<i>Euphorbia</i> plant latex is inhabited by diverse microbial communities

Gunawardana, Manjula; Hyde, Embriette R.; Lahmeyer, Sean; Dorsey, Brian; Val, Taylor P. La; Mullen, Madeline; Yoo, Jennifer; Knight, Rob; Baum, Marc M.

doi:10.3732/ajb.1500223

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 98 publications

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“…The sample types in which half of the environmental microbial community came from unknown, non-Komodo dragon sources, were concrete, logs, plant materials, and plastic. The unknown microbial sources in the case of the logs/plants may be native plant microbial communities or chloroplasts, which we have often seen at high abundance in other internal projects characterizing plant microbiomes ( 18 ); additionally, it is unknown how much time the Komodo dragons interact with these materials or how often the plastic in the dragon’s enclosure was cleaned by the caretakers, all of which will affect how much Komodo dragon microbial material is detected on these items. Importantly, applying a test of independence on designated microbial sources within SourceTracker revealed that each Komodo dragon microbial community (saliva, skin, and fecal) was distinct from each of the others, with saliva classifying as saliva, skin classifying as skin, and feces classifying as feces.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Oral and Skin Microbiomes of Captive Komodo Dragons Are Significantly Shared with Their Habitat

et al. 2016

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Animals, including humans, have evolved in the context of exposure to a variety of microbial organisms present in the environment. Only recently have humans, and some animals, begun to spend a significant amount of time in enclosed artificial environments, rather than in the more natural spaces in which most of evolution took place. The consequences of this radical change in lifestyle likely extend to the microbes residing in and on our bodies and may have important implications for health and disease. A full characterization of host-microbe sharing in both closed and open environments will provide crucial information that may enable the improvement of health in humans and in captive animals, both of which experience a greater incidence of disease (including chronic illness) than counterparts living under more ecologically natural conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Oral and Skin Microbiomes of Captive Komodo Dragons Are Significantly Shared with Their Habitat

et al. 2016

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“…Recently, in Euphorbia latex, a study measuring communities using culture-independent methods unexpectedly revealed complex bacterial (mean: 44 species per sample; 9 plants analyzed) and fungal (mean: 20.9 species per sample; 22 plants analyzed) communities contained in these latexes [148]. Many of the identified taxa are known plant endophytes but have not been found in latex previously.…”

Section: Endophytic Microorganisms Inhabiting Latex?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant Latex, from Ecological Interests to Bioactive Chemical Resources

2019

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Historically, latex-bearing plants have been regarded as important medicinal resources in many countries due to their characteristic latex ingredients. They have also often been endowed with a social or cultural significance in religious or cult rituals or for hunting. Initial chemical studies focused on the protein or peptide content but recently the interest extended to smaller molecules. Latex has been found to contain a broad range of specialized metabolites such as terpenoids, cardenolides, alkaloids, and phenolics, which are partly responsible for their antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic, cytotoxic, and insect-repellent activities. The diversity in biology and chemistry of latexes is supposedly associated to their ecological roles in interactions with exogenous factors. Latexes contain unique compounds that are different to those found in their bearing plants. Exploring the feasibility of plant latex as a new type of bioactive chemical resource, this review paper covers the chemical characterization of plant latexes, extending this to various other plant exudates. Also, the factors influencing this chemical differentiation and the production, transportation, and chemistry of the latex exudates are described, based on ecological and biochemical mechanisms. We also proposed a latex coagulation model involving 4 general conserved steps. Therefore, the inherent defensive origin of latexes is recognized as their most valuable character and encourages one to pay attention to these materials as alternative sources to discover metabolites with insecticidal or antimicrobial activity.

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“…However, limitations do exist in all NGS platforms employed (Lindahl et al, 2013), and sequence databases for fungi are currently biased toward soil‐dwelling macrofungi (Kõljalg et al, 2013). Despite current technical shortcomings, researchers have used NGS technology to study microbial diversity across a broad range of habitats (Bálint et al, 2015; Gunawardana et al, 2015; Eusemann et al, 2016). Investigations into the microbiota of understudied plant lineages (e.g., seed‐free plants) using NGS technology should also be pursued.…”

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confidence: 99%