Data from: A burrowing ecosystem engineer positively affects its microbial prey under stressful conditions

1. Species that facilitate others under stressful conditions are often ecosystem engineers: organisms that modify or create physical habitat. 2. The net effect of an engineering species on another depends on both the magnitude of trophic or competitive interactions, and the specific environmental context. 3. We used a laboratory system to isolate the trophic and engineering impacts of a predator, the nematode Caenorhabditis remanei, on its prey, Escherichia coli under different levels of environmental stress. We predicted that under stressful surface conditions the nematodes would positively impact their prey by creating burrows that protected the bacteria. 4. Colony plate counts of E. coli indicated that there was a stress-induced change in the net impact of nematodes on bacteria from neutral to positive. Predator engineering in the form of burrowing allowed larger bacteria populations to survive. 5. We conclude that even in a simple 2 species system a predator can positively impact prey via ecosystem engineering

Pectobacterium and Dickeya: Environment to Disease Development

The soft rot Pectobacteriaceae (SRP) infect a wide range of plants worldwide and cause economic damage to crops and ornamentals but can also colonize other plants as part of their natural life cycle. They are found in a variety of environmental niches, including water, soil and insects, where they may spread to susceptible plants and cause disease. In this chapter, we look in detail at the plants colonized and infected by these pathogens and at the diseases and symptoms they cause. We also focus on where in the environment these organisms are found and their ability to survive and thrive there. Finally, we present evidence that SRP may assist the colonization of human enteric pathogens on plants, potentially implicating them in aspects of human/animal as well as plant health