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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2006, p. 1852-1857, Vol. 72, No. 3
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AEM.72.3.1852-1857.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Effect of pH on Isolation and Distribution of Members of Subdivision 1 of the Phylum Acidobacteria Occurring in Soil
Michelle Sait,
Kathryn E. R. Davis, and
Peter H. Janssen*
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
Received 29 August 2005/
Accepted 13 December 2005
The pH strongly influenced the development of colonies by members of subdivision 1 of the phylum Acidobacteria on solid laboratory media. Significantly more colonies of this group formed at pH 5.5 than at pH 7.0. At pH 5.5, 7 to 8% of colonies that formed on plates that were incubated for 4 months were formed by subdivision 1 acidobacteria. These colonies were formed by bacteria that spanned almost the entire phylogenetic breadth of the subdivision, and there was considerable congruence between the diversity of this group as determined by the cultivation-based method and by surveying 16S rRNA genes in the same soil. Members of subdivision 1 acidobacteria therefore appear to be readily culturable. An analysis of published libraries of 16S rRNAs or 16S rRNA genes showed a very strong correlation between the abundance of subdivision 1 acidobacteria in soil bacterial communities and the soil pH. Subdivision 1 acidobacteria were most abundant in libraries from soils with pHs of <6, but rare or absent in libraries from soils with pHs of >6.5. This, together with the selective cultivation of members of the group on lower-pH media, indicates that growth of many members of subdivision 1 acidobacteria is favored by slightly to moderately acidic growth conditions.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. Phone: 61 (3) 8344 5706. Fax: 61 (3) 9347 1540. E-mail:
pjanssen{at}unimelb.edu.au.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2006, p. 1852-1857, Vol. 72, No. 3
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AEM.72.3.1852-1857.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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