Widespread distribution of ability to oxidize manganese among freshwater bacteria.
Manganese-oxidizing heterotrophic bacteria were found to comprise a significant proportion of the bacterial community of Lake Washington (Seattle, Wash.) and Lake Virginia (Winter Park, Fla.). Identification of these freshwater bacteria showed that members of a variety of genera are capable of oxidizing manganese. Isolates maintained in the laboratory spontaneously lost the ability to oxidize manganese. A direct correlation was found between the presence of plasmid DNA and the ability of the organism to oxidize manganese.
Gregory
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Department of Biology, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida 32789 and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195.
Staley
J T
JT