these phyla were found to participate in soil biogeochemical processes such as nitrification, denitrification, oxidation, as well as act as biocontrol agents. The bacterial populations were found to significantly vary by geographical location as well by year of collection. C. We examined the surface soils from “Padza de Dapani” on the island of Mayotte off the east coast of Africa, as this region is not a true (hot) desert, but resembles one due to extensive soil erosion. In the acidic, oligotrophic and mineralized soil samples from Mayotte, members of the Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria phyla dominated the bacterial populations. Interestingly, members of the genera Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter, Burkholderia and Bacillus were found to be predominant in our samples, as is also observed in hot (Asian) deserts and may play roles in soil mineral weathering, thus helping to understand desertification processes. D. Earth’s arid regions comprise >30% of the continental surface and the oligotrophic soils are subjected to harsh environmental factors such as low average annual rainfall, high UV exposure and large temperature fluctuations. We examined the bacterial populations present in the rhizosphere of pioneer plants and surface soils in the Jizan desert of Saudi Arabia. The most abundant bacterial phyla belonged to the Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes phyla that were different between the rhizosphere of plant versus these from surface sand, with the exception of the plant “Panicum Turgidum”, which contain in its rhizosphere high proportions (70%) of members belonging to the Flavobacterium genus.

Im Rahmen der Dissertation wurde ein Verfahren zur Quantifizierung monosomer Zellpopulationen innerhalb eines disomen Normalgewebes auf Basis der Pyrosequenzierung von Einzelbasenmutationen etabliert und hinsichtlich seiner Genauigkeit untersucht. Dabei liegt ein besonderer Schwerpunkt auf der Entwicklung eines Verfahrens zur Festlegung von Grenzwerten für die Detektion monosomer Population sowie für genetisch heterogene Subpopulationen. Zur Bestimmung der Genauigkeit wurden Mischreihen von DNA zweier Genotypen angefertigt und das Allelverhältnis durch Pyrosequenzierung gemessen. Diese Ergebnisse wurden genutzt, um Grenzwerte für die Detektion von LOH3-positiven Zellen im UMM estzulegen. In diesen Vorversuchen konnte die Anwendbarkeit der Analysemethode für Proben aus UMM sowohl aus Enukleations wie auch aus Feinnadelaspirationspräparaten demonstriert werden. Es wurde dann in einem weiteren Schritt analysiert, wie viele differente Loci für eine korrekte Diskriminierung zweier Genotypen analysiert werden müssen. Hier wurde gezeigt, dass zum einen die Anzahl der untersuchten SNP aber auch das gemessene Allelverhältnis maßgeblichen Einfluss auf die Genauigkeit der Analyse haben. Basierend auf diesen Daten wurde ein Verfahren entwickelt, das aus der gewünschten Genauigkeit eine Berechnung des Umfangs eines zu etablierenden SNP-Panels ermöglichte.