Microbial Decomposer Communities Are Mainly Structured by Trophic Status in Circumneutral and Alkaline Streams

作者:Duarte Sofia*; Pascoal Claudia; Garabetian Frederic; Cassio Fernanda; Charcosset Jean Yves
来源:Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2009, 75(19): 6211-6221.
DOI:10.1128/AEM.00971-09

摘要

In streams, the release of nitrogen and phosphorus is reported to affect microbial communities and the ecological processes they govern. Moreover, the type of inorganic nitrogen (NO(3), NO(2), or NH(4)) may differently impact microbial communities. We aimed to identify the environmental factors that structure aquatic microbial communities and drive leaf litter decomposition along a gradient of eutrophication. We selected five circumneutral (Portuguese) and five alkaline (French) streams differing in nutrient concentrations to monitor mass loss of alder leaves, bacterial and fungal diversity by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, fungal biomass and reproduction, and bacterial biomass during 11 weeks of leaf immersion. The concentrations of inorganic nutrients in the stream water ranged from 5 to 300 mu g liter(-1) soluble reactive phosphorus, 0.30 to 5.50 mg liter(-1) NO(3)-N, 2 to 103 mu g liter(-1) NO(2)-N, and <4 to 7,100 mu g liter(-1) NH(4)-N. Species richness was maximum in moderately anthropized (eutrophic) streams but decreased in the most anthropized (hypertrophic) streams. Different species assemblages were found in subsets of streams with different trophic statuses. In both geographic areas, the limiting nutrient, either nitrate or phosphate, stimulated the microbial activity in streams of intermediate trophic status. In the hypertrophic streams, fungal biomass and reproduction were significantly lower, and bacterial biomass dramatically decreased at the site with the highest ammonium concentration. The limiting nutrients that defined the trophic status were the main factor structuring fungal and bacterial communities, whatever the geographic area. A very high ammonium concentration in stream water most probably has negative impacts on microbial decomposer communities.

  • 出版日期2009-10-1