TY - JOUR A1 - Liu, Cong A1 - Hellemans, Simon A1 - Kinjo, Yukihiro A1 - Mikhailova, Alina A A1 - Aumont, Cédric A1 - Weng, Yi-Ming A1 - Buček, Aleš A1 - Husnik, Filip A1 - Šobotník, Jan A1 - Harrison, Mark C A1 - McMahon, Dino P A1 - Bourguignon, Thomas T1 - Recurrent horizontal gene transfers across diverse termite genomes N2 - Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), the transmission of genetic material across species, is an important innovation source in prokaryotes. In contrast, its significance is unclear in many eukaryotes, including insects. Here, we used high-quality genomes of 45 termites and two cockroaches to investigate HGTs from non-metazoan organisms across blattodean genomes. We identified 289 genes and 2,494 pseudogenes classified into 168 orthologous groups originating from an estimated 281 HGT events. Wolbachia represented the primary HGT source, while termite gut bacteria and the cockroach endosymbiont Blattabacterium did not contribute meaningfully to HGTs. Most horizontally acquired genes descended from recent and species-specific HGTs, experienced frequent duplications and pseudogenizations, and accumulated substitutions faster than synonymous sites of native protein-coding genes. Genes frequently transferred horizontally to termite genomes included mobile genetic elements and genetic information processing genes. Our results indicate that termites continuously acquired genes through HGT, and that most horizontally acquired genes are specific to restricted lineages. Overall, genes acquired by HGT by termites and cockroaches seemed generally non-functional and bound to be lost. KW - Phylogenomics KW - Isoptera KW - Comparative genomics PY - 2026 DO - https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpag003 SN - 0014-3820 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Oxford University Press (OUP) AN - OPUS4-65418 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kanaris, Orestis A1 - Sobisch, Lydia-Yasmin A1 - Gödt, Annett A1 - Schreiber, Frank A1 - Nordholt, Niclas T1 - Consequences of benzalkonium chloride tolerance for selection dynamics and de novo resistance evolution driven by antibiotics N2 - Biocides are used in large amounts in industrial, medical, and domestic settings. Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a commonly used biocide, for which previous research revealed that Escherichia coli can rapidly adapt to tolerate BAC-disinfection, with consequences for antibiotic susceptibility. However, the consequences of BAC tolerance for selection dynamics and resistance evolution to antibiotics remain unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of BAC tolerance in E. coli on its response upon challenge with different antibiotics. Competition assays showed that subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin—but not ampicillin, colistin and gentamicin—select for the BAC-tolerant strain over the BAC-sensitive ancestor at a minimal selective concentration of 0.0013–0.0022 µg/mL. In contrast, the BAC-sensitive ancestor was more likely to evolve resistance to ciprofloxacin, colistin and gentamicin than the BAC-tolerant strain when adapted to higher concentrations of antibiotics in a serial transfer laboratory evolution experiment. The observed difference in the evolvability of resistance to ciprofloxacin was partly explained by an epistatic interaction between the mutations conferring BAC tolerance and a knockout mutation in ompF encoding for the outer membrane porin F. Taken together, these findings suggest that BAC tolerance can be stabilized in environments containing low concentrations of ciprofloxacin, while it also constrains evolutionary pathways towards antibiotic resistance. KW - AMR KW - Resistance evolution KW - Resistance selection PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653842 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s44259-025-00170-8 SN - 2731-8745 VL - 4 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-65384 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gerrits, Ruben A1 - Stepec, Biwen An A1 - Bäßler, Ralph A1 - Becker, Roland A1 - Dimper, Matthias A1 - Feldmann, Ines A1 - Goff, Kira L. A1 - Günster, Jens A1 - Hofmann, Andrea A1 - Hesse, René A1 - Kirstein, Sarah A1 - Klein, Ulrich A1 - Mauch, Tatjana A1 - Neumann-Schaal, Meina A1 - Özcan Sandikcioglu, Özlem A1 - Taylor, Nicole M. A1 - Schumacher, Julia A1 - Shen, Yin A1 - Strehlau, Heike A1 - Weise, Matthias A1 - Wolf, Jacqueline A1 - Yurkov, Andrey A1 - Gieg, Lisa M. A1 - Gorbushina, Anna T1 - A 30-year-old diesel tank: Fungal-dominated biofilms cause local corrosion of galvanised steel N2 - The increased use of biodiesel is expected to lead to more microbial corrosion, fouling and fuel degradation issues. In this context, we have analysed the metal, fuel and microbiology of a fouled diesel tank which had been in service for over 30 years. The fuel itself, a B7 biodiesel blend, was not degraded, and—although no free water phase was visible—contained a water content of ~60 ppm. The microbial community was dominated by the fungus Amorphotheca resinae, which formed thick, patchy biofilms on the tank bottom and walls. The tank sheets, composed of galvanised carbon steel, were locally corroded underneath the biofilms, up to a depth of a third of the sheet thickness. On the biofilm-free surfaces, Zn coatings could still be observed. Taken together, A. resinae was shown to thrive in these water-poor conditions, likely enhancing corrosion through the removal of the protective Zn coatings. KW - Fungal biofilms KW - Biodiesel degradation mechanisms PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-655014 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-025-00731-2 SN - 2397-2106 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-65501 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vogel, Christian A1 - Helfenstein, J. A1 - Massey, M. A1 - Kretzschmar, R. A1 - Schade, U. A1 - Verel, R. A1 - Chadwick, O. A1 - Frossard, E. T1 - Spectroscopic analysis shows crandallite can be a major component of soil phosphorus N2 - Phosphorus (P) bioavailability is crucial for the productivity of natural and agricultural ecosystems, and soil P speciation plays a major role therein. Better understanding of P forms present in soil is thus essential to predict bioavailability. However, P speciation studies are only as powerful as the reference spectra used to interpret them, and most studies rely on a limited set of reference spectra. Most studies on soil P forms differentiate between Ca-bound P (e.g. apatite), organic P, Fe-bound P, and Al-bound P. In our analysis of a Ca, Al, and P rich soil from the Kohala region of Hawaii, we identified the mineral crandallite, CaAl3(PO4)2(OH)5·H2O, a mineral previously not considered to play a significant role in soils. Crandallite was first identified with powder X-ray diffraction. Subsequently reference spectra were collected, and the presence of crandallite was confirmed using micro-focused P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, micro-infrared spectroscopy, and solid-state 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Crandallite XANES spectra were distinct from other common XANES spectra due to the presence of features in the post-edge region of the spectrum. Linear combination fitting of bulk P K-edge XANES spectra allowed the determination of the proportion of crandallite to the total P content, indicating that crandallite comprises up to half, possibly even more of the soil P in the samples. Crandallite is therefore an important and potentially overlooked component of soil P, which pedogenically forms in soils with high P, Al, and Ca contents, where it could play an important role in P bioavailability. KW - Phosphorus KW - XANES spectrosocpy KW - Infrared spectroscopy KW - NMR spectrocopy PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-654968 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117712 SN - 0016-7061 VL - 467 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-65496 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Holm, O. A1 - Leube, Peter A1 - Vogel, Christian A1 - Kennedy, E. A1 - Stockenhuber, M. A1 - Lucas, J. A1 - Truong, T. A1 - Rappé, A. A1 - Lu, W. A1 - Blotevogel, J. T1 - Thermische Zerstörung von PFAS in der Sondermüllverbrennung: Einfluss von Temperatur und PFAS-Konzentration N2 - Aufgrund ihrer einzigartigen molekularen Beschaffenheit werden per- und polyfluorierte Alkylsubstanzen (PFAS) in vielen unterschiedlichen Produkten und Anwendungsgebieten eingesetzt. Da sie generell eine hohe Persistenz aufweisen und je nach individueller Struktur unterschiedlich mobil sind, sind sie mittlerweile in allen Umweltkompartimenten und ubiquitär nachzuweisen. Ihre potenzielle (ökologische) Toxizität birgt dabei erhebliche Umweltrisiken, weshalb PFAS in den letzten Jahren mehr und mehr in den Fokus von Umweltverbänden und -behörden gelangten. Gleichzeitig beschäftigen sich Forschungseinrichtungen mit der möglichst weitreichenden Entfernung aus der Umwelt sowie mit deren (anschließender) Zerstörung. Im Projekt ER24-4073 „Untersuchung des thermischen Abbaus von PFAS in einer kommerziellen Großanlage zur Verbrennung gefährlicher Abfälle“, welches vom U.S. Department of Defense (DoD ) über das Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) gefördert wird, untersuchen deutsche, australische und amerikanische Partner die Behandlung von PFAS-haltigen Abfallströmen in einer großtechnischen Verbrennungsanlage, um die Einsatzbereitschaft, Machbarkeit und Sicherheit dieser Zerstörungsmethode zu demonstrieren. T2 - Berliner Konferenz Abfallwirtschaft und Energie CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 28.01.2026 KW - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Verbrennung KW - Kontaminierter Boden PY - 2026 SN - 978-3-911006-65-1 SP - 66 EP - 77 PB - TK Verlag AN - OPUS4-65513 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GOVDOC A1 - Adam, Christian A1 - Wöhlecke, Andreas T1 - 9. Nachtrag zum Zulassungsschein 12/BAM IV.3/09/00 für eine Schutzschicht bestehend aus einer sandgefüllten Schutzbahn für Kunststoffdichtungsbahnen in Deponieabdichtungen N2 - 9. Nachtrag zum Zulassungsschein 12/BAM IV.3/09/00 für eine Schutzschicht bestehend aus einer sandgefüllten Schutzbahn für Kunststoffdichtungsbahnen in Deponieabdichtungen der Firma G quadrat GmbH, Krefeld. KW - Deponie KW - Schutzschicht KW - Abdichtungssystem PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-654339 SP - 1 EP - 31 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-65433 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Plarre, Rudy T1 - Wirksamkeitsbewertung von Holzschutzmitteln N2 - Der Holzschutz in Deutschland ist durch DIN 68800 geregelt. Die Anwendung von Holzschutzmitteln zum Schutz verbauten Holzes ist dabei eine Möglichkeit. Voraussetzung für den Gebrauch von Holzschutzmitteln ist deren Zulassung nach Biozidgesetz. Der Vortrag beschreibt die Vorgehensweise bei der Wirksamkeitsbewertung von Holzschutzmitteln im Rahmen der europäischen Biozidzulassung. Die Wirksamkeitsbewertung erfolgt durch biologische Prüfungen anhand von europäischen Normen getrennt nach Zielorganismen. Je nach späterer Gebrauchssituation des mit Holzschutzmitteln behandelten Holzes sind definierte Alterungsverfahren nach Norm der eigentlichen biologischen Prüfung vorzuschalten. Das Prüfergebnis des widerstandsfähigsten Organismus legt die zum Schutz des Holzes notwenige Konzentration und Einbringmenge des Holzschutzmittel fest. T2 - Fortbildung für Angehörige von Bundesbehörden organsiert durch die BAuA CY - Online meeting DA - 12.02.2026 KW - Holzschutzmittel KW - Wirksamkei KW - Biozidgesetz PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65507 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Holm, O. T1 - Thermische Zerstörung von PFAS in der Sondermüllverbrennung: Einfluss von Temperatur und PFAS-Konzentration N2 - Aufgrund ihrer einzigartigen molekularen Beschaffenheit werden per- und polyfluorierte Alkylsubstanzen (PFAS) in vielen unterschiedlichen Produkten und Anwendungsgebieten eingesetzt. Da sie generell eine hohe Persistenz aufweisen und je nach individueller Struktur unterschiedlich mobil sind, sind sie mittlerweile in allen Umweltkompartimenten und ubiquitär nachzuweisen. Ihre potenzielle (ökologische) Toxizität birgt dabei erhebliche Umweltrisiken, weshalb PFAS in den letzten Jahren mehr und mehr in den Fokus von Umweltverbänden und -behörden gelangten. Gleichzeitig beschäftigen sich Forschungseinrichtungen mit der möglichst weitreichenden Entfernung aus der Umwelt sowie mit deren (anschließender) Zerstörung. Im Projekt ER24-4073 „Untersuchung des thermischen Abbaus von PFAS in einer kommerziellen Großanlage zur Verbrennung gefährlicher Abfälle“, welches vom U.S. Department of Defense (DoD ) über das Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) gefördert wird, untersuchen deutsche, australische und amerikanische Partner die Behandlung von PFAS-haltigen Abfallströmen in einer großtechnischen Verbrennungsanlage, um die Einsatzbereitschaft, Machbarkeit und Sicherheit dieser Zerstörungsmethode zu demonstrieren. T2 - Berliner Konferenz Abfallwirtschaft und Energie (BKAWE) CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 28.01.2026 KW - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Verbrennung KW - Kontaminierter Boden PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65512 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Loose, Florian T1 - Carbonfaserhaltige Reststoffe als Sekundärrohstoff – Einsatz in der Pyrometallurgie N2 - Lightweighting is a key technology for tackling the challenges of the 21st century, in particular climate change. Lightweighting contributes to decreasing CO2 emissions, improves resource efficiency and supports the transition to sustainable mobility. In particular, carbon fibers (CF) and carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) play a central role in various industries such as aviation, wind power and electric mobility. With the increasing demand, the waste streams of CF are also growing, and their recycling is crucial for environmental compatibility and the circular economy. The difficulty of CF recycling is to separate the CF from the polymer matrix to obtain high-quality recycling materials. Processes such as solvolysis and pyrolysis are used, with pyrolysis being the more commonly implemented. However, the process for obtaining recycled carbon fibers (rCF) also has disadvantages, since the fiber lengths and qualities can be affected by the recycling processes. Safety aspects are also important, since carbon fiber fragments can be potentially harmful. Processes must be developed for treating carbon fiber waste streams, that ensure safety, since landfilling is not possible due to the plastic matrix. Large-scale experiments have shown that the thermal recovery of CF in waste incinerators is incomplete, which is due to the chemical structure of CF. Pyrometallurgical utilization of CF is considered a promising approach. Here, CF can be chemically utilized in these high-temperature processes in such a way that their conversion is improved while minimizing the formation of fragments that are harmful. In this context, studies on the reactivity of CF in such processes are important to verify the efficiency and safety of the procedures. In summary, the safe and efficient use of CF waste not only contributes to the circular economy but also promotes the decarbonization of the steel industry. It is crucial to develop suitable processes to protect the environment and the health of workers while maintaining the value creation of CF. T2 - Berliner Konferenz Abfallwirtschaft und Energie CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 27.01.2025 KW - Cabonfasern KW - CFK KW - Recycling KW - Secondary Resource KW - Pyrometallurgy PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62464 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Franz, Mathias A1 - Armitage, Sophie A.O. A1 - McMahon, Dino Peter A1 - Subasi, Bengisu S. A1 - Rafaluk, Charlotte T1 - Trade-offs in virulence evolution: a Hierarchy-of-Hypotheses approach N2 - Understanding the evolution of virulence, that is, the harm pathogens cause their hosts, has major and wide-spread repercussions. A central concept of virulence evolution is the so-called ‘trade-off hypothesis’, a seemingly straightforward relationship between virulence and transmission. However, substantial ambiguity in terminology related to this hypothesis threatens progress in the field. To address this, we apply a Hierarchy-of-Hypotheses approach to provide structured, visual representations of ideas linked to this hypothesis. We illustrate that the trade-off hypothesis is a complex set of many different hypotheses and trade-offs, and we clarify ambiguities and biases in commonly used terminology in the literature. Thereby, we hope to facilitate a more precise understanding of what the trade-off hypothesis means, enabling more targeted and precise hypothesis testing. KW - Pathogen virulence KW - Trade-off KW - Trade-off hypothesis KW - Virulence evolution PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2025.01.006 SN - 1471-5007 VL - 41 IS - 3 SP - 188 EP - 195 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-62620 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -