"Wee Beasties" and other "Critters" in TP

[Michaelangelica]

By Manipulating Oxygen, Scientists Coax Bacteria Into Never-Before-Seen Solitary Wave

ScienceDaily (July 17, 2009) — Bacteria know that they are too small to make an impact individually. So they wait, they multiply, and then they engage in behaviors that are only successful when all cells participate in unison.
There are hundreds of behaviors that bacteria carry out in such communities.

Now researchers at Rockefeller University have discovered one that has never been observed or described before in a living system.

Ring leader. A photograph of Libchaber's experiment shows a ring of motionless E. coli bacteria (green) forming a wave. (Credit: Image courtesy of Rockefeller University)

The bacteria accumulate and form a solitary propagating wave that moves with constant velocity and without changing shape. But while the front is moving, each bacterium in it isn’t moving at all.

“It’s like a soliton,” says Douarche. “A self-reinforcing solitary wave.”

Unlike the undulating pattern of an ocean wave, which flattens or topples over as it approaches the shore, a soliton is a solitary, self-sustaining wave that behaves like a particle. For example, when two solitons collide, they merge into one and then separate into two with the same shape and velocity as before the collision. The first soliton was observed in 1834 at a canal in Scotland by John Scott Russell,. . .

. . . .

Plant-driven Fungal Weathering: Early Stages Of Mineral Alteration At The Nanometer Scale

ScienceDaily (July 1, 2009) — For the first time, the boundary between fungi and rock has been imaged on a nanoscale -- unraveling the fundamental processes by which fungi break down rocks into soil whilst extracting essential nutrients.

'Rosetta Stone' Of Bacterial Communication Discovered

ScienceDaily (July 13, 2009) — The Rosetta Stone of bacterial communication may have been found.
Although they have no sensory organs, bacteria can get a good idea about what's going on in their neighborhood and communicate with each other, mainly by secreting and taking in chemicals from their surrounding environment.

Even though there are millions of different kinds of bacteria with their own ways of sensing the world around them, Duke University bioengineers believe they have found a principle common to all of them.

'Rosetta Stone' Of Bacterial Communication Discovered
Great, we discover this so we can muck about with it GM wise. We are "Blind bulls in a China shop".

'Natural' Nitrogen-fixing Bacteria Protect Soybeans From Aphids

ScienceDaily (Apr. 20, 2009) — An invasion of soybean aphids poses a problem for soybean farmers requiring application of pesticides, but a team of Penn State entomologists thinks a careful choice of nitrogen-fixing bacteria may provide protection against the sucking insects

'Natural' Nitrogen-fixing Bacteria Protect Soybeans From Aphids

[erich]

Dear Chartarians,
This is a very nice presentation to explain the succession of predation and
nutrient cycling of the soil food web.
alot of fun to look through while wearing "char colored" glasses.
credit to the usual suspects;
Dr. Kristine Nichols – ARS Mandan, ND
Dr. Elaine Ingham – Oregon State University
Dr. Rebecca Phillips – ARS Mandan, ND
Dr. James Nardi – University of Illinois


http://www.ndswcs.org/documents/Rapi..._SWCS_2009.pdf


Cheers,
Erich

[maikeru]

Superb. Thanks Erich. If you know of any other primers or books on soil microbiology or soil ecology, please post them here. I want to buy some books to get a good background on them.

[Essay]

Originally Posted by maikeru

Superb. Thanks Erich. If you know of any other primers or books on soil microbiology or soil ecology, please post them here. I want to buy some books to get a good background on them.

I've been enjoying "Mycorrhizal Functioning: An Integrative Plant-Fungus Process"

The communication between plant and fungus, via a plethora of volatile and water-soluble chemicals, is amazing--and one can't help but think of the bio-oils in biochar!

Amazon.com: Mycorrhizal Functioning: An...
Amazon.com: Mycorrhizal Functioning: An...

Originally Posted by ...from the Description

"It is now known that over 90 percent of all plants have established integrative plant-fungal processes in their root systems, and it may well turn out to be the case that virtually all plants have mycorrhizae."

"This volume is comprehensive and covers both ectomycorrhizae (ECMF) and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAMF), addressing concepts that are related to all the different groups."

===

...IMHO
In the same way that bacteria mutualistically guided the evolution of animals, the fungi directed and guided the evolution of plants.

p.s. ...but what does hydroponics do to the genetics that are involved with all that integrative functioning.

Interestingly--I learned from the book--supplied with an abundance of phosphorous, plants will reject the mutualism with the fungus ...or something along those lines.

...also it is the young growing plants which must establish the connection. Apparently you can't teach an old plant new tricks either.

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Essay

I've been enjoying "Mycorrhizal Functioning: An Integrative Plant-Fungus Process"

The communication between plant and fungus, via a plethora of volatile and water-soluble chemicals, is amazing--and one can't help but think of the bio-oils in biochar!

Amazon.com: Mycorrhizal Functioning: An Integrative Plant-Fungal Process (9780412018916): Michael Allen: Books

===

...IMHO
In the same way that bacteria mutualistically guided the evolution of animals, the fungi directed and guided the evolution of plants.

p.s. ...but what does hydroponics do to the genetics that are involved with all that integrative functioning.

Amazing, yet we charge around the planet like" Bulls in a China Shop"

Interestingly--I learned from the book--supplied with an abundance of phosphorous, plants will reject the mutualism with the fungus ...or something along those lines.

I am not sure how this happens anymore. Most Oz soils are deficient and farmers apply tetra tonnes of super-phosphate every year-from a bag!
You, now, have to wonder how effective that is.
Farmers and gardeners may be better off dousing their soil with sugar?!

...also it is the young growing plants which must establish the connection. Apparently you can't teach an old plant new tricks either.

Oz natives react badly to phosphorous fertilisers, They sometimes die and often languish.

What we don't know about what feeds us, and sustains us, is astounding!

[Michaelangelica]

Using Thread-like Fungi To Help High Elevation Pines Grow

She is part of a project that aims to restore fire to the national park, reduce the impact of noxious weeds and restore disturbed sites to native vegetation, including whitebark and limber pine.
The pines have declined from 40 to 60 percent across their range, and when the trees die, the fungi associated with them also die.
"Cathy's research on fungi and their importance to these pines at various life stages has led us to believe that we may no longer have the necessary fungi in our soils because of the long decline of both pines," said Cyndi Smith, conservation biologist at WLNP.
. . .
Mycorrhizae make the trees healthier and more able to resist disease, insects and drought," said Cripps.
Mycorrhizal fungi grow on the roots of 90 percent of plants, according to Cripps.
"Mycorrhizae extend the plants' root system and can get into places in the soil that the root system can't access," said Cripps.
Mycorrhizae take in, and share with the plant, nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen. The fungi can improve drought tolerance by delivering additional water to the trees. The trees leak sugars produced during photosynthesis that feed the fungus.
. . .
The seedlings with fungi in their soil become greener and more robust than the seedlings without the fungi, according to Cripps' unpublished results.

Using Thread-like Fungi To Help High Elevation Pines Grow

[maikeru]

Microbes (endophytic bacteria) allow some cacti to live in and "eat" rocks:

BBC - Earth News - How cacti become 'rock busters'
ScienceDirect - Environmental and Experimental Botany : Rock-degrading endophytic bacteria in cacti

The natural world never ceases to amaze.

[Michaelangelica]

This is a good web resouce.
i haven't explored it all yet
(It comes via the Compost Tea list serve)

Some Photo, Video and Linked Resources for Organism Identification:
Contents;
Compost Tea
Organic Growing from a Microbial Perspective
So You Wanna Build A Compost Tea Brewer
Microbe Identification
Who I am
Stuff I'm Selling;
DVD
Microbulator Compost Tea Brewer
Microscopes For Sale
More Helpful Info & Ramblings;
Projects
Tests, Observations & Postulations
Resources & Links
Compost Tea Recipes

Microbe Organics

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by maikeru

Microbes (endophytic bacteria) allow some cacti to live in and "eat" rocks:

BBC - Earth News - How cacti become 'rock busters'
ScienceDirect - Environmental and Experimental Botany : Rock-degrading endophytic bacteria in cacti

The natural world never ceases to amaze.

"endophytic bacteria " !!
Even in the seeds!

How does the cacti "acquire" these 'endophytic bacteria' ?--. mail order?
What bit of DNA does the shopping?

This study proposes that cacti capable of acquiring diverse populations of endophytes may give them an evolutionary advantage to gain a foothold on highly uncompromising terrain.

So,

the involvement of endophytic bacteria in rock weathering by cacti in a hot, subtropical desert and their possible contribution to primary colonization of barren rock.

The likelihood of no life elsewhere in the universe is NIL?

[Essay]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

"endophytic bacteria " !!
Even in the seeds!
...
So,

The likelihood of no life elsewhere in the universe is NIL?

That always struck me as the most appropriate rhetorical question--to ask incredulously!
===

After hours of lobbying for biochar I can barely type, but I see my old friends, the wee beasties, were atop the

board--so I had to google:

endophytes azo bacteria

Top 3 results shown

Scholarly articles for endophytes azo bacteria
Bacterial endophytes and their interactions with hosts - Rosenblueth - Cited by 68
SHR5: a novel plant receptor kinase involved in ... - Vinagre - Cited by 12
Associative and endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria and … - Elmerich - Cited by 5

Search ResultsAssociative and endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria and ... - Google Books Resultby Claudine

Elmerich, William E. Newton - 2007 - Science - 321 pages
Molecular Phylogeny and Ecology of Azo spirillum and Other Nitrogen-fixing a-Subclass ... Rhizospheric and

Endophytic Bacteria: General Features 42 3. ...

Bacterial Endophytes and Their Interactions with Hostsare being performed on some endophytic bacteria, such as

Azo- arcus spp. (Battistoni et al. 2005), Herbaspirillum sp., Glucona- ...
apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/abs/10.1094/MPMI-19-0827 - Similar
by M Rosenblueth - 2006 - Cited by 68 - Related articles - All 7 versions

CiteULike: Bacterial endophytes: recent developments and applicationsAbstract Endophytic bacteria have been

found in virtually every plant studied, ... Endophytic bacteria can promote plant growth and yield and can act as ...
CiteULike: Bacterial endophytes: recent developments and applications - Cached - Similar

...and googling: endophytes fixation
...gave me....

Endophytic Colonization and In Planta Nitrogen Fixation by a ...tions affect the amount of nitrogen fixation by

endophytes. In this work, young seedlings of the inoculated rice plants were evaluated for nitrogen fixation ...
aem.asm.org/cgi/reprint/67/11/5285.pdf - Similar

by A Elbeltagy - 2001 - Cited by 118 - Related articles - All 7 versions
Endophytic nitrogen fixation in dune grasses (Ammophila arenaria ...officinarum) in which endophytic fixation is

carried out by bacteria (Gluconoacetobacter diazotrophicus and. Herbaspirillum seropedicae) living in the ...
doi.wiley.com/10.1016/j.femsec.2004.04.010 - Similar

Nitrogen fixation within Poplar by endophytic bacteria ...We are in the process of testing the cuttings for nitrogen

fixation now. Objective Two: Poplar contain endophytic bacteria. With this award, I was able to ...
Nitrogen fixation within Poplar by endophytic bacteria - UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON - Cached - Similar

Associative and Endophytic Nitrogen-fixing Bacteria and ...Regulation of Nitrogen Fixation and Ammonium

Assimilation in Associative and Endophytic Nitrogen fixing Bacteria F. O. Pedrosa C. Elmerich 41 ...
search.barnesandnoble.com/...Endophytic.../9781402035418 - Cached - Similar

339 DIAZOTROPHIC ENDOPHYTES IN RICE: COLONIZATION AND NITROGEN ...This result suggested that

nitrogen fixation of endophytes in plants fluctuated based on physiological states of the host plants. ...
SpringerLink Home - Main - Similar
by A Alcaligenes - Related articles
===

Sorry to be so lazy, but I can't take much more research now.
===

Trees and plants that grow in (or by) running water (like willows and poplars) fortunately have N2 fixing endophytes, since the running water leaches away too many needed nutrients.

These endophytes are not the nodule forming type of rhizobia we normally think of with N2 fixation.

try googling: genus fixation
[Nitrogen-fixation by the cyanobacterial symbiont of the diatom genus. Hemiaulus....]
...and...
Nitrogen Fixation in the Genus Lolium : Abstract : NatureNitrogen Fixation in the Genus Lolium. R. BROWN. Top

of page ... of the nitrogen requirement of plants of the genus Lolium is met from atmospheric sources. ...
Nitrogen Fixation in the Genus Lolium : Abstract : Nature

p.s. If any links don't work, don't worry. This is just for inspiration, not to make any particular point.
~