Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · 2d

MMEG is coming to @unibirmingham.bsky.social in December - look out for some exciting announcements about the programme in the next few weeks! Abstract submission and registration is open 👇🏻

Applied Microbiology International @amiposts.bsky.social · Sep 1

Save the Date: #MMEG2025 is coming to Birmingham!

Join us on 15–16 December 2025 for the 31st edition of MMEG. This year's event is your chance to:
🔬 Share your research
🤝 Connect with peers
🦠 Discover the latest in molecular microbial ecology

Register now: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...

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Reposted by James McDonald

Applied Microbiology International @amiposts.bsky.social · Sep 1

Save the Date: #MMEG2025 is coming to Birmingham!

Join us on 15–16 December 2025 for the 31st edition of MMEG. This year's event is your chance to:
🔬 Share your research
🤝 Connect with peers
🦠 Discover the latest in molecular microbial ecology

Register now: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · 10d

You watched it!

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Reposted by James McDonald

Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 19d

New preprint from the lab by Adele Pioppi on her #NNF_INTERACT project

Successive cultivation under drought selects for specific microbiome members in the wheat rhizosphere

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Reposted by James McDonald

James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

🧵 New preprint alert!

From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social

Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Environment and disease have tissue-specific effects on the tree microbiome

Trees are essential for ecosystem function, but due to their long lifespan, are disproportionately impacted by climate change and disease. Tree-associated microbiota are critical for tree health and r...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by James McDonald

Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · Sep 3

We have a position for an Assist Prof in Microbial Genomics in our School of III.

Hod Joan Geoghegan will be happy to field questions if you are interested. No specific area of microbial genomics preferred so please do consider it

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOO184/a...

Assistant Professor (Research and Education) in Bacterial Genomics at University of Birmingham

Apply now for the Assistant Professor (Research and Education) in Bacterial Genomics role on jobs.ac.uk - the leading job board for higher education jobs. View details.

www.jobs.ac.uk

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Reposted by James McDonald

Microbiology Society @microbiologysociety.org · Aug 25

Our newest title, Microbiology Outlooks is now open to submissions! If you have a review, perspective, or commentary to contribute, submit to this forward-looking journal covering all areas of microbiology research: microb.io/Mout. #NewJournal #Mout

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 19

Check out our new preprint on @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social

bioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · Aug 16

Environment and disease have tissue-specific effects on the tree microbiome https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.15.670310v1

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Reposted by James McDonald

Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · Aug 18

See how phi3T phage shifts Bacillus subtilis cell shape in the absence of SPbeta prophage and alters its fitness - our new publication in @commsbio.nature.com from group of @annadragos.bsky.social together with @bramkamplab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s42...

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Reposted by James McDonald

Marine C. Cambon @marccamb.bsky.social · Aug 16

Go and check out the pre-print of the landscape-scale tree microbiome study from the Future Oak project. Huge amounts of efforts and talent went into this work, with a pinch of "this is crazy, but we can do it". Well done @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social @cenococcum.bsky.social et al. Thread below 👇

James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

🧵 New preprint alert!

From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social

Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Environment and disease have tissue-specific effects on the tree microbiome

Trees are essential for ecosystem function, but due to their long lifespan, are disproportionately impacted by climate change and disease. Tree-associated microbiota are critical for tree health and r...

www.biorxiv.org

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

Thanks for posting!

James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

And thanks to the team members for delivering this huge project! @cenococcum.bsky.social @alejandra1909.bsky.social @marccamb.bsky.social

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

🌳 Trees are not alone. Their microbial partners matter!
📄Feedback and comments welcome!
🔬Huge thanks to our funders! BBSRC, NERC, DEFRA and Scottish Government

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

Understanding how tree microbiomes respond to environmental change and disease is key to predicting future impacts—and to developing microbiome-based strategies for tree health and resilience.

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

We also looked at trees with Acute Oak Decline (AOD)—a complex disease driven by abiotic and biotic stressors. The stem microbiome was most affected, showing reduced species richness and altered function.

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

We assembled 1657 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from oak-associated bacteria, archaea, and fungi. This is a major resource for future tree microbiome research 🌱🧬

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

Each oak tissue type had a distinct microbiome—both taxonomically and functionally. Environmental factors like temperature, humidity, rainfall, and ion deposition had tissue-specific effects on microbial composition and function.

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

We profiled oak leaf, stem, and root/rhizosphere microbiomes using 16S rRNA gene and ITS profiling, and shotgun metagenomics across a landscape. Then we built a 3-level occupancy model to understand microbial distribution.

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

Microbiomes - communities of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and archaea - play key roles in tree health, resilience, and disease suppression. But we still know little about how these communities vary across tissues and landscapes.

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

We explored how climate and disease shape microbial communities living in oak trees across a landscape. Here's what we found 👇

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 16

🧵 New preprint alert!

From the Future Oak project, led by @cenococcum.bsky.social

Landscape-scale impacts of environment and disease on the tree microbiome 🌳🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Environment and disease have tissue-specific effects on the tree microbiome

Trees are essential for ecosystem function, but due to their long lifespan, are disproportionately impacted by climate change and disease. Tree-associated microbiota are critical for tree health and r...

www.biorxiv.org

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 13

Had a great day out with the team at Black County Museum yesterday. Lucky to work with such a great group of scientists and people 🌞🍦 @g-thomas.bsky.social @alejandra1909.bsky.social @sophie-e-powell.bsky.social @alexanderwoodley.bsky.social @marccamb.bsky.social @bpettifor.bsky.social

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Aug 11

Really exciting and important tree microbiome paper published in @nature.com ‘A diverse and distinct microbiome inside living trees’ 👏 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A diverse and distinct microbiome inside living trees - Nature

Microbiome analyses of living trees show that a single tree can host approximately one trillion bacteria, with microbial communities distinctly partitioned between heartwood and sapwood and with minim...

www.nature.com

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Jul 28

Really pleased to be involved in this exciting project led by @hendrikschaefer.bsky.social !

Hendrik Schäfer @hendrikschaefer.bsky.social · Jul 28

Which #methanotrophs drive methane degradation in the #phyllosphere of #trees? This project involves Sinchan Banerjee at Warwick and Professors Yin Chen, James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social and Vincent Gauci @gaucigauci.bsky.social at University of Birmingham
www.homeworld.bio/grants-green...

Garden Grants GHGR — Homeworld Collective

Garden Grants: Funding to grow climate biotech

www.homeworld.bio

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James McDonald @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social · Jul 23

Wonderful day @bangoruniversity.bsky.social Huge congratulations to Dr. @alejandra1909.bsky.social for passing her viva with minor corrections. Thanks to Carrie Brady and @mojganrabiey.bsky.social for examining and George Turner for chairing. Look out for some cool papers in the near future!

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