Enumeration of acetylene-reducing bacteria in strip-mined reclamation sites in a temperate grassland

Summary From 36 to 71% of bacteria, depending on the sampling site, that were isolated from the soil or rhizosphere of undisturbed prairie soil or reclamation sites of strip-mined grassland areas in western North Dakota were capable of reducing acetylene. These bacteria generally could be divided into two populations; one capable of acetylene reduction under aerobic conditions and another capable of acetylene reduction under anaerobic conditions. The reclamation site to which no topsoil had been applied, pH 8.5, had a bacterial population which generally was capable of higher levels of acetylene reduction than individual bacteria isolated from other sites.