title: Epiphyton as a niche for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria: detailed comparison with benthic and pelagic compartments in shallow freshwater lakes.
abstract: Next to the benthic and pelagic compartments, the epiphyton of submerged macrophytes may offer an additional niche for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in shallow freshwater lakes. In this study, we explored the potential activities and community compositions of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria of the epiphytic, benthic, and pelagic compartments of seven shallow freshwater lakes which differed in their trophic status, distribution of submerged macrophytes, and restoration history. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analyses demonstrated that the epiphytic compartment was inhabited by species belonging to cluster 3 of the Nitrosospira lineage and to the Nitrosomonas oligotropha lineage. Both the ammonia-oxidizing bacterial community compositions and the potential activities differed significantly between compartments. Interestingly, both the ammonia-oxidizing bacterial community composition and potential activity were influenced by the restoration status of the different lakes investigated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiological Sciences, University of Catania, Via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, Italy. manuela.coci@unict.it
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coci
authors.forename: P L E
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Bodelier
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Laanbroek
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009606:Nitrosomonas; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D000641:Ammonia