Seasonal changes of freshwater ammonia-oxidizing archaeal assemblages and nitrogen species in oligotrophic alpine lakes.

ABSTRACT: The annual changes in the composition and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) were analyzed monthly in surface waters of three high mountain lakes within the Limnological Observatory of the Pyrenees (LOOP; northeast Spain) using both 16S rRNA and functional (ammonia monooxygenase gene, amoA) gene sequencing as well as quantitative PCR amplification. The set of biological data was related to changes in nitrogen species and to other relevant environmental variables. The whole archaeal assemblage was dominated by phylotypes closely related to the crenarchaeal 1.1a group (58% ± 18% of total 16S rRNA gene sequences), and consistent structural changes were detected during the study. Water temperature was the environmental variable that better explained spring, summer, and winter (ice-co

SUBMITTER: Auguet JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3067326 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature