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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2005, p. 7352-7365, Vol. 71, No. 11
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.11.7352-7365.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Community Composition of a Hypersaline Endoevaporitic Microbial Mat

Ketil Bernt Sørensen,1* Donald E. Canfield,2 Andreas P. Teske,3 and Aharon Oren4

Department of Geology and Geophysics Post 701, 1680 East-West Rd., University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822,1 Danish Center for Earth System Science, Institute of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, University of Odense, Odense, Denmark,2 Marine Sciences Department, 12-7 Venable Hall CB 3300, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599,3 The Institute of Life Sciences and the Moshe Shilo Minerva Center for Marine Biogeochemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel4

Received 27 April 2005/ Accepted 30 May 2005

A hypersaline, endoevaporitic microbial community in Eilat, Israel, was studied by microscopy and by PCR amplification of genes for 16S rRNA from different layers. In terms of biomass, the oxygenic layers of the community were dominated by Cyanobacteria of the Halothece, Spirulina, and Phormidium types, but cell counts (based on 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining) and molecular surveys (clone libraries of PCR-amplified genes for 16S rRNA) showed that oxygenic phototrophs were outnumbered by the other constituents of the community, including chemotrophs and anoxygenic phototrophs. Bacterial clone libraries were dominated by phylotypes affiliated with the Bacteroidetes group and both photo- and chemotrophic groups of {alpha}-proteobacteria. Green filaments related to the Chloroflexi were less abundant than reported from hypersaline microbial mats growing at lower salinities and were only detected in the deepest part of the anoxygenic phototrophic zone. Also detected were nonphototrophic {gamma}- and {delta}-proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, the TM6 group, Firmicutes, and Spirochetes. Several of the phylotypes showed a distinct vertical distribution in the crust, suggesting specific adaptations to the presence or absence of oxygen and light. Archaea were less abundant than Bacteria, their diversity was lower, and the community was less stratified. Detected archaeal groups included organisms affiliated with the Methanosarcinales, the Halobacteriales, and uncultured groups of Euryarchaeota.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Geology and Geophysics Post 701, 1680 East-West Rd., University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822. Phone: (808) 956-0720. Fax: (808) 956-5512. E-mail: ketil{at}hawaii.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2005, p. 7352-7365, Vol. 71, No. 11
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.11.7352-7365.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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