Aim: Legumes are vital to agroecosystems and human nutrition, yet climate change is compromising their nutritional value. This study aims to assess how a one-month exposure to elevated CO2 (eCO2) impacts biomass yield, mineral profile, gene expression, and the soil microbiome of common bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Methods: Phaseolus vulgaris L. was grown in field conditions under ambient CO2 (control, a...
Ideally, wastewater treatment aims to produce water indistinguishable from freshwater, especially for reuse. This study evaluated bacterial community and antibiotic resistance variations throughout treatment and benchmarked these with freshwater sources. Samples collected from six points of a full-scale wastewater treatment plant, pilot-scale advanced treatment options (non-thermal plasma - NTP, ultrafiltration...
Abstract: This study investigated the presence of culturable bacterial pathogens, and antibiotic resistance and associated genes (quantitative PCR) in commercially available composted products from animal excrements or manure (n=7), urban wastes (n=1) or (sewage sludge) (n=1). Metals quantification and 16S rRNA-based bacterial community composition analyses supported the results to infer potential risks to down...
Constructed wetlands systems (CWs) are increasingly regarded as promising alternatives or complements to conventional wastewater treatment processes. However, the fate of chemical and biological contaminants in realworld treatment processes is understudied in this type of systems. This study aimed to fill this gap by evaluating the response of three horizontal subsurface flow CWs, in Northern Portugal, planted ...
The editorial Board of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) – the Prokaryotic Code – has compiled already ratified proposed emendations of the ICNP, together with additional editorial changes and clarifications. These were implemented in a draft 2025 revision of the Prokaryotic Code. To comply with Articles 13(b)(4) and 4(d) of the statutes of the International Committee on Systematics o...
The members of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP) have recently voted on a proposed revision of its statutes. We here present the outcome of the vote and the text of the revised statutes, as approved by the ICSP.
This themed collection in Environmental Science: Advances aims to update recent developments in soil science, soil-dependent ecosystem services, and the impacts on soils and their function in the face of pollution and climate change.
Domestic wastewater is a significant reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes, which pose environmental and public health risks. We aimed to define an antibiotic resistome signature, represented by core genes, i.e., shared by ≥ 90% of the metagenomes of each of three conceptual environmental compartments – wastewater (influent, sludge, effluent), freshwater, and agricultural soil. The definition of resistome si...