Stability of the total and functional microbial communities in river sediment mesocosms exposed to anthropogenic disturbances

作者：van der Zaan Bas^*; Smidt Hauke; de Vos Willem M; Rijnaarts Huub; Gerritse Jan

来源：FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2010, 74(1): 72-82.

DOI：10.1111/j.1574-6941.2010.00931.x

• functional groups
• microbial communities
• anthropogenic disturbance
• mesocosm
• sediment

River systems are exposed to anthropogenic disturbances, including chemical pollution and eutrophication. This may affect the phylogenetic diversity as well as the abundance of various functional groups within sediment-associated microbial communities. To address such potential effects, mesocosms filled with Ebro delta sediment covered with river water were exposed to chlorinated organic compounds or to a high nutrient concentration as used for fertilization. Changes in the abundance of selected functional microbial groups, i.e. total aerobes, nitrate, sulfate and iron reducers, organohalide-respiring microorganisms as well as methanogens, were examined using culture-dependent most probable number and culture-independent PCR methods targeting phylogenetic as well as functional gene markers. It was concluded that the abundance of functional groups was neither affected by pollution with 1,2-dichloroethane and tetrachloroethene nor by elevated nutrient loads, although changes in the bacterial community composition were observed using 16S rRNA gene-targeted fingerprint techniques. This study reinforced the notion that complementary culture-dependent and molecular methods, focusing on different fractions of the microbial community (cultivable, active or total), should be used in combination for a comprehensive description of phylogenetic diversity and functional potential.

• 出版日期2010-10