This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Höfle, M. G.
Right arrow Articles by Dominik, K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Höfle, M. G.
Right arrow Articles by Dominik, K.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Höfle, M. G.
Right arrow Articles by Dominik, K.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 1999, p. 3164-3174, Vol. 65, No. 7
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Seasonal Dynamics of Bacterioplankton Community Structure in a Eutrophic Lake as Determined by 5S rRNA Analysis

Manfred G. Höfle,* Heike Haas, and Katja Dominik

GBF-National Research Centre for Biotechnology, Division of Microbiology, Microbial Ecology Group, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany

Received 23 December 1998/Accepted 20 April 1999

Community structure of bacterioplankton was studied during the major growth season for phytoplankton (April to October) in the epilimnion of a temperate eutrophic lake (Lake Plußsee, northern Germany) by using comparative 5S rRNA analysis. Estimates of the relative abundances of single taxonomic groups were made on the basis of the amounts of single 5S rRNA bands obtained after high-resolution electrophoresis of RNA directly from the bacterioplankton. Full-sequence analysis of single environmental 5S rRNAs enabled the identification of single taxonomic groups of bacteria. Comparison of partial 5S rRNA sequences allowed the detection of changes of single taxa over time. Overall, the whole bacterioplankton community showed two to eight abundant (>4% of the total 5S rRNA) taxa. A distinctive seasonal succession was observed in the taxonomic structure of this pelagic community. A rather-stable community structure, with seven to eight different taxonomic units, was observed beginning in April during the spring phytoplankton bloom. A strong reduction in this diversity occurred at the beginning of the clear-water phase (early May), when only two to four abundant taxa were observed, with one taxon dominating (up to 72% of the total 5S rRNA). The community structure during summer stagnation (June and July) was characterized by frequent changes of different dominating taxa. During late summer, a dinoflagellate bloom (Ceratium hirudinella) occurred, with Comamonas acidovorans (beta -subclass of the class Proteobacteria) becoming the dominant bacterial species (average abundance of 43% of the total 5S rRNA). Finally, the seasonal dynamics of the community structure of bacterioplankton were compared with the abundances of other major groups of the aquatic food web, such as phyto- and zooplankton, revealing that strong grazing pressure by zooplankton can reduce microbial diversity substantially in pelagic environments.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: GBF-National Research Centre for Biotechnology, Division of Microbiology, Microbial Ecology Group, Mascheroder Weg 1, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany. Phone: 49-531-6181-419. Fax: 49-531-6181-411. E-mail: mho{at}gbf.de.


Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 1999, p. 3164-3174, Vol. 65, No. 7
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Tian, C., Tan, J., Wu, X., Ye, W., Liu, X., Li, D., Yang, H. (2009). Spatiotemporal transition of bacterioplankton diversity in a large shallow hypertrophic freshwater lake, as determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. J PLANKTON RES 31: 885-897 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schauer, M., Jiang, J., Hahn, M. W. (2006). Recurrent Seasonal Variations in Abundance and Composition of Filamentous SOL Cluster Bacteria (Saprospiraceae, Bacteroidetes) in Oligomesotrophic Lake Mondsee (Austria).. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 4704-4712 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Eichler, S., Christen, R., Holtje, C., Westphal, P., Botel, J., Brettar, I., Mehling, A., Hofle, M. G. (2006). Composition and Dynamics of Bacterial Communities of a Drinking Water Supply System as Assessed by RNA- and DNA-Based 16S rRNA Gene Fingerprinting.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 1858-1872 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schauer, M., Kamenik, C., Hahn, M. W. (2005). Ecological Differentiation within a Cosmopolitan Group of Planktonic Freshwater Bacteria (SOL Cluster, Saprospiraceae, Bacteroidetes). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 5900-5907 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schauer, M., Hahn, M. W. (2005). Diversity and Phylogenetic Affiliations of Morphologically Conspicuous Large Filamentous Bacteria Occurring in the Pelagic Zones of a Broad Spectrum of Freshwater Habitats. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 1931-1940 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Yannarell, A. C., Triplett, E. W. (2005). Geographic and Environmental Sources of Variation in Lake Bacterial Community Composition. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 227-239 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Page, K. A., Connon, S. A., Giovannoni, S. J. (2004). Representative Freshwater Bacterioplankton Isolated from Crater Lake, Oregon. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 6542-6550 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Feris, K. P., Ramsey, P. W., Rillig, M., Moore, J. N., Gannon, J. E., Holben, W. E. (2004). Determining Rates of Change and Evaluating Group-Level Resiliency Differences in Hyporheic Microbial Communities in Response to Fluvial Heavy-Metal Deposition. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 4756-4765 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hahn, M. W. (2003). Isolation of Strains Belonging to the Cosmopolitan Polynucleobacter necessarius Cluster from Freshwater Habitats Located in Three Climatic Zones. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 5248-5254 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Crump, B. C., Kling, G. W., Bahr, M., Hobbie, J. E. (2003). Bacterioplankton Community Shifts in an Arctic Lake Correlate with Seasonal Changes in Organic Matter Source. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 2253-2268 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Muylaert, K., Van der Gucht, K., Vloemans, N., Meester, L. D., Gillis, M., Vyverman, W. (2002). Relationship between Bacterial Community Composition and Bottom-Up versus Top-Down Variables in Four Eutrophic Shallow Lakes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 4740-4750 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dominik, K., Hofle, M. G. (2002). Changes in Bacterioplankton Community Structure and Activity with Depth in a Eutrophic Lake as Revealed by 5S rRNA Analysis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 3606-3613 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • O'Sullivan, L. A., Weightman, A. J., Fry, J. C. (2002). New Degenerate Cytophaga-Flexibacter-Bacteroides-Specific 16S Ribosomal DNA-Targeted Oligonucleotide Probes Reveal High Bacterial Diversity in River Taff Epilithon. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 201-210 [Abstract] [Full Text]