Cd-tolerant bacterial strains of fluorescent pseudomonads, mostly belonging to Pseudomonas monteillii, were isolated from termite mound soil (Macrotermes subhyalinus, a litter-forager and fungus-growing termite), in a Sudanese shrubby savanna, Burkina Faso. Such large mounds appeared as sites of great bacterial diversity and could be considered as hot spots of metal-tolerant fluorescent pseudom...

We investigated the genetic diversity and symbiotic efficiency of 223 Sinorhizobium sp. isolates sampled from a single Mediterranean soil and trapped with four Medicago truncatula lines. DNA molecular polymorphism was estimated by capillary electrophoresis-single-stranded conformation polymorphism and restriction fragment length polymorphism on five loci (IGS(NOD), typA, virB11, avhB11, and the...

Underground pipelines have a space-dependent condition that arises from various soil properties surrounding the pipeline (e.g., moisture content, pH, aeration) and efficiency of protection measures. Corrosion is one main threats for commonly monitored with in-line inspections (ILI) every 2 to 6 years. Preliminary characterizations allow operators propose adequate protective measures prevent any...

Treelines differentiate vastly contrasting ecosystems: open tundra from closed forest. Treeline advance has implications for the climate system due to the impact of the transition from tundra to forest ecosystem on carbon (C) storage and albedo. Treeline advance has been seen to increase above-ground C stocks as low vegetation is replaced with trees but decrease organic soil C stocks as old car...

Understanding the relationships between ecosystem services is important for promoting ecosystem service management and sustainable development. The relationships between ecosystem services have commonly been characterized as tradeoffs and synergies. Here, we report that a third type of relationship also exists, in which one ecosystem service constrains the other. Selecting the grassland and agr...

Lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) are common metal contaminants in terrestrial environments. Decisions on remediation of metal contaminated soil are often based on risk estimates derived from generic guideline values. Guideline values are used at the screening stage of Ecological Risk Assessments (ERA) and have been developed to represent “safe” levels of contaminants applicable over large geographical a...