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 Weinbauer, M. G.
Right arrow Articles by Höfle, M. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Weinbauer, M. G.
Right arrow Articles by Höfle, M. G.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Weinbauer, M. G.
Right arrow Articles by Höfle, M. G.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 1998, p. 3776-3783, Vol. 64, No. 10
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Distribution and Life Strategies of Two Bacterial Populations in a Eutrophic Lake

Markus G. Weinbauer* and Manfred G. Höfle

GBF-National Research Center of Biotechnology, AG Microbial Ecology, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany

Received 27 March 1998/Accepted 23 July 1998

Monoclonal antibodies and epifluorescence microscopy were used to determine the depth distribution of two indigenous bacterial populations in the stratified Lake Plußsee and characterize their life strategies. Populations of Comamonas acidovorans PX54 showed a depth distribution with maximum abundances in the oxic epilimnion, whereas Aeromonas hydrophila PU7718 showed a depth distribution with maximum abundances in the anoxic thermocline layer (metalimnion), i.e., in the water layer with the highest microbial activity. Resistance of PX54 to protist grazing and high metabolic versatility and growth rate of PU7718 were the most important life strategy traits for explaining the depth distribution of the two bacterial populations. Maximum abundance of PX54 was 16,000 cells per ml, and maximum abundance of PU7718 was 20,000 cells per ml. Determination of bacterial productivity in dilution cultures with different-size fractions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from lake water indicates that low-molecular-weight (LMW) DOM is less bioreactive than total DOM (TDOM). The abundance and growth rate of PU7718 were highest in the TDOM fractions, whereas those of PX54 were highest in the LMW DOM fraction, demonstrating that PX54 can grow well on the less bioreactive DOM fraction. We estimated that 13 to 24% of the entire bacterial community and 14% of PU7718 were removed by viral lysis, whereas no significant effect of viral lysis on PX54 could be detected. Growth rates of PX54 (0.11 to 0.13 h-1) were higher than those of the entire bacterial community (0.04 to 0.08 h-1) but lower than those of PU7718 (0.26 to 0.31 h-1). In undiluted cultures, the growth rates were significantly lower, pointing to density effects such as resource limitation or antibiosis, and the effects were stronger for PU7718 and the entire bacterial community than for PX54. Life strategy characterizations based on data from literature and this study revealed that the fast-growing and metabolically versatile A. hydrophila PU7718 is an r-strategist or opportunistic population in Lake Plußsee, whereas the grazing-resistant C. acidovorans PX54 is rather a K-strategist or equilibrium population.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: GBF-National Research Center of Biotechnology, AG Microbial Ecology, Mascheroder Weg 1, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany. Phone: 49-531-6181-440. Fax: 49-531-6181-411. E-mail: mgw{at}gbf.de.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 1998, p. 3776-3783, Vol. 64, No. 10
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Helton, R. R., Liu, L., Wommack, K. E. (2006). Assessment of Factors Influencing Direct Enumeration of Viruses within Estuarine Sediments.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 4767-4774 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kenzaka, T., Tamaki, S., Yamaguchi, N., Tani, K., Nasu, M. (2005). Recognition of Individual Genes in Diverse Microorganisms by Cycling Primed In Situ Amplification. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 7236-7244 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pernthaler, J., Amann, R. (2005). Fate of Heterotrophic Microbes in Pelagic Habitats: Focus on Populations. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 69: 440-461 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Simu, K., Holmfeldt, K., Zweifel, U. L., Hagstrom, A. (2005). Culturability and Coexistence of Colony-Forming and Single-Cell Marine Bacterioplankton. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 4793-4800 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Winter, C., Smit, A., Herndl, G. J., Weinbauer, M. G. (2004). Impact of Virioplankton on Archaeal and Bacterial Community Richness as Assessed in Seawater Batch Cultures. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 804-813 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pinhassi, J., Berman, T. (2003). Differential Growth Response of Colony-Forming {alpha}- and {gamma}-Proteobacteria in Dilution Culture and Nutrient Addition Experiments from Lake Kinneret (Israel), the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, and the Gulf of Eilat. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 199-211 [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]  
  • Pernthaler, A., Preston, C. M., Pernthaler, J., DeLong, E. F., Amann, R. (2002). Comparison of Fluorescently Labeled Oligonucleotide and Polynucleotide Probes for the Detection of Pelagic Marine Bacteria and Archaea. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 661-667 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Höfle, M. G., Haas, H., Dominik, K. (1999). Seasonal Dynamics of Bacterioplankton Community Structure in a Eutrophic Lake as Determined by 5S rRNA Analysis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 3164-3174 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hahn, M. W., Moore, E. R. B., Höfle, M. G. (1999). Bacterial Filament Formation, a Defense Mechanism against Flagellate Grazing, Is Growth Rate Controlled in Bacteria of Different Phyla. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 25-35 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»