Dissimilatory sulphate reduction in hypersaline coastal pans: an integrated microbiological and geochemical study

Here, we report on the spatial and temporal variation in sulphate‐reducing bacterial community structure and activity in three hypersaline coastal pans. Community structure was determined using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Cluster analysis of DGGE patterns indicated that similar m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geobiology 2013-05, Vol.11 (3), p.224-233
Main Authors: Roychoudhury, A. N., Cowan, D., Porter, D., Valverde, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cluster Analysis
Computational Biology
Deltaproteobacteria - genetics
Deltaproteobacteria - metabolism
Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis
Desulfobacteraceae
DNA Primers - genetics
Geologic Sediments - analysis
Geologic Sediments - microbiology
Oxidation-Reduction
Phylogeny
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Principal Component Analysis
Salinity
South Africa
Sulfates - metabolism
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Summary:Here, we report on the spatial and temporal variation in sulphate‐reducing bacterial community structure and activity in three hypersaline coastal pans. Community structure was determined using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Cluster analysis of DGGE patterns indicated that similar microbial populations were generally found in individual pans but varied from one pan to the other. Sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) were quantified by competitive polymerase chain reaction based on the amplification of the dsrAB genes. Cell numbers and in situ sulphate reduction activities varied between seasons and pans but in general showed low variation in depth. Sulphate reduction activity was not correlated with microbial population size indicating that community composition is relevant for specific microbial processes. Principal component analysis coupled with correlation analyses suggested that salinity, sulphate concentration, C/N ratio and pH were the most important factors in explaining variations in SRB community composition. Most sequences derived from DGGE amplicons belonged to members of the Desulfobacteraceae and Desulfohalobiaceae families.
ISSN:1472-4677
1472-4669
DOI:10.1111/gbi.12027