title: Salinity is the major factor influencing the sediment bacterial communities in a Mediterranean lagoonal complex (Amvrakikos Gulf, Ionian Sea).
abstract: Lagoons are naturally enriched habitats, with unstable environmental conditions caused by their confinement, shallow depth and state of saprobity. The frequent fluctuations of the abiotic variables cause severe changes in the abundance and distribution of biota. This relationship has been studied extensively for the macrofaunal communities, but not sufficiently so for the bacterial ones. The aim of the present study was to explore the biodiversity patterns of bacterial assemblages and to examine whether these patterns are associated with biogeographic and environmental factors. For this purpose, sediment samples were collected from five lagoons located in the Amvrakikos Gulf (Ionian Sea, Western Greece). DNA was extracted from the sediment and was further processed through 16S rRNA pyrosequencing. The results of this exploratory study imply that salinity is the environmental factor best correlated with the bacterial community pattern, which has also been suggested in similar studies but for macrofaunal community patterns. In addition, the bacterial community of the brackish lagoons is differentiated from that of the brackish-marine lagoons. The findings of this study indicate that the studied lagoons have distinct bacterial communities.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Thalassocosmos, P.O. Box 2214, 71003 Heraklion, Crete, Greece; Biology Department, University of Crete, Voutes University Campus, 70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece; Department of Microbial Ecophysiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bremen, 28359, Bremen, Germany; Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: cpavloud@hcmr.gr.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pavloudi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Thalassocosmos, P.O. Box 2214, 71003 Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Electronic address: oulas@hcmr.gr.
authors.forename: Anastasis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oulas
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Thalassocosmos, P.O. Box 2214, 71003 Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Electronic address: kvasileiadou@hcmr.gr.
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vasileiadou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Thalassocosmos, P.O. Box 2214, 71003 Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Electronic address: sarris@hcmr.gr.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sarropoulou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Thalassocosmos, P.O. Box 2214, 71003 Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Electronic address: kotoulas@hcmr.gr.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kotoulas
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Thalassocosmos, P.O. Box 2214, 71003 Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Electronic address: arvanitidis@hcmr.gr.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arvanitidis
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology*; D006115:Greece; D064307:Microbiota; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D054712:Salinity
chemical_list: D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: 16S rRNA; Amvrakikos Gulf; Bacteria; Lagoons; Pyrosequencing; Sediment