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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 1999, p. 3697-3704, Vol. 65, No. 8
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

How Stable Is Stable? Function versus Community Composition

Ana Fernández,1,2 Suiying Huang,1 Sherry Seston,1,3 Jian Xing,1,4,dagger Robert Hickey,1,4,5 Craig Criddle,1,4,Dagger and James Tiedje1,3,*

Center for Microbial Ecology,1 Department of Microbiology,3 and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,4 Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, EFX Systems, Lansing, Michigan 48910,5 and Cátedra de Microbiología, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, C. de Correo 1157, Montevideo, Uruguay2

Received 20 January 1999/Accepted 25 May 1999

The microbial community dynamics of a functionally stable, well-mixed, methanogenic reactor fed with glucose were analyzed over a 605-day period. The reactor maintained constant pH and chemical oxygen demand removal during this period. Thirty-six rrn clones from each of seven sampling events were analyzed by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) for the Bacteria and Archaea domains and by sequence analysis of dominant members of the community. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs), distinguished as unique ARDRA patterns, showed reproducible distribution for three sample replicates. The highest diversity was observed in the Bacteria domain. The 16S ribosomal DNA Bacteria clone library contained 75 OTUs, with the dominant OTU accounting for 13% of the total clones, but just 21 Archaea OTUs were found, and the most prominent OTU represented 50% of the clones from the respective library. Succession in methanogenic populations was observed, and two periods were distinguished: in the first, Methanobacterium formicicum was dominant, and in the second, Methanosarcina mazei and a Methanobacterium bryantii-related organism were dominant. Higher variability in Bacteria populations was detected, and the temporal OTU distribution suggested a chaotic pattern. Although dominant OTUs were constantly replaced from one sampling point to the next, phylogenetic analysis indicated that inferred physiologic changes in the community were not as dramatic as were genetic changes. Seven of eight dominant OTUs during the first period clustered with the spirochete group, although a cyclic pattern of substitution occurred among members within this order. A more flexible community structure characterized the second period, since a sequential replacement of a Eubacterium-related organism by an unrelated deep-branched organism and finally by a Propionibacterium-like species was observed. Metabolic differences among the dominant fermenters detected suggest that changes in carbon and electron flow occurred during the stable performance and indicate that an extremely dynamic community can maintain a stable ecosystem function.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. Phone: (517) 353-9021. Fax: (517) 353-2917. E-mail: tiedjej{at}pilot.msu.edu.

dagger Present address: Global Remediation Technologies, Traverse City, MI 49684.

Dagger Present address: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 1999, p. 3697-3704, Vol. 65, No. 8
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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