Spatial and temporal patterns in the microbial diversity of a meromictic soda lake in Washington State.

ABSTRACT: The microbial community diversity and composition of meromictic Soap Lake were studied using culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches. The water column and sediments were sampled monthly for a year. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes showed an increase in diversity with depth for both groups. Late-summer samples harbored the highest prokaryotic diversity, and the bacteria exhibited less seasonal variability than the archaea. Most-probable-number assays targeting anaerobic microbial guilds were performed to compare summer and fall samples. In both seasons, the anoxic samples appeared to be dominated by lactate-oxidizing sulfate-reducing prokaryotes. High numbers of lactate- and acetate-oxidizing iron-reducing bacteria, as well as fer

SUBMITTER: Dimitriu PA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2519324 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature