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Differences in physiology between r and K-bacterial strategists. The definition of bacterial r/K-strategists is currently based on the time interval they need to form a colony on agar plate. Also, their growth rate which is often used to identify r/K-position within a pair of bacterial strains. To date it was evidenced that also other physiological characteristics relate to bacterial r/K-status, for example their different ability to 1) adapt for changing conditions 2) utilize complex or very diluted substrates, 3) use secondary metabolites to cope with other strains and possibly also others. The intersection of macro- and microbiological r/K-conceptions lies in time distribution of r/K-strategists during succession. The aim of this study was to verify the basic r/K-characteristics on nine chosen strains and to correlate them with their physiological differences that are implicitly regarded as characteristic for r/K-groups. The study deals with growth rates measurements on both liquid and solid media, identification of fatty acid composition and membrane fluidity of strains cultivated at near-optimum and cold temperature in order to track the differences in cold adaptation. The study also deals with the description of possible new K-strategist characteristic: the lack of correlation between the colony...

Certaines Bacteria synthétisent des phospholipides particuliers dont la structure possède des caractéristiques communes aux lipides des Bacteria et des Archaea : les éthers de glycérol bactériens (AGE). Le caractère singulier de ces lipides et leur structure chimique thermostable leur permettent d'être assez bien préservés dans l'environnement à la mort des cellules, et suggèrent leur potentiel à constituer de bons marqueurs biogéochimiques et/ou environnementaux. Cependant, très peu d'informations sont actuellement disponibles concernant les modes de formation et le rôle des AGE dans les membranes bactériennes. Au cours de cette thèse, nous avons étudié la composition lipidique de différentes souches pures de bactéries anaérobies sulfato-réductrices capables de synthétiser des AGE et cultivées dans différentes conditions contrôlées de température, pH et salinité. Diverses modifications structurales des AGE ont notamment été mises en évidence en réponse à des variations des conditions de croissance, dont certaines spécifiques d'une adaptation, et linéairement corrélées, à la température ou à la salinité. Les différents résultats démontrent l'implication des AGE dans l'adaptation membranaire en réponse à des variations physico-chimiques du milieu, et permettent d'envisager l'utilisation de la distribution structurale des AGE dans des échantillons naturels comme indicateur de conditions environnementales. L'analyse de la composition en AGE d'échantillons issus de différents écosystèmes actuels et anciens, caractérisés par des conditions environnementales contrastées a permis de vérifier le potentiel de certains AGE à être utilisés comme indicateurs de variations de conditions (paléo)environnementales / Some Bacteria synthesize particular phospholipids, called glycerol ether lipids (AGE) which have a chemical structure at the intersection of the Bacteria and Archea domains. The singular nature of these lipids and their thermostable chemical structure allow them to be well preserved in the environment following bacterial lysis, and suggest their potential to constitute good biogeochemical and/or environmental biomarkers. However, very little information is currently available concerning the modes of formation and the role of AGEs in bacterial membranes. In this thesis, we studied the lipid composition of various pure strains of anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria able to synthesize AGEs, grown under various controlled conditions of temperature, pH and salinity. Various structural modifications of AGE were observed in response to variations in growth conditions, some of which being specific to, and linearly correlated with, changes in temperature or salinity. The results demonstrate the involvement of AGEs in membrane adaptation to changes in the physico-chemical conditions, and suggest the use of the structural distribution of AGEs in natural samples as an indicator of environmental conditions. The analysis of the AGE content of samples from different actual and past ecosystems, allowed confirming the potential of AGEs to be used as indicators of variations of (paleo)environmental conditions