2,5-Dimethylfuran (DMF) is a heat-induced contaminant found in various thermally processed foods. Due to its structural similarity to furan, a well-known hepatotoxin and potential human carcinogen, the presence of DMF in food poses a potential risk to consumers. DMF undergoes cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated biotransformation leading to the formation of two primary phase-I metabolites: the reactive cis -3-hexene-2,5-dione (HDO),...

Nitrogen (N) availability is known to interact with the drought tolerance in plants, but its effects on the morphological acclimation of forest trees to low precipitation have rarely been investigated. Based on a Germany-wide field-study design covering different combinations of climatic conditions and atmospheric N deposition, we harvested young trees up to 70 cm in height of Fagus sylvatica , Quercus petraea , Pseudotsuga me...

Soils host diverse communities of interacting microbes and the nature of interspecific interactions is increasingly recognized to affect ecosystem‐level processes. Antagonistic interactions between bacteria and fungi are of particular relevance for soil functioning. A number of soil bacteria produce secondary metabolites that inhibit eukaryotic growth. Antibiosis may be stimulated in the presence of competing bacteria, and we...

Ecology Letters (2012) 15 : 468–474 Abstract Biodiversity is a major determinant of ecosystem functioning. Species‐rich communities often use resources more efficiently thereby improving community performance. However, high competition within diverse communities may also reduce community functioning. We manipulated the genotypic diversity of Pseudomonas fluorescens communities, a plant mutualistic species inhibiting pathogens....