The black garden ant (Lasius niger) is a widely distributed species across Europe, North America, and North Africa, playing a pivotal role in ecological processes within its diverse habitats. However, the microbiome associated with L. niger remains poorly investigated. In the present study, we isolated a novel species, Paenarthrobacter lasiusi, from the soil of the L. niger anthill. The genome of P. lasiusi S21 was sequenced, annotated, and searched for groups of genes of physiological, medical, and biotechnological importance. Subsequently, a series of microbiological, physiological, and biochemical experiments were conducted to characterize P. lasiusi S21 with respect to its sugar metabolism, antibiotic resistance profile, lipidome, and capacity for atmospheric nitrogen fixation, among others. A notable feature of the P. lasiusi S21 genome is the presence of two prophages, which may have horizontally transferred host genes involved in stress responses. P. lasiusi S21 synthesizes a number of lipids, including mono- and digalactosyldiacylglycerol, as well as steroid compounds that are typically found in eukaryotic organisms rather than prokaryotes. P. lasiusi S21 exhibits resistance to penicillins, lincosamides, fusidins, and oxazolidinones, despite the absence of specific genes conferring resistance to these antibiotics. Genomic data and physiological tests indicate that P. lasiusi S21 is nonpathogenic to humans. The genome of P. lasiusi S21 contains multiple operons involved in heavy metal metabolism and organic compound inactivation. Consequently, P. lasiusi represents a novel species with an intriguing evolutionary history, manifesting in distinctive genomic, metabolomic, and physiological characteristics. This species may have potential applications in the bioaugmentation of contaminated soils.

Calculations of the recoil energy under bombardment of the surface edge (001) for the vanadium mono-crystal by K+ ions (E_0=10-50 eV) with the initial motion trajectories lying in planes perpendicular to the plane (001) and parallel to the planes (100) and (110), passing along the crystallographic directions [010] and [110], respectively, have been made by the method of molecular dynamics using a long-range interaction potential. Anisotropy of maximum energy transfer to one of the group of (3-5) atoms simultaneously participating in the interaction, depending on the ion motion trajectory, has been revealed. The energy spray thresholds for specified directions have been determined Keywords: ion bombardment, single crystal, crystallographic directions, recoil energy, sputtering thresholds.

The activity of CO2 efflux, N2 fixation, and denitrification, as well as the physiological state of the community of microorganisms-destructors were assessed depending on the decay stage of the coarse woody debris (CWD) in the incubation experiments with the coarse woody debris of Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) and podzolic soil (Retisol). The coarse woody debris and soil were sampled at the experimental sites of the Central Forest State Reserve (Tver Region, Russia). Maximal CO2 emissions caused by CWD decomposition was associated with the decay stages III and IV. Also, the latter two showed maximal values of such sound indices of microbial activity as substrate induced respiration (SIR, 50 μg С–СО2/(g h)), percentage of easily decomposable С in organic matter (А1, 66%) and metabolic quotient qCO2 (0.78). Unlike the СО2 emission, maximal activity of N2 fixation was at the earlier decay stage II. The values of N2 fixation and denitrification activities indicate a gradual and complicatedly regulated transition process from the properties of bacterial and fungal communities of CDW to those in the soil during stages II, III and IV. The dramatic, more than 3-fold decrease was found only for C : N in CWD during the stages III–IV transition. СО2 emission at the stage V increased dramatically. Nevertheless, the CWD organic matter even at this latest decay stage had lower sustainability than organic matter of podzolic soil.

The activity of CO2 efflux, N2 fixation, and denitrification, as well as the physiological state of the community of microorganisms-destructors were assessed depending on the decay stage of the coarse woody debris (CWD) in the incubation experiments with the coarse woody debris of Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) and podzolic soil (Retisol). The coarse woody debris and soil were sampled at the experimental sites of the Central Forest State Reserve (Tver Region, Russia). Maximal CO2 emissions caused by CWD decomposition was associated with the decay stages III and IV. Also, the latter two showed maximal values of such sound indices of microbial activity as substrate induced respiration (SIR, 50 μg С–СО2/(g h)), percentage of easily decomposable С in organic matter (А1, 66%) and metabolic quotient qCO2 (0.78). Unlike the СО2 emission, maximal activity of N2 fixation was at the earlier decay stage II. The values of N2 fixation and denitrification activities indicate a gradual and complicatedly regulated transition process from the properties of bacterial and fungal communities of CDW to those in the soil during stages II, III and IV. The dramatic, more than 3-fold decrease was found only for C : N in CWD during the stages III–IV transition. СО2 emission at the stage V increased dramatically. Nevertheless, the CWD organic matter even at this latest decay stage had lower sustainability than organic matter of podzolic soil.

In a model laboratory experiment on infertile arable soil with low biological activity, it was found that the introduction of glyphosate leads to a short-term change in the intensity of the main processes of microbial transformation of nitrogen in the soil. When incubating soil with glyphosate at the maximum recommended dose of 8 l/ha for 22 days, there is an increase in nitrogen-fixing and denitrifying activity by 30–80% and 300% and a decrease in the nitrification process by 20–40%. The effects are of a short-term nature and do not reflect the entire complex of ongoing microbiological processes: no effect of glyphosate was detected on the emission of CO2, which is an integral indicator of biological activity. At the end of incubation in the soil with the introduced glyphosate, there was an increase in the number of bacteria by 40% and a decrease in the number of micromycetes by 70%. In general, under the selected conditions, the introduction of glyphosate led to a marked deterioration in the biological activity of the soil. By the method of multisubstrate testing, it was shown that under the action of the herbicide there is an increase in the value of the coefficient of rank diversity of the consumption spectra of substrates d, accompanied by a decrease in the specific metabolic work W and the integral vitality index G. It was shown for the first time that when glyphosate is introduced into soil with low biological activity and availability of phosphorus and the herbicide is degraded along the sarcosine pathway with a break in the C–P bond, excluding the formation of toxic metabolites, there is a pronounced negative effect of glyphosate on soil microorganisms, which leads to inhibition of wheat plant growth.

The activities of CO2 emission, N2 fixation, and denitrification, as well as the physiological state of the community of microbial decomposers are assessed at different stages of decay of coarse woody debris (CWD) in the incubation experiments with the Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) and the humus horizon of podzolic soil (Retisol). The CWD of five decomposition stages and soil are sampled at the experimental plots of the Central Forest State Reserve (Tver oblast, Russia). The maximum CO2 emissions are associated with CWD decay stages III and IV. In addition, characteristic of these stages are the maximum values of the important indices of CWD and soil microbial activity, such as the substrate-induced respiration (SIR, 50 µg C–CO2/(g h), share of easily decomposable С in organic matter (A1, 66

The effect of humic acids on the formation of multispecies biofilms on the surface of high-pressure polyethylene and on the initial stages of its biocorrosion has been studied. The ability to form biofilms on the polyethylene surface and the initial stages of its biodegradation have been analyzed for two bacterial communities (binary and multispecies) isolated from the surface of polyethylene incubated in the topsoil (0–5-cm layer) in Myanmar during 180 days. Polyethylene samples were transported under sterile conditions to a laboratory (Moscow) and placed in vials with liquid medium (LB diluted 50 times by mineral medium M9 and with 0.1% C11–C16 paraffin solution added as an additional carbon source). Cultures were then disseminated to obtain individual colonies. Humic acids were extracted by alkaline extraction from the upper horizons of ferrallitic soil, in which the polyethylene sample was incubated (Myanmar), and from typical chernozem sampled in Lipetsk oblast (Orthic Acrisol and Haplic Chernozem according to the World Reference Base for Soil Resources, 2014). Humic acids were extracted from humate fertilizer Fleksom based on lowland peat. We assessed the formation of biofilms on the polyethylene surface by staining with crystal violet and changes in the polyethylene surface after the removal of biofilms by densitometric method. The stimulating effect of humic acids of a wide concentration range on the biofilm growth on the polyethylene surface and at the initial stage of its biodegradation has been revealed for the first time. The methodological approaches and the results obtained supplement the information on polyethylene biodegradation and can be applied in biotechnologies.

Nitrogen-fixing activity of microorganisms in the intestines of Crane fly (Tipulidae) larvae and their influence on the processes of microbial nitrogen fixation in soil have been studied. Two independent methods have shown high rates of nitrogenase activity in the digestive tract of larvae, which is determined mainly by transit nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. Nitrogen fixers actively developing in the intestines of larvae stimulate a sharp increase in nitrogenase activity in the soil: after 3 months of incubation, the activity increases eightfold; it can contribute to the accumulation of nitrogen in the habitats of the larvae.

The transfer of energy from bombarding $${{{\text{K}}}^{ + }}$$ and $${\text{A}}{{{\text{r}}}^{ + }}$$ions ( = 10–100 eV) to vanadium atoms is studied via molecular dynamics using the Vs potential. The threshold energy of vanadium sputtering is determined, and a numerical way of determining the thresholds of sputtering for solids is proposed.

We tested for fire-induced (5-6 years post-fire) changes in the structure and functioning of the soil food web along a 3000-km north-south transect across European Russia, spanning all major forest types in the northern hemisphere outside the tropics. The total biomass of the detrital food web, including microbes and invertebrates, was not affected by fire. However, fire reduced the biomass of microfauna and mites, but had no impact on mesofauna or macrofauna. Fire also reduced rates of carbon (C) mobilisation by soil biota. Our results demonstrate that fire-induced shifts in soil food webs have significant short-term effects on forest soil C cycling, but that these effects vary across forest types and geographic locations.

Burning is the most common practice for rice straw disposal. Due to associated negative environmental and climatic effects, development of viable alternatives, preferably based on the natural functions of soil biota are needed. In the conditions of non-tropical rice-growing systems, where periods of flooding are very short, such an approach seems to be particularly promising. We carried out a mesocosm experiment to assess the possibility of using the model earthworm species Eisenia fetida (Savigny 1826) to decompose rice residues and control associated CO2 and CH4 emissions from paddy soils at different soil moisture levels. We filled 96 mesocosms with three types (32 each) of rice paddy soils collected in key regions of rice production in Russia: Krasnodarsky Krai (the Sea of Azov lowland, Calcic Phaeozems), the Republic of Kalmykia (the Volga river valley, Haplic Phaeozems) and Primorsky Krai (Khanka lake lowland, the Russian Far East, Umbric, Histic Fluvisols). We added 2.5 g dry rice straw in each mesocosm. The experiment had a full factorial design including three categorical factors: soil type (n = 3), soil moisture level (12, 25, 50 and 75% soil water holding capacity) and E. fetida earthworm addition (none and 4 individuals per mesocosm). The integral emission of CO2 across the observation period of 10 days significantly differed between moisture classes with the highest values at 25% (p < 0.05). Earthworm amendment had no effect on CO2 flux in all moisture treatments besides 75%, where it was positive. The detectable CH4 emissions were observed only at soil moisture levels of 50 and 75%. Earthworms strongly positively affected this parameter at 75% soil moisture level (p < 0.05). Carbon content after the experiment was significantly higher in the earthworm-inoculated microcosms only at the 25% moisture level. We conclude that E. fetida may positively contribute to carbon sequestration during rice straw degradation in the studied rice paddy soil types only under certain levels of substrate moisture (25% in our case). This highlights the importance of soil encountering abiotic conditions when developing climate-friendly systems for rice straw decomposition and carbon immobilization. It also suggests the potential of using E. fetida as a viable agent of biological rice straw recycling during the drained stages in non-tropical rice paddies or in artificial confinements.

It is not clear which mechanisms are responsible for changing soil biological activity following a fire. To address this knowledge gap, we measured such parameters of soil biological activity as flux rates of CH4, and CO2 and identified key environmental parameters that can influence soil biological activity. Soil samples were collected in burned and adjacent unburned control forests, along a 3000 km-long north-south transect in European Russia. A raw biological activity of tested soil samples varied significantly between forest types, but not between burned and control forest stands. Linear mixed effect modeling demonstrated a striking contrast in the importance of different drivers in sustaining a soil biological activity in the burned and control forests. The optimal model of basal soil respiration consisted of: "Soil moisture" (26%), "Fire treatment x Soil moisture x Labile soil N:P ratio" (21%), and "Fire treatment x Labile soil C x Labile soil N:P ratio" (13%). The model for CH4 in turn was defined by interactions of bulk and labile soil C with soil moisture and other factors. Our study clearly demonstrated that forest fires affect soil biological activity rather indirectly through modifying soil properties. The results enable forecasting post-fire effects on soil functioning in a changing climate under varied fire regimes.

— This research analyses the structure and functions of bacterial communities of regressive spots in ombrotrophic bogs. Algal biomass was found to predominate in the biomass structure of regressive spots, while fungal mycelial biomass predominated in the layers of non-regressive ombrotrophic bog peat. A number of bacteria in regressive spots determined by direct counts was three to seven times higher than the one in non-regressive ombrotrophic bog peat. Although the Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria predominated in the samples studied, their shares in non-regressive ombrotrophic bog peat were lower. Members of the phylum Verrucomicrobia predominated in the regressive spots, while in non-regressive raised bog peat they were among the minor components. It was found that the epiphytic-saprotrophic bacterial communities were dominated by bacilli during the dry season and by the proteobacteria during the wet season. According to the results of the 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the bacteria found were identified as Chryseobacterium , Stenotrophomonas , Pseudomonas , and Chromobacterium . Physiological activity of the bacterial communities in regressive spots was similar to that of fen peat communities due to abundance of bacteria using easily accessible polymers. Nitrogen-fixing activity of the bacterial communities was found to be significantly higher in regressive spots than in non-regressive ombrotrophic bog peat.

The effect of crane fly (Diptera, Tipulidae) larvae on the functional diversity of soil microorganism communities and the intensity of nitrogen and carbon transformation processes in soil has been investigated. The vital activity of larvae in the soil has been shown to significantly accelerate nitrogen fixation, denitrification, and methane production and elevate the functional diversity (the number of substrates consumed and metabolic work) and stability of the microbial complex.

Direct and inoculation methods indicated high concentrations of bacteria on the following plants: Carex nigra, Eriophorum vaginatum, Drosera rotundifolia, and Ledum palustre. The correlation between bacterial abundance, species, and organs of the studied plants was revealed. Proteobacteria were shown to predominate in the phyllosphere, while bacilli and actinomycetes prevailed in rhizoplane and rhizosphere. Members of the genera Pseudomonas and Erwinia predominated in the phyllosphere. High values of the nitrogen-fixing activity of bacterial populations in the rhizosphere were revealed, which reached a maximum in the rhizosphere under sundew.

The paper presents a comparative analysis of the structural and functional characteristics of microbial communities of gray forest soil of fallow and intensively cultivated areas. The long-term anthropogenic impact with massive annual mineral fertilization when growing a monoculture of potatoes has led to degradation of the soil microbial system. A catastrophic decrease in the functional potential of the microbial system (environmental services) is shown using eco-exergy as a thermodynamic indicator of soil “health”.

The objective of this research is to find correlations between traffic-related contaminants in the roadside soils and their ecotoxicity. The study was conducted in Moscow in the vicinity of a highway of 125 000 vehicles per day. The topsoils (0-3 cm depth) were sampled perpendicular to the road at 1-, 6-, 10-, 18- and 50-m distances from the roadbed. Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), heavy metals (HM) in total and phyto-available forms, and deicing salts (DS) were determined. A battery of soil-contacting organisms was tested: phytotoxicity of rye (H. vulgare L.) and garden cress (L. sativum L.); E. foetida earthworm growth rate and mortality; basal and substrate-induced respiration activity, nitrogen fixation and the denitrification activity of the soil microbial complex. To determine the possible risk to aquatic ecosystems, the algal toxicity test (S. quadricauda) was provided. Correlations between "chemical" data and intensity of "biological" effects were analyzed. Concentrations of most contaminants declined to the background values with distance from the road increase. However, the toxicity of roadside soils was obtained for all examined organisms within the whole 50 m zone. Live organisms exhibited different sensitivities to roadside soils pollution. The intensity of inhibition effects decreased in order: higher plants > earthworms and microorganisms > algae. The risk for aquatic ecosystems was assessed as low. Higher plants toxicity correlated with TPH, PAH, some HM, and DS; earthworm toxicity correlated with TPH, some PAH, HM, and DS; microorganism toxicity correlated with TPH and DS; algae had no observed correlations with contaminants. TPH and DS were general ecotoxicants affecting all organisms. Higher plants may be considered the PAH indicators and earthworms as HM indicators. A set of higher plants and earthworms may be recommended as the reduced test-battery of relevant organisms for cost-effective assessment of the toxicity of roadside soils.