Contrasting patterns of niche partitioning between two anaerobic terminal oxidizers of organic matter.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the ecological principles underlying the structure and function of microbial communities remains an important goal for microbial ecology. We examined two biogeochemically important taxa, the sulfate-reducing bacterial genus, Desulfobulbus, and the methanogenic archaeal genus, Methanosaeta, to compare and contrast niche partitioning by these two taxa that are ecologically linked as anaerobic terminal oxidizers of organic material. An observational approach utilizing functional gene pyrosequencing was combined with a community-based reciprocal incubation experiment and characterization of a novel Desulfobulbus isolate. To analyze the pyrosequencing data, we constructed a data analysis pipeline, which we validated with several control data sets. For both taxa, particular genotyp

SUBMITTER: Oakley BB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3329114 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature