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Appl. Environ. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/AEM.02534-06
Copyright (c) 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Blooms of Flavobacteria in four eutrophic lakes: Linking population dynamics of freshwater bacterioplankton to resource availability

Limnology/Department of Ecology and Evolution, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyv. 20, SE-75236 Uppsala, Sweden

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: stebe{at}ebc.uu.se.

	Abstract

Heterotrophic bacteria are major contributors to biogeochemical cycles and control water quality. Still, the lack of representative isolates and few quantitative surveys leave the ecological role and significance of single bacterial populations to be revealed. Here, we analyzed the diversity and dynamics of freshwater Flavobacteria populations in four eutrophic temperate lakes. From each lake, clone libraries were constructed using primers specific for either class Flavobacteria or Bacteria. Sequencing of 194 Flavobacteria clones from eight libraries revealed a diverse freshwater Flavobacteria community and distinct differences among lakes. Flavobacteria abundance and seasonal dynamics were assessed by quantitative PCR with class-specific primers. In parallel, the dynamics of individual populations within the Flavobacteria community were assessed with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism using identical primers. The contribution of Flavobacteria to the total bacterioplankton community ranged from 0.4 to almost 100 % (average 24%). Blooms where Flavobacteria represented more than 30% of the bacterioplankton were observed at different times in the four lakes. In general, high proportions of Flavobacteria appeared during episodes of high bacterial production. Phylogenetic analyses combined with Flavobacteria community fingerprints suggested dominance of two Flavobacteria lineages. Both drastic alterations in total Flavobacteria and in community composition of this class significantly correlated with bacterial production emphasizing that resource availability is an important driver of heterotrophic bacterial succession in eutrophic lakes.