Bacterial community composition of size-fractioned aggregates within the phycosphere of cyanobacterial blooms in a eutrophic freshwater lake

PLoS One. 2014 Aug 21;9(8):e102879. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102879. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Bacterial community composition of different sized aggregates within the Microcystis cyanobacterial phycosphere were determined during summer and fall in Lake Taihu, a eutrophic lake in eastern China. Bloom samples taken in August and September represent healthy bloom biomass, whereas samples from October represent decomposing bloom biomass. To improve our understanding of the complex interior structure in the phycosphere, bloom samples were separated into large (>100 µm), medium (10-100 µm) and small (0.2-10 µm) size aggregates. Species richness and library coverage indicated that pyrosequencing recovered a large bacterial diversity. The community of each size aggregate was highly organized, indicating highly specific conditions within the Microcystis phycosphere. While the communities of medium and small-size aggregates clustered together in August and September samples, large- and medium-size aggregate communities in the October sample were grouped together and distinct from small-size aggregate community. Pronounced changes in the absolute and relative percentages of the dominant genus from the two most important phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were observed among the various size aggregates. Bacterial species on large and small-size aggregates likely have the ability to degrade high and low molecular weight compounds, respectively. Thus, there exists a spatial differentiation of bacterial taxa within the phycosphere, possibly operating in sequence and synergy to catalyze the turnover of complex organic matters.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacteroidetes / growth & development
  • Bacteroidetes / isolation & purification
  • Biodiversity
  • Cyanobacteria / growth & development*
  • Cyanobacteria / isolation & purification
  • Eutrophication / physiology
  • Fresh Water / microbiology*
  • Lakes / microbiology*
  • Proteobacteria / growth & development
  • Proteobacteria / isolation & purification
  • Water Microbiology*

Associated data

  • SRA/SRP042642

Grants and funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (31100021 and 51079139), Innovation program of the Chinese Academy of Science (KZCX2-EW-314), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China (Bk2011875), and the 135 project of Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, CAS (No. NIGLAS2012135008). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.