南海北部表层沉积物中原核微生物多样性

[目的]为研究南海北部沉积物原核微生物的多样性和群落结构.[方法]从南海北部XSCS13站位表层沉积物中扩增古菌和细菌的16S rDNA并构建文库,随机挑出阳性克隆子进行测序,选出所有的OTU构建系统进化树,进行系统发育学分析.[结果]多数克隆子来自于未培养原核微生物,沉积物中的古菌分属3大门类:泉古菌(Crenarchaeota)、奇古菌(Thaumarchaeota)和广古菌(Euryarchaeota),其中泉古菌(Crenarchaeota)为主要门类,占71％;广古菌(Euryarchaeota)最少,只有3个克隆子.泉古菌(Crenarchaeota)又以MG Ⅰ为主要类群,占61％.细菌多样性明显高于古菌,共9个门类:变形杆菌(Proteobacteria)(32.6％)、疣微菌(Verrucomicrobia)(3.0％)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidete)(5.2％)、酸杆菌(Acidobacteria)(4.4％)、绿弯菌(Chloroflexi)(6.0％)、厚壁菌(Firmicute)(3.7％)、浮霉菌(Planctomycete)(5.2％)、芽单胞菌(Gemmatimonadete)(11.1％)、放线细菌(Actinobacteria)(4.4％).变形杆菌为优势类群(包括α-Proteobacteria、γy-Proteobacteria和δ-Proteobacteria 3个亚群),其中γ-Proteobacteria是Proteobacteria中的优势种群,占54.5％.另外所有原核微生物总共有超过50％的克隆子与硫酸盐的还原以及甲烷的形成相关.[结论]结果表明南海北部XSCS13站位表层沉积物中原核微生物的多样性非常丰富,其中蕴含大量未知的微生物资源;另外古菌和细菌群落结构表明该位点可能处于富含甲烷的冷泉活动区.     

南海北部陆坡神狐海域HS-PC500 岩心微生物多样性

[目的]本文研究南海北部陆坡神狐HS-PC500重力活塞岩心沉积物中微生物多样性.[方法]使用吖啶橙染色法计数沉积物中微生物丰度;提取沉积物微生物总DNA,使用特异性引物扩增古菌及细菌16SrRNA基因序列;对克隆文库进行系统发育分析.[结果]系统发育分析显示表层PC500-l(0-5 cm below sea floor,bsf)古菌以C3为主要类群,占该层总序列的25.6%;中层PC500-6(350-355 cm bsf)和底层PC500-11(790-795 cm bsf)古菌以Marine Benthic Group(MBG)-B为主要类群,分别占该层总序列的48.1%和38.9%.另有部分克隆序列属于MBG-A、Miscellaneous Crenarchaeotic Group(MCG)、Thermoprotei、NGC、Halobacteriales、MBG-E、South African Gold Mine Euryarchaeotic Group(SAGMEG).表层细菌以变形菌(Proteobacteria)为主要类群,占该层文库的38.3%.中层和底层细菌以绿弯菌(Choloflexi)和JS1为主要类群,分别占该层文库的28.1%、29.2%和39%、24.7%.另有部分克隆序列属于硝化螺旋菌(Nitrospirae)、放线菌(Actinobacteria)、酸杆菌(Acidobacteria)、OP8、螺旋体菌(Spirochaetes)、TM6、脱铁杆菌(Deferribacteres)、浮霉菌(Plantomycete).[结论]结果显示,HS-PC500岩心微生物丰度与甲烷浓度变化相吻合;微生物丰度较低可能与较低的总有机碳量有关;微生物多样性较高,并且随深度的增加群落结构变化明显;岩心中有关硫酸盐还原的微生物类群占优势,说明微生物的硫代谢在该海区沉积物的物质循环过程中占有重要地位.     

九龙江河口区nirS型反硝化细菌多样性及系统发育学分析

【目的】结合16S rRNA基因克隆文库和nirS基因克隆文库的分析,揭示九龙江河口区nirS型反硝化细菌多样性。【方法】选取九龙江河口区一富营养化采样点,分别采集水样及沉积物样品,进行理化因子的测定并提取细菌总DNA。以水样DNA构建16S rRNA基因克隆文库,以沉积物DNA构建nirS基因克隆文库,分析微生物群落结构的多样性并构建系统发育树。【结果】从16S rRNA基因克隆文库中获得86条有效序列,按97%的序列相似性划分为53个OTU,分别属于Proteobacteria门、Planctomycetes门、Bacteroidetes门、Actinobacteria门、Firmicutes门和Chloroflexi门。其中属于Proteobacteria门OTU的克隆子占克隆数的62.9%,是最优势的类群,分属于Alphaproteobacteria、Betaproteobacteria、Gammaproteobacteria和Deltaproteobacteria纲等。从nirS基因克隆文库中获得190条有效序列,翻译为氨基酸序列后,按82%的序列相似性划分为60个OTU,并定位到属的水平。其中Proteobacteria门是最优势的类群,占文库克隆子总数的71.6%,包括Alphaproteobacteria纲(5.8%)、Betaproteobacteria纲(49.0%)和Gammaproteobacteria纲(16.9%)。nirS基因克隆文库中丰度最高的OTU与GenBank中的一株可培养反硝化菌Thauera sp. R-26906具有100%的序列相似性。【结论】九龙江河口区的微生物以及亚硝酸盐还原酶基因(nirS)具有丰富的多样性。大部分NirS序列在GenBank中的最相似序列来源于河口、海湾等相似的环境。     

三氯乙烷污染地地下水中Dehalobacter属细菌定量与多样性分析

[目的]对某公司6个以1,1,1-三氯乙烷(1,1,1-Trichloroethane,1,1,1-TCA)为主要污染物的地下水样品中的降解微生物Dehalobacter spp.(Dhb)进行相对定量和多样性分析.[方法]采用气相色谱法测定6个样品中1,1,1-TCA、1,1-二氯乙烷(1,1-DCA)和氯乙烷(CA)的浓度;通过定量PCR法分别测定6个样品中Dhb占总菌的百分比;以16S rRNA基因通用引物和Dhb特异性引物扩增获得的PCR产物构建了6个样品的Dhb特异性克隆文库,所得序列与GenBank中的最相似序列构建系统发育树.[结果]6个样品中均有1,1-DCA和(或)CA的检出,推测此6处地下水中1,1,1-TCA可能存在生物降解.定量PCR结果表明,6个样品中Dhb丰度差异较大.6个Dhb特异性克隆文库获得41条序列,序列比对结果表明,与它们最相似的已知分类地位的序列全部属于Dhb属.这些序列按99％的相似性被划分成7个可操作性分类单元(OTU).其中24条序列属于OTU1,该OTU的序列与已知能阵解1,1,1-TCA的Dehalobacter sp.str.TCA1的16S rRNA基因序列相似性达98％;文库中的3个OTU与GenBank中16S rRNA基因序列同源性最高仅为95％-96％.[结论]该污染场地地下水中存在多样性较丰富的降解微生物Dehalobacter属细菌,它们可能与现场的1,1,1-TCA生物降解有关.     

广东从化温泉水体原核微生物多样性及其酶活筛选

为了解广东从化温泉的原核微生物多样性及其产纤维素酶、淀粉酶的能力,选取从化3个地热区的7个温泉样点,现场测量各采样点的水体理化参数,并采集温泉水样品。利用免培养技术对从化温泉环境样品基因组的16S rRNA基因进行扩增,利用高通量测序技术,分析从化温泉环境原核微生物群落结构及多样性。同时,借助纯培养技术,对7个样点的微生物进行分离纯化,并将菌株接种于以微晶纤维素或淀粉为唯一碳源的培养基中,检测其纤维素酶、淀粉酶活性。免培养结果显示,广东从化温泉环境原核微生物群落以细菌为主,群落结构与总碳含量相关性最大。通过选择性分离培养,共获得71株细菌,分属于17个不同的属,其中有9株属于潜在新分类单元,其中67.61%有纤维素酶活性,18.31%有淀粉酶活性。广东从化温泉中存在丰富多样的原核微生物类群,且蕴藏大量具有产生纤维素酶、淀粉酶活性的菌株,极具进一步发掘和研究的价值。     

硝尔库勒湖沉积物中非培养放线菌多样性

[目的]认识和了解盐湖沉积环境中放线菌的多样性,为今后的开发和利用奠定基础.[方法]应用免培养技术和基于16S rRNA基因序列的系统发育分析对新疆硝尔库勒盐湖沉积物中放线菌的多样性进行了研究.实验采用SDS-CTAB法提取土样中总DNA,利用放线菌特异性引物对土样总DNA进行16S rRNA基因扩增,并构建16S IRNA基因克隆文库;对随机挑选的160个克隆通过酶切筛选出51个不同图谱的重组克隆,并对其测序.[结果]所获得的51个克隆序列属于39个OTUs,其中52.9%的克隆序列分布于放线菌门(phylum Actinobacteria)放线菌亚(Actinobacteridae)的5个亚目和酸微菌亚纲(Acidimicrobidae)中,并且在这两个亚纲中有大量克隆序列属于放线菌的新类群,另外47.1%的克隆序列以极高的自展值在放线菌门内支持形成一个独立的大分支,极有可能代表一个新亚目或更高级分类单元的类群.[结论]这些研究结果说明硝尔库勒盐湖中存在有较为丰富的放线菌系统发育多样性,并且潜藏着新类型的放线菌资源.     

云南洱源牛街热泉原核微生物多样性分析

【目的】通过分析富含高分子有机物的云南洱源牛街热泉原核微生物16SrRNA基因克隆文库,丰富对高温热泉原核微生物多样性的认识,为进一步开发和利用该热泉微生物资源奠定基础。【方法】构建洱源牛街高温热泉原核微生物16SrRNA基因克隆文库,通过测序和序列相似性比对以及聚类分析研究该热泉原核微生物的多样性。【结果】该热泉原核微生物以细菌为主,包括变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)、梭杆菌门(Fusobacteria)等在内的约10个细菌类群,其中变形菌门中的β-变形菌纲(β-Proteobacteria)为优势菌群,其次为拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)、绿菌门(Chlorobi);古菌的生物量和丰度较细菌少,分属广古菌(Euryarchaeota)和泉古菌(Crenarchaeota)两个类群,以广古菌为优势类群。     

宜春温泉水体与泉底沉积物细菌多样性分析

研究宜春富硒温泉水体与泉底沉积物的细菌群落多样性。利用高通量测序技术分析泉水与沉积物中细菌群落结构与多样性。温泉水中主要的细菌类群为变形菌门和拟杆菌门,而在沉积物样品中的主要优势菌群为OP1、蓝细菌、浮霉菌门和绿弯菌门。细菌在属分类水平上,温泉水中优势菌群为不动杆菌属、假单胞菌属、水栖菌属、Thermosynechococcus、鞘脂杆菌属和金黄杆菌属等。沉积物样品细菌中优势菌群属于未知物种,在数据库中并没有相关的注释信息;其中已知的优势菌属为Candidatus acetothermum、Thermosynechococcus、亚热栖菌属、不动杆菌属。宜春温汤富硒温泉水体与沉积物中存在着丰富的微生物群落且组成差异性很大,该研究为了解与发掘温泉微生物菌种资源具有重要价值。     

河北承德地区两个温泉中细菌的多样性分析

通过构建16S rDNA克隆文库,对承德地区两温泉中的细菌多样性水平及系统发育关系进行了初步研究。研究表明:68°C的A11文库中阳性克隆的16S rDNA序列分属5个细菌类群,分别为Firmicutes(6.25%)、Deinococcus-Thermus(25.0%)、Gammaproteobacteria(12.5%)、Betaproteobacteria(50.0%)、Alphaproteobacteria(6.25%);而74.5°C的A12文库仅属于一个细菌类群:厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)。两温泉中细菌多样性的差异表明,温度是影响温泉中细菌多样性水平的重要因素。此外,A11文库中克隆的16S rDNA序列与许多已知的可产色素的好氧菌相似性很高,而A12文库中的细菌多数为专性厌氧或兼性厌氧型,其中厌氧芽孢杆菌属(Anoxybacillus)中的Anoxybacillus flavithermus可以作为研究泉华形成的理想材料。     

青藏高原冻土区土壤垂直剖面中微生物的分布与多样性

【目的】冻土区储存着大量的有机碳,全球气候的变化导致冻土不断融解退化,土壤微生物对冻土有机碳的分解作用在一定程度上将会加重全球温室效应。在研究中,为了解冻土区土壤微生物的分布与多样性,对青藏高原冻土区垂直剖面中的微生物组成进行研究。【方法】采用分子生物学方法,对剖面土壤样品中的古菌与细菌的16S r RNA基因和真菌的ITS序列进行PCR扩增,并分别构建其基因文库,通过序列的同源性比较进行系统发育学分析和多样性指数分析。【结果】垂直剖面土壤中古菌序列分别属于泉古菌(Crenarchaeota)和广古菌(Euryarchaeota)两个门,它们分别占克隆序列总数的29.0%和71.0%;其中泉古菌门只包括Group1.3b/MCG-A这一种类型,在古菌序列中所占的比例为29.0%,广古菌门包括4种类型,其中Methanomicrobiales序列在古菌克隆文库中所占比例较高(52.0%);分层位看,冻土活动层古菌优势类群包括Group1.3b/MCG-A、Methanomicrobiales和Methanosaetaceae,过渡层的优势类群包括Group1.3b/MCG-A和Methanomicrobiales两类,而古菌在冻土层的优势类群只有Methanomicrobiales这一种类型。细菌序列分属于10个类群,其中放线菌(Actinobacteria)、厚壁菌(Firmicutes)与变形菌(Proteobacteria)为剖面主要的优势类群,分别占克隆序列总数的28.9%、16.9%和12.1%;在冻土活动层,细菌的优势类群为Proteobacteria和Firmicutes,而在冻土过渡层与冻土层,细菌优势类群仅包括Actinobacteria一种类型。所有真菌序列均属于子囊菌门(Ascomycota)和担子菌门(Basidiomycota),分别占克隆序列总数的75.3%和24.7%;子囊菌以Cladosporium sp.和Pseudeurotium bakeri为主要的优势类群,担子菌以Dioszegia sp.为主要的优势类群,所占比例分别为35.5%、34.4%和22.6%;真菌在冻土活动层的优势类群只包括Pseudeurotium bakeri这一种类型,而在冻土过渡层与冻土层,真菌优势类群则包括Dioszegia sp.和Cladosporium sp.两类。【结论】该剖面在垂直剖面上古菌、细菌与真菌多样性较高,冻土活动层与冻土层之间群落组成差异明显。     

青藏铁路沿线唐古拉山口土壤微生物的ARDRA分析

通过构建16S rDNA文库及文库的限制性片段长度多态性分析（ARDRA）,对青藏铁路沿线唐古拉山口的土壤微生物多样性进行了研究。采用限制性内切酶HaeIII和RsaI对克隆文库中的90个克隆子进行了酶切分型,根据ARDRA酶切图谱的不同,可将其分为23个OTUs。16SrDNA序列分析结果表明,该克隆文库中主要包括变形菌门（Proteobacteria）的alpha、beta、detla亚类、厚壁菌门（Firmicutes）、放线菌门（Actinobacteria）、拟杆菌门（Bacteroidetes）、酸杆菌门（Acidobacteria）及浮霉菌门（Planctomycetes）等8类细菌及未培养细菌。Alpha变形细菌为该文库中的主要菌群,占克隆总数的33.3%;其次为未培养细菌,占克隆总数的22.2%,Bradyrhizobium为优势菌属。研究结果揭示,青藏铁路唐古拉山口的土壤微生物种群不仅具有丰富的多样性,还存在丰富的潜在新菌种。     

Characterization of outer membrane protein fractions of Bdellovibrionales

Bdellovibrio-and-like organisms (BALOs) are predatory bacteria that prey upon Gram-negative bacteria and are taxonomically subsumed in the order Bdellovibrionales. Despite their unique lifestyle, these bacteria show remarkable genotypic diversities. The outer membrane of the predators is likely to play an important role during the recognition and invasion stage, as well as in the intraperiplasmic growth phase. In this study, the outer membrane protein fractions of type strains of Bdellovibrio, Bacteriovorax and Peredibacter were investigated, revealing the presence of outer membrane proteins (Omps) similar to the major Omps of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus. The primary structures of these Omps of Bdellovibrio sp. W, Bacteriovorax stolpii and Peredibacter starrii were elucidated by a combined mass spectrometric-reverse genetic approach. The similarity between the analyzed Omps of the investigated BALOs ranges from 32% to 89% showing conserved amino acid regions in their primary structure.     

海绵Pachychalina sp.体内细菌多样性的研究

通过非分离培养分析方法,直接从海绵体内提取细菌总DNA。以样品总DNA为模板进行PCR扩增获得细菌16S rDNA。用16S rDNA限制性酶切片段长度多态性(ARDRA)和测序方法对南海湛江海域海绵Pachychalina sp．体内的细菌多样性进行了研究。在细菌16S rDNA的ARDRA图谱中,大多数克隆的酶切带谱间存在差异;随机挑选22个克隆进行测序得到它们的16S rDNA部分序列,大部分序列属于γ-proteobacterium和α-proteobacterium,但有少数克隆序列与RDP数据库中收录的16S rDNA序列间的相似性极小,不参与系统发育树的构建。研究结果表明海绵Pachychalina sp.体内细菌组成具有丰富的多样性。     

Microbial community analysis of a coastal hot spring in Kagoshima, Japan, using molecular- and culture-based approaches

Ibusuki hot spring is located on the coastline of Kagoshima Bay, Japan. The hot spring water is characterized by high salinity, high temperature, and neutral pH. The hot spring is covered by the sea during high tide, which leads to severe fluctuations in several environmental variables. A combination of molecular- and culture-based techniques was used to determine the bacterial and archaeal diversity of the hot spring. A total of 48 thermophilic bacterial strains were isolated from two sites (Site 1: 55.6°C; Site 2: 83.1°C) and they were categorized into six groups based on their 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Two groups (including 32 isolates) demonstrated low sequence similarity with published species, suggesting that they might represent novel taxa. The 148 clones from the Site 1 bacterial library included 76 operational taxonomy units (OTUs; 97% threshold), while 132 clones from the Site 2 bacterial library included 31 OTUs. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes were frequently detected in both clone libraries. The clones were related to thermophilic, mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria. Approximately half of the sequences in bacterial clone libraries shared <92% sequence similarity with their closest sequences in a public database, suggesting that the Ibusuki hot spring may harbor a unique and novel bacterial community. By contrast, 77 clones from the Site 2 archaeal library contained only three OTUs, most of which were affiliated with Thaumarchaeota.     

大港孔店油田水驱油藏微生物群落的分子分析

通过多聚酶链式反应温度梯度凝胶电泳（PCRTGGE）和构建16S rRNA基因克隆文库两种方法对比研究了大港油田孔二北断块注水井和采油井的微生物群落结构。16S rDNA V3区PCR扩增产物的TGGE图谱分析表明,这两个油井的微生物群落结构差异很大。注水井样品的TGGE图谱中有6条主要条带,而采油井样品中只有一个条带占绝对优势。同时,建立了两个样品的16S rRNA基因克隆文库,从中分别挑选了108和50个克隆进行限制性酶切片段长度多样性分析（ARDRA）。注水井样品有33个操作分类单元（OUT）,其中6个OUT是优势类型;而采油井样品只有8个OUT,有1个OUT在文库中占绝对优势。克隆文库和TGGE的研究结果一致,均表明注水井样品的微生物多样性比采油井丰富很多。每个OUT的代表克隆序列分析结果表明,注水井样品中的细菌主要属于α、β、γ变形菌纲和放线菌纲,尤其是红细菌亚纲（47%）。采油井样品的细菌主要属于α、β、γ变形菌纲,尤其是假单胞菌属（62%）。油藏微生物多样性的分子分析可为开展微生物采油技术研究奠定基础。     

新疆沙湾冷泉沉积物中免培养古菌多样性初步研究

【目的】了解新疆沙湾冷泉沉积物的古菌组成及多样性。【方法】采用免培养法,液氮研磨提取冷泉沉积物总DNA,使用古菌通用引物进行16S rRNA基因扩增,构建16S rRNA基因文库。对阳性克隆进行HhaI限制性酶切分型,选出具有不同酶切图谱的序列进行测序,将所得序列与GenBank数据库中序列比对并构建16S rRNA基因系统发育树。【结果】从冷泉沉积物古菌16S rRNA基因文库中随机挑选了121个阳性克隆,共得到22个不同的可操作分类单元,BLAST结果表明全部克隆子归属于泉古菌门(Crenarchaeote)中免培养类群。系统发育分析归类为Soil-Freshwater-subsurface group和MarinegroupI,2个亚群并且各占整个文库的50%。其中40%左右的克隆子与具有无机碳和硝酸盐同化能力的泉古菌有高的相似性。此外还发现40%的克隆子与低温泉古菌类群具有很高的相似性。【结论】新疆沙湾冷泉沉积物中古菌类群多样性较低,但存有大量高度适应此低温、贫营养环境的泉古菌类群。     

兰坪铅锌尾矿区豆科根瘤菌遗传多样性ARDRA分析

通过16S rDNA扩增产物限制性片段长度多态性分析(ARDRA),对兰坪铅锌尾矿区豆科植物根瘤菌的遗传多样性进行了研究。采用限制性内切酶Hae Ⅲ、Hind Ⅲ、Hinf Ⅰ和Taq Ⅰ对16S rDNA扩增产物进行了酶切分型,根据ARDRA酶切图谱的不同,进行树状聚类。结果表明:49株根瘤菌在40%的相似水平上按氮含量不同及铅锌含量的采集地不同分别聚为OTU1、OTU2和OTU33个群,说明根瘤菌的遗传多样性及分布与土壤中的氮含量和铅锌含量有关。代表菌株的16S rDNA测序结果分析表明,它们在系统发育树上属于Rhizobium sp.、Sinorhizobium sp.和Bradyrhizobium sp.3个系统发育分支,进一步说明兰坪铅锌尾矿区豆科植物根瘤菌多样性较丰富。     

新疆沙湾冷泉沉积物的细菌系统发育多样性

为了解新疆沙湾冷泉沉积物的细菌群落组成与类群多样性,利用免培养方法直接从沙湾冷泉沉积物中提取环境总DNA,构建细菌16S rRNA基因文库。对随机挑选的241个细菌阳性克隆子进行HaeIII酶切分型得到86个可操作分类单元(OTUs),系统发育分析将其归为11个门:放线菌门(Actinobacteria),酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria),拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes),绿菌门(Chlorobi),蓝细菌门(Cyanobacteria),厚壁菌门(Firmicutes),芽单胞菌门(Gemmatimonadetes),硝化螺旋菌门(Nitrospirae),变形菌门(Proteobacteria),浮霉菌门(Planctomycetes),疣微菌门(Verrucomicrobia)。其中酸杆菌门和变型菌门为优势类群,分别占细菌克隆文库的48%和25%。超过1/3的OTUs序列与GenBank中已存序列具有较低相似性(相似性小于95%)。此外20%左右的克隆子与固氮细菌和硝酸盐氧化细菌相关。研究结果表明,新疆沙湾冷泉沉积物中细菌种类丰富,代谢类型多样而且存在大量未知类群。     

Bacterial diversity in the rumen of Indian Surti buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), assessed by 16S rDNA analysis

Bacterial communities in buffalo rumen were characterized using a culture-independent approach for a pooled sample of rumen fluid from 3 adult Surti buffaloes. Buffalo rumen is likely to include species of various bacterial phyla, so 16S rDNA sequences were amplified and cloned from the sample. A total of 191 clones were sequenced and similarities to known 16S rDNA sequences were examined. About 62.82% sequences (120 clones) had >90% similarity to the 16S rDNA database sequences. Furthermore, about 34.03% of the sequences (65 clones) were 85–89% similar to 16S rDNA database sequences. For the remaining 3.14%, the similarity was lower than 85%. Phylogenetic analyses were also used to infer the makeup of bacterial communities in the rumen of Surti buffalo. As a result, we distinguished 42 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on unique 16S r DNA sequences: 19 OTUs affiliated to an unidentified group (45.23% of total OTUs), 11 OTUs of the phylum Firmicutes, also known as the low G+C group (26.19%), 7 OTUs of theCytophaga-Flexibacter-Bacteroides phylum (16.66%), 4 OTUs of Spirochaetes (9.52%), and 1 OTU of Actinobacteria (2.38%). These include 10 single-clone OTUs, so Good’s coverage (94.76%) of 16S rRNA libraries indicated that sequences identified in the libraries represent the majority of bacterial diversity present in rumen.     

Characterization of the methanogenic Archaea within two-phase biogas reactor systems operated with plant biomass

The two-phase leach-bed system is a biogas reactor system optimized for the utilization of energy crop silages at maximized loading rates under maintenance of an optimal microbial activity. In this study, a characterization of the methanogenic microbial community within this reactor system was conducted for the first time. Accordingly, effluent samples from the anaerobic filter and the silage digesting leach-bed reactors of both a laboratory-scale two-phase biogas reactor system and a scaled-up commercial on-farm pilot plant were investigated. In total, five Archaea-specific 16S rDNA libraries were constructed and analyzed by amplified rDNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), with subsequent phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences for individual ARDRA patterns. A quantification of major methanogenic Archaea groups was conducted by real-time PCR. A total of 663 clones were analyzed and 45 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) related to methanogenic Archaea were detected. These OTUs were related to the orders Methanosarcinales, Methanomicrobiales and Methanobacteriales, as well as the hitherto uncultured CA-11 and ARC-I groups, and most of them occurred throughout all the compartments of both two-phase biogas reactors. The proportion of acetotrophic to hydrogenotrophic methanogens differed between the laboratory and the pilot scale system. A total of 56% of the clones from the 16S rDNA library derived from the laboratory biogas system were assigned to presumably acetotrophic members of Methanosarcinales. In contrast, these OTUs were less abundant in the 16S rDNA library derived from samples of the pilot plant. Therein, the most dominant OTUs were Methanoculleus-related OTUs, which presumably indicated the predominant presence of hydrogenotrophic methanogens. These findings were confirmed by group-specific quantitative real-time PCR assays. The results indicated that the fraction of acetotrophic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens within a biogas reactor caused certain variations, which may reflect varying substrate utilization during methanogenesis.