A5005361195- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies
- Legume Nitrogen Fixing Symbiosis
- Crustacean biology and ecology
- Marine and fisheries research
- Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity
- Studies on Chitinases and Chitosanases
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Cassava research and cyanide
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Agronomic Practices and Intercropping Systems
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
Rhodes University
2018-2024
Joint Nature Conservation Committee
2024
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
2018-2023
The rhizosheath-root system is an adaptive trait of sandy-desert speargrasses in response to unfavourable moisture and nutritional conditions. Under the deserts' polyextreme conditions, plants interact with edaphic microorganisms that positively affect their fitness resistance. However, trophic simplicity environmental harshness desert ecosystems have previously been shown strongly influence soil microbial community assembly. We hypothesize sand-driven ecological filtering constrains...
Abstract Ecosystem functions are regulated by compositional and functional traits of bacterial communities, shaped stochastic deterministic processes. Biogeographical studies have revealed microbial community taxonomy in a given ecosystem to change alongside varying environmental characteristics. Considering that stable essential for stability, we hypothesize contrasting conditions affect rather than function model system, testing this three geographically distinct mangrove forests subjected...
In hot deserts daily/seasonal fluctuations pose great challenges to the resident organisms. However, these extreme ecosystems host unique microenvironments, such as rhizosheath-root system of desert speargrasses in which biological activities and interactions are facilitated by milder conditions reduced fluctuations. Here, we examined bacterial microbiota associated with this structure its surrounding sand speargrass Stipagrostis pungens under contrasting environmental summer winter Sahara...
Hyperoxia extends heat tolerance in marine ectotherms.
Selection and dispersal are ecological processes that have contrasting roles in the assembly of communities. Variable selection diversifies strong homogenizes them. However, we do not know whether communities directly via immigration or indirectly weakening across habitats due to physical transfer material, e.g., water mixing aquatic ecosystems. Here examine how a simplified synthetic bacterial metacommunity, using sequencing-independent approach based on flow cytometry mathematical...
Abstract While prokaryote community diversity and function have been extensively studied in soils sediments, the functional role of fungi, despite their huge diversity, is widely unexplored. Several studies have, nonetheless, revealed importance fungi provisioning services to communities. Here, we hypothesise that fungal plays a key coordinating entire microbial communities by controlling structure networks sediment. We selected sediment environment with high niche due prevalent macrofaunal...
In intertidal systems, the type and role of interactions among sediment microorganisms, animals, plants abiotic factors are complex not well understood. Such known to promote nutrient provision cycling, their dynamics relationships may be particular importance in arid microtidal systems characterized by minimal input. Focusing on an mangrove ecosystem central Red Sea coast, we investigated effect crab bioturbation intensity (comparing natural manipulated high levels intensity)...
Environmental fluctuation forms a framework of variability within which species have evolved. includes predictability, such as diel cycles aquatic oxygen driven by primary producers. Oxygen availability and shape the physiological responses animals to warming, so that, in theory, could influence their thermal ecology. We describe annual agricultural drainage channels show that disruption through dredging plants reduces tolerance freshwater animals. compared temperature snails, amphipods,...
The transition from water to air is a key event in the evolution of many marine organisms access new food sources, escape hypoxia, and exploit higher temperature-independent oxygen concentration air. Despite importance microorganisms host adaptation, their contribution overcoming challenges posed by lifestyle changes land not well understood. To address this, we examined how microbial association with multifunctional organ, gill, involved intertidal adaptation fiddler crabs, dual-breathing...
Coastal marine systems are characterized by high levels of primary production that result in diel oxygen fluctuations from undersaturation to supersaturation. Constant normoxia, or 100% saturation, is therefore rare. Since the thermal sensitivity invertebrates directly linked availability, we hypothesized (i) metabolic response coastal would be more sensitive stress when exposed supersaturation rather than saturation and (ii) natural fluctuation availability constant a main driver response....
Oxygen availability, together with water temperature, greatly varies in coastal habitats, especially those characterized by elevated primary production. In this study, we investigate the combined role of dissolved oxygen and temperature on thermal physiological response mud crab Thalamita crenata living an equatorial system habitats. We sampled salinity T. mangrove creeks fringes seagrass meadows, at Gazi Bay (Kenya). found that meadows exhibited higher saturation than habitats during day,...
The adaptation of sporeformers to extreme environmental conditions is frequently questioned due their capacity produce highly resistant endospores that are considered as resting contaminants, not representing populations adapted the system. In this work, in order gain a better understanding bacterial habitats, we investigated phenotypic and genomic characteristics halophile Virgibacillus sp. 21D isolated from seawater-brine interface (SBI) MgCl2-saturated deep hypersaline anoxic basin...
Due to the chemico-physical differences between air and water, transition from aquatic life land poses several challenges for animal evolution, necessitating morphological, physiological behavioural adaptations. Microbial symbiosis is known have played an important role in eukaryote favouring host adaptation under changing environmental conditions. We selected mangrove brachyuran crabs as a model group investigate prokaryotes associated with gill of dwelling at different tidal levels...