The present work investigates the inorganic nitrogenous nutrition of the phytoplanktonic community and its association with the bacterial role in the remineralisation and/or utilisation of inorganic nitrogen, in the waters of the Menai Strait. The field study lead to the recognition of four distinct phases in the seasonal cycle, based on measurements of primary plankton production and metabolism of nitrate and ammonium by the algae and bacteria. These were first the net autotrophic phase (April and May), followed by the net heterotrophic phase (June), then the secondary net autotrophic phase (July and August) and finally, the regenerative phase (remainder of the year). The phytoplankton seasonal pattern was characterised by nitrate-based production in the spring followed by ammonium-based production in summer and autumn, associated with the ambient availability of these nutrients. Bacteria accounted for up to 70% of the total inorganic nitrogen taken up with nitrate contributing heavily to bacterial production (up to 80%) early in the year. Whilst the maximum contribution of the heterotrophs to the total uptake was observed during the net heterotrophic phase, the lowest (<25%) was during the net autotrophic periods of the seasonal cycle. Calculations suggest that a maximum of 67% of algal ammonium uptake came from bacterial recycling. Only in June was there evidence of competition between algae and bacteria for nitrogen which is believed to have contributed to the sharp decline of the phytoplankton, at this time of the year. There was no evidence for nutrient limitation of the algae at other times of the season. There was also evidence for uptake of nitrate and ammonium in conditions of total darkness by both the bacteria and the algae, with bacteria accounting for a maximum of-75% the total nitrate and ammonium uptake. Ammonium was preferred over nitrate by the autotrophs and the heterotrophs. However, early in the year, when both primary and bacterial production were nitrate based, nitrate was utilised equitably with its environmental availability. For increasing concentrations of ammonium, bacteria clearly rejected the more oxidised form of inorganic nitrogen. The seasonal variation of 13C (as NaH13CO3) uptake by the populations studied was also investigated and there was strong evidence for heterotrophic uptake. Over the diel cycle, the contribution of bacteria to the total 13 C uptake amounted to a maximum of 44% during the net heterotrophic phase. In dark conditions, this percentage increased to a value of 60%, measured on the same occasion. The ambient availability of inorganic nitrogen seemed to influence the proportion of carbon fixed by the autotrophs that was inferred to be transferred to the bacteria. The assumed carbon transference from the autotrophs to the heterotrophs was highest in the spring, following a period of sufficiency of inorganic nitrogen, and lowest during summer (despite peaks of primary production), associated with conditions of ambient nitrogen depletion. It is widely hypothesised that bacteria take up inorganic nitrogen in order to be able to utilise carbon-rich, nitrogen-deficient compounds and so maintain a constant C:N cell quota. From a series of laboratory experiments, it was observed that the C:N ratio of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) used by the bacteria set the boundary on the role of these organisms as inorganic N net consumers or remineralisers. The laboratory work was interpreted as showing that when DOM was the major nitrogen source for growth, bacteria excreted the excess nitrogen as ammonium whereas at high C:N ratios, bacteria took up and conserved nitrogen. In the latter circumstances, when nitrogen was limiting, bacteria appeared to increase respiratory losses in order to dispose of the excess carbon. By contrast at low C:N ratios, carbon conservation occurred. It was concluded that if the release of DOM by the algae is the prime source of organic material for the bacteria, then this switching of the inorganic nitrogen metabolism of the bacteria, will be ultimately driven by the algae. These results were used to interpret the seasonal dynamics of the phytoplanlctonic and bacterial inorganic nitrogen metabolism in the Menai Strait.

No description available.

Empirical studies have shown that algal- and detrital-based food web components are coupled in many pelagic systems as algal carbon enhances bacterioplankton production and growth efficiencies. Such phyto-bacterioplankton coupling impacts carbon flow through plankton food webs, yet the extent of coupling is poorly understood in systems receiving large amounts of allochthonous carbon. To investigate this issue, bacterioplankton abundance (BA) and community composition were compared to chlorophyll a concentrations and phytoplankton production in the tidal-freshwater James River (VA). BA averaged 107 cells mL-1 and was significantly related to chlorophyll a, phytoplankton production, and DOC concentrations. Analysis of DOC quality using fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that the fulvic DOC fraction was dominated by allochthonous compounds. However, estimates of DOC C:N and DOC turnover rates indicated that DOC was more labile in the lower part of the study reach where BA was highest. T-RFLP analysis of 16s rDNA showed that bacterioplankton community composition significantly varied between the upper and lower portions of the sampling reach. These findings suggest that coupling of food web components is an important pathway affecting carbon cycling within the tidal-fresh water James River.

While bacterioplankton indisputably control vital biogeochemical paths in the cycling of carbon and nutrients in the world’s oceans, our knowledge about the functional and genetic diversity of bacterioplankton communities is negligible. In this thesis, molecular and more traditional microbiological methods were used to study the specific function of N2-fixation and in a general sense diversity of marine bacterioplankton species. Most oceans are nitrogen limited and, therefore, adaptive to bacterioplankton capable of N2-fixation. Recent studies have found nifH genes (coding for the nitrogenase enzyme) related to diverse heterotrophic bacteria in oceanic seawater samples indicating that, along with cyanobacteria, also heterotrophic bacteria benefit from N2-fixation. Here, molecular and cultivation methods were used to examine diazotrophic bacterioplankton in the Baltic Sea. We successfully isolated heterotrophic N2-fixing bacteria belonging to the γ-proteobacterial class by means of low-nitrogen plates and semi-solid diazotrophic medium tubes. The isolates required low-O2 conditions for N2-fixation. Using Real-time PCR it was found that heterotrophic bacterioplankton carrying the nifH gene was abundant (3 x 104 nifH gene copies L seawater-1) at locations in the Southwest Baltic proper. With the aim to identify the main N2-fixing organisms in Baltic Proper surface waters, a clone library of nifH gene transcripts (RNA) was generated. Clone inserts were exclusively related to Aphanizomenon sp. and Nodularia sp. Using quantitative real-time PCR it was found that the nifH gene expression from Nodularia sp. was highly variable between stations in the Baltic Proper but was 10-fold higher during mid summer relative to early summer and fall. A diel study showed a 4-fold increase in Nodularia transcript concentrations at early to mid day relative to rest of the day. Real-time PCR was found to be a powerful and highly sensitive method for measuring gene expression. Since nucleic acids are a prerequisite for molecular analyses of bacterioplankton dynamics a protocol to extract DNA from seawater samples was developed with the aim to maximize the yield of high-quality DNA. Each step in the protocol was important for the efficiency of extraction. The obtained extraction efficiencies were up to 92% for seawater samples and up to 96% for isolates. The protocol provides a guideline for DNA extraction from seawater samples for other studies. In a global sampling campaign (9 locations from polar, tropical and temperate regions) we sampled DNA from surface water and constructed 16S rRNA gene libraries to investigate diversity and biogeography of bacterioplankton. Approx. 80% of the sequences found were similar to sequences already deposited in GenBank, indicating that a large fraction of the marine bacterioplankton already has been sampled, which in turn suggests a limited global bacterioplankton diversity. This thesis have improved our knowledge about the composition and nifH gene expression of the diazotrophic bacterioplankton community in the Baltic Sea and contribute significantly to the discussion on global marine bacterioplankton diversity and biogeography. / Östersjön är ett av världens största brackvattensystem. Den ekologiska balansen i detta hav är hotad på grund av övergödning. Mycket arbete har därför fokuserats på att reducera utsläppen av näringsämnen, speciellt kväve. Dessa ansträngningar kan dock motverkas av bakterier som har förmåga att omvandla luftens kväve till metaboliskt användbart ammonium (kvävefixering). På sommaren är Östersjöns primärproduktion begränsad av kväve, med följden att det årligen uppstår massiva blomningar av kvävefixerande bakterier, framför allt cyanobakterier. Dessa är främst Aphanizomenon och Nodularia, men inte endast de fototrofa cyanobakterierna har förutsättningar att fixera N2. NifH gener (genen som kodar för nitrogenas) bärs också av heterotrofa bakterioplankton, vilket har visats i studier i främst Atlanten och Stilla havet. Med hjälp av två olika odlingsmetoder lyckades vi isolera heterotrofa kvävefixerande bakterier tillhörande klassen γ-proteobakteria från Östersjön. Svårigheten med att finna dessa bakterier ligger i att de kräver en miljö med mycket låg syrehalt för att kunna fixera kväve. Resultaten från denna studie ledde oss vidare till att undersöka vilka organismer som uttrycker nifH genen (och då troligen även fixerar kväve) i Östersjön. En av de bakterier som isolerats kunde påvisas med Realtids PCR i ett relativt stort antal (3 x 104 nifH genkopior per liter) vid en av de ursprungliga provtagningsstationerna. För att söka rätt på de olika organismtyper som uttrycker nifH skapades ett klonbibliotek baserat på mRNA extraherat från havsvatten. Det visade sig då att alla de närmare 100 kloner som sekvenserades tillhörde antingen Aphanizominon eller Nodularia. De heterotrofa bakteriernas nifH genuttryck var troligen i jämförelse med dessa cyanobakterier alltför lågt för att kunna detekteras. Realtids PCR mätningar av Nodularias nifH genuttryck visade på en stor variation mellan de olika provtagningsstationerna samt mellan de olika provtagningstillfällena. Vi fann dock en kraftig ökning under juli med en nedgång igen i augusti. En dygnscykelstudie visade att Nodularia nifH genuttrycket ökade under förmiddagen med en topp mitt på dagen för att sedan minska igen. Detta troligen med anledning av att den energikrävande kvävefixeringsprocessen sker under de ljusa timmarna då cellen får energi från fotosyntesen. I de molekylärbiologiska metoderna som används för att få information om identitet och aktivitet hos skilda organismer krävs att DNA och RNA kan extraheras från prover tagna i naturliga vattenmiljöer. Även om antalet bakterier tillsynes är högt, så är mängden DNA och RNA per liter havsvatten relativt låg, därför krävs ett väl fungerande protokoll för denna extraktion. I en inledande studie i denna avhandling optimerades en metod för att utvinna DNA. Ett antal sådana protokoll finns publicerade men dessa har ofta lågt utbyte. Det nya protokollet har hög effektivitet, vilket gör att små provvolymer kan användas (2 ml jämfört med tidigare flera liter) och därmed ökar hanterbarheten. Vi visar i denna studie att varje steg 7 i DNA-extraktionsprotokollet är viktigt för att ge en hög effektivitet. Detta protokoll kan med fördel användas som vägledning för många olika typer av studier. På grund av att många havsbakterier inte kan bilda kolonier och alltså inte växa på traditionella medier har det varit svårt att få en klar bild av artrikedomen. Molekylärbiologin har dock gjort det möjligt att identifiera bakterier med hjälp av 16S rRNA genen, en enorm mängd gensekvenser från världens alla hav har inkommit till den gemensamma databanken (GenBank). År 2002 gjordes en studie där man sammanställde informationen i denna databank, för att få en bild av artrikedomen i världshaven. Resultatet av denna studie var att det i världshaven fanns färre bakterietyper än vad många forskare har spekulerat i. I denna avhandlig har vi utfört en studie där vi gjorde en stor global provtagning för att se om denna undersökning överensstämde med den datainformativa. Provtagning från nio lokaliteter gjordes i de tempererade, tropiska och polarhaven. Ett genbibliotek från varje lokal gjordes och kloner sekvenserades. Resultatet visar i likhet med den datainformativa undersökningen på en begränsad artrikedom. 80% av gensekvenserna fanns redan i databanken, vilket tyder på att de flesta arter redan har blivit funna. Dessutom visade det sig att få av bakterierna återfanns på alla ställen och många återfanns endast på ett ställe. Utöver detta visade det sig att det fanns en ökad artrikedom ju närmare ekvatorn man kom, vilket tidigare har visats för större organismer. Studierna i denna avhandling har ökat förståelsen för hur sammansättningen av det kvävefixerande bakteriesamhället i Östersjön ser ut samt bidragit till diskussionen om den globala artrikedomen bland bakterioplakton och dess utbredning.

A planície costeira do Rio Grande do Sul apresenta vários lagos subtropicais rasos com origem semelhante e uma grande amplitude de tamanho, distância e conectividade entre lagos, e desta maneira é aqui considerada como apropriada ao endereçamento de questões tais como diversidade e metabolismo do bacterioplâncton, um tópico atual de pesquisa. Em uma primeira abordagem, nós acessamos a diversidade bacteriana usando a técnica de Hibridização in situ Fluorescente (FISH) em um sub-conjunto destes lagos e inesperados padrões biogeográficos foram encontrados, a despeito da baixa resolução taxonômica empregada por esta técnica. Uma vez que os resultados do FISH têm sido relacionados também ao estado fisiológico das células, além de diversidade, nós procuramos por uma explicação alternativa para situações metabólicas bacterianas associadas aos fatores testados. Os resultados mostraram que as macrófitas exercem um efeito negativo sobre o fitoplâncton através de mecanismos antagonistas e que este último, por sua vez, afeta as bactérias, além de um possível efeito direto sobre o fitoplâncton e o bacterioplâncton pela liberação de compostos alelopáticos e substâncias húmicas. A competição entre o fitoplâncton e as bactérias sob condições de alta densidade algal pode igualmente criar condições inadequadas para o metabolismo bacteriano. Estes resultados indicam que fatores locais podem ter um efeito importante sobre a distribuição de estados metabólicos do bacterioplâncton. Em uma segunda abordagem, nós examinamos em detalhe a transição a partir da zona litoral dominada por macrófitas até a zona pelágica dominada pelo fitoplâncton, acompanhando as respostas contínuas do bacterioplâncton à mudança de dominância de produtor primário, uma vez que os resultados da primeira abordagem demonstraram que importantes respostas das bactérias estão associadas a estes dois habitats putativos. Os resultados também indicaram um padrão de inibição na presença de macrófitas aquáticas, potencializado pelas altas cargas de substâncias húmicas dos massivos banhados circundantes. O bacterioplâncton aumentou em densidade, biovolume e biomassa em direção às zonas pelágicas, mas a Eficiência de Crescimento Bacteriana indicou que as bactérias possivelmente tenham melhor performance metabólica em locais de dominância bem definida. Mudanças na estrutura da comunidade incluindo zooplâncton, fitoplâncton e bacterioplâncton foram encontradas, confirmando constatações prévias sobre o papel estruturador das macrófitas em lagos rasos, com a comprovação adicional de que este papel aplica-se também às bactérias. / The coastal plain of Rio Grande do Sul state presents several subtropical shallow lakes with similar origin and a wide range of size, distance and connectivity between lakes, and therefore is considered as suitable to address questions such as bacterial diversity and metabolism, a current research subject. In a first approach we assessed bacterial diversity using the technique of Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (FISH) in a sub-set of these lakes and unexpected biogeographic patterns arised, despite the low resolution employed by this technique. Since FISH results might be linked also to physiological status of cells, rather than diversity itself, we looked for an alternative explanation for bacterial metabolic situations associated with the drivers tested. Our results showed that macrophytes exert a negative effect on phytoplankton through antagonistic mechanisms and the latter, at its turn, affects bacteria, besides a possible direct effect on phyto- and bacterioplankton by release of allelopathic compounds and humic substances. Competiton between phytoplankton and bacteria in high algal density areas can create also inadequate conditions for bacterial metabolism. These results indicate that local factors can have an important effect on bacterioplankton metabolic status distribution. In a second approach we examined in detail the transition between a macrophyte dominated littoral zone to a phytoplankton dominated pelagic zone, following the continuous responses of bacterioplankton to the shift of primary producer dominance, since our previous results from the first approach showed that important responses of bacteria are associated to this two putative habitats. Overall data showed also a pattern of inhibition in the presence of aquatic macrophytes, potentialized by high loads of humic substances from surrounding massive wetlands. Bacterioplankton increased in density, biovolume and biomass towards pelagic zones, but Bacterial Growth Efficiency indicated that bacteria might perform better in well defined dominance sites. Changes in community structure of zooplankton, phytoplankton and bacterioplanton was found, confirming previous statements about the structuring role of macrophytes in shallow lakes, with the additional comprovation that this role applies also for bacteria.

A planície costeira do Rio Grande do Sul apresenta vários lagos subtropicais rasos com origem semelhante e uma grande amplitude de tamanho, distância e conectividade entre lagos, e desta maneira é aqui considerada como apropriada ao endereçamento de questões tais como diversidade e metabolismo do bacterioplâncton, um tópico atual de pesquisa. Em uma primeira abordagem, nós acessamos a diversidade bacteriana usando a técnica de Hibridização in situ Fluorescente (FISH) em um sub-conjunto destes lagos e inesperados padrões biogeográficos foram encontrados, a despeito da baixa resolução taxonômica empregada por esta técnica. Uma vez que os resultados do FISH têm sido relacionados também ao estado fisiológico das células, além de diversidade, nós procuramos por uma explicação alternativa para situações metabólicas bacterianas associadas aos fatores testados. Os resultados mostraram que as macrófitas exercem um efeito negativo sobre o fitoplâncton através de mecanismos antagonistas e que este último, por sua vez, afeta as bactérias, além de um possível efeito direto sobre o fitoplâncton e o bacterioplâncton pela liberação de compostos alelopáticos e substâncias húmicas. A competição entre o fitoplâncton e as bactérias sob condições de alta densidade algal pode igualmente criar condições inadequadas para o metabolismo bacteriano. Estes resultados indicam que fatores locais podem ter um efeito importante sobre a distribuição de estados metabólicos do bacterioplâncton. Em uma segunda abordagem, nós examinamos em detalhe a transição a partir da zona litoral dominada por macrófitas até a zona pelágica dominada pelo fitoplâncton, acompanhando as respostas contínuas do bacterioplâncton à mudança de dominância de produtor primário, uma vez que os resultados da primeira abordagem demonstraram que importantes respostas das bactérias estão associadas a estes dois habitats putativos. Os resultados também indicaram um padrão de inibição na presença de macrófitas aquáticas, potencializado pelas altas cargas de substâncias húmicas dos massivos banhados circundantes. O bacterioplâncton aumentou em densidade, biovolume e biomassa em direção às zonas pelágicas, mas a Eficiência de Crescimento Bacteriana indicou que as bactérias possivelmente tenham melhor performance metabólica em locais de dominância bem definida. Mudanças na estrutura da comunidade incluindo zooplâncton, fitoplâncton e bacterioplâncton foram encontradas, confirmando constatações prévias sobre o papel estruturador das macrófitas em lagos rasos, com a comprovação adicional de que este papel aplica-se também às bactérias. / The coastal plain of Rio Grande do Sul state presents several subtropical shallow lakes with similar origin and a wide range of size, distance and connectivity between lakes, and therefore is considered as suitable to address questions such as bacterial diversity and metabolism, a current research subject. In a first approach we assessed bacterial diversity using the technique of Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (FISH) in a sub-set of these lakes and unexpected biogeographic patterns arised, despite the low resolution employed by this technique. Since FISH results might be linked also to physiological status of cells, rather than diversity itself, we looked for an alternative explanation for bacterial metabolic situations associated with the drivers tested. Our results showed that macrophytes exert a negative effect on phytoplankton through antagonistic mechanisms and the latter, at its turn, affects bacteria, besides a possible direct effect on phyto- and bacterioplankton by release of allelopathic compounds and humic substances. Competiton between phytoplankton and bacteria in high algal density areas can create also inadequate conditions for bacterial metabolism. These results indicate that local factors can have an important effect on bacterioplankton metabolic status distribution. In a second approach we examined in detail the transition between a macrophyte dominated littoral zone to a phytoplankton dominated pelagic zone, following the continuous responses of bacterioplankton to the shift of primary producer dominance, since our previous results from the first approach showed that important responses of bacteria are associated to this two putative habitats. Overall data showed also a pattern of inhibition in the presence of aquatic macrophytes, potentialized by high loads of humic substances from surrounding massive wetlands. Bacterioplankton increased in density, biovolume and biomass towards pelagic zones, but Bacterial Growth Efficiency indicated that bacteria might perform better in well defined dominance sites. Changes in community structure of zooplankton, phytoplankton and bacterioplanton was found, confirming previous statements about the structuring role of macrophytes in shallow lakes, with the additional comprovation that this role applies also for bacteria.

A planície costeira do Rio Grande do Sul apresenta vários lagos subtropicais rasos com origem semelhante e uma grande amplitude de tamanho, distância e conectividade entre lagos, e desta maneira é aqui considerada como apropriada ao endereçamento de questões tais como diversidade e metabolismo do bacterioplâncton, um tópico atual de pesquisa. Em uma primeira abordagem, nós acessamos a diversidade bacteriana usando a técnica de Hibridização in situ Fluorescente (FISH) em um sub-conjunto destes lagos e inesperados padrões biogeográficos foram encontrados, a despeito da baixa resolução taxonômica empregada por esta técnica. Uma vez que os resultados do FISH têm sido relacionados também ao estado fisiológico das células, além de diversidade, nós procuramos por uma explicação alternativa para situações metabólicas bacterianas associadas aos fatores testados. Os resultados mostraram que as macrófitas exercem um efeito negativo sobre o fitoplâncton através de mecanismos antagonistas e que este último, por sua vez, afeta as bactérias, além de um possível efeito direto sobre o fitoplâncton e o bacterioplâncton pela liberação de compostos alelopáticos e substâncias húmicas. A competição entre o fitoplâncton e as bactérias sob condições de alta densidade algal pode igualmente criar condições inadequadas para o metabolismo bacteriano. Estes resultados indicam que fatores locais podem ter um efeito importante sobre a distribuição de estados metabólicos do bacterioplâncton. Em uma segunda abordagem, nós examinamos em detalhe a transição a partir da zona litoral dominada por macrófitas até a zona pelágica dominada pelo fitoplâncton, acompanhando as respostas contínuas do bacterioplâncton à mudança de dominância de produtor primário, uma vez que os resultados da primeira abordagem demonstraram que importantes respostas das bactérias estão associadas a estes dois habitats putativos. Os resultados também indicaram um padrão de inibição na presença de macrófitas aquáticas, potencializado pelas altas cargas de substâncias húmicas dos massivos banhados circundantes. O bacterioplâncton aumentou em densidade, biovolume e biomassa em direção às zonas pelágicas, mas a Eficiência de Crescimento Bacteriana indicou que as bactérias possivelmente tenham melhor performance metabólica em locais de dominância bem definida. Mudanças na estrutura da comunidade incluindo zooplâncton, fitoplâncton e bacterioplâncton foram encontradas, confirmando constatações prévias sobre o papel estruturador das macrófitas em lagos rasos, com a comprovação adicional de que este papel aplica-se também às bactérias. / The coastal plain of Rio Grande do Sul state presents several subtropical shallow lakes with similar origin and a wide range of size, distance and connectivity between lakes, and therefore is considered as suitable to address questions such as bacterial diversity and metabolism, a current research subject. In a first approach we assessed bacterial diversity using the technique of Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (FISH) in a sub-set of these lakes and unexpected biogeographic patterns arised, despite the low resolution employed by this technique. Since FISH results might be linked also to physiological status of cells, rather than diversity itself, we looked for an alternative explanation for bacterial metabolic situations associated with the drivers tested. Our results showed that macrophytes exert a negative effect on phytoplankton through antagonistic mechanisms and the latter, at its turn, affects bacteria, besides a possible direct effect on phyto- and bacterioplankton by release of allelopathic compounds and humic substances. Competiton between phytoplankton and bacteria in high algal density areas can create also inadequate conditions for bacterial metabolism. These results indicate that local factors can have an important effect on bacterioplankton metabolic status distribution. In a second approach we examined in detail the transition between a macrophyte dominated littoral zone to a phytoplankton dominated pelagic zone, following the continuous responses of bacterioplankton to the shift of primary producer dominance, since our previous results from the first approach showed that important responses of bacteria are associated to this two putative habitats. Overall data showed also a pattern of inhibition in the presence of aquatic macrophytes, potentialized by high loads of humic substances from surrounding massive wetlands. Bacterioplankton increased in density, biovolume and biomass towards pelagic zones, but Bacterial Growth Efficiency indicated that bacteria might perform better in well defined dominance sites. Changes in community structure of zooplankton, phytoplankton and bacterioplanton was found, confirming previous statements about the structuring role of macrophytes in shallow lakes, with the additional comprovation that this role applies also for bacteria.

<p>Although there are many examples of microbial biogeography, few microbes have been studied at high taxonomic resolution over large spatial scales. As a result, the environmental and ecological processes that drive niche partitioning, diversity, composition, and activity of microbial taxa are often poorly understood. To address this gap, I examine the most abundant phytoplankton in the global ocean, Prochlorococcus sp., a marine cyanobacterium. Using amplicon libraries of the Prochlorococcus internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and 23S rRNA gene as markers, I demonstrate several key differences between the two major high light (HL) clades of Prochlorococcus. First, by examining ITS amplicon libraries at high taxonomic resolution it is revealed that “sub-ecotype” clades have unique, cohesive responses to environmental variables and distinct biogeographies, suggesting that presently defined ecotypes can be further partitioned into ecologically meaningful units. Whereas unique combinations of environmental traits drive the distribution of the HL-I sub-ecotype clades, the HL-II sub-ecotype clades appear ecologically coherent. Second, using 23S rRNA and rDNA libraries I show that activity (rRNA) and abundance (rDNA) are highly correlated for Prochlorococcus across all sites and operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the surface ocean, demonstrating a tight coupling between activity and abundance. Finally, I investigate the associations between Prochlorococcus and the rest of the microbial community in the North Pacific and find region-specific trends in both strength and sign. Associations with other microbes are strongest for HL-I in the temperate region and strongest for HL-II in the sub-tropical gyre. This dissertation clarifies the relative importance of the environment, geography, community, and taxonomy in terms of their role in creating complex assemblages of Prochlorococcus and helps improve our understanding of how marine microbial communities are assembled in situ.</p> / Dissertation

Not many of the abundant freshwater bacterial groups have a representative cultured isolate. In this master thesis project, some abundant bacterioplankton from two lakes (Lake Ekoln and Lake Erken) could be isolated by a dilution-to-extinction approach. Sterilized lake water which was obtained through an ultrafiltration system was used resembling a natural medium. Specific fragments of 16s rRNA of the isolates were amplified by universal bacterial primers (27f and 1492r, 341f and 805r.) for genotyping against a freshwater sequence database and RDP training set (Version 7). A total of 33 isolates from the two lakes were taxonomically classified and revealed the isolation of typical and abundant freshwater bacteria. Original bacterial community of Lake Ekoln was also analyzed by 16S rRNA clone library construction for diversity study. Phylogenetic trees were built through neighbor-joining method by Mega (Version 5) to reveal the evolutionary relationships among database entries, obtained isolates and clones.

Submitted by isabela.moljf@hotmail.com (isabela.moljf@hotmail.com) on 2017-05-26T14:12:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 luciameirelleslobao.pdf: 1921763 bytes, checksum: 34f366f4f3f8d97ddb6761b5d67ab97e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-05-26T15:12:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 luciameirelleslobao.pdf: 1921763 bytes, checksum: 34f366f4f3f8d97ddb6761b5d67ab97e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-26T15:12:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 luciameirelleslobao.pdf: 1921763 bytes, checksum: 34f366f4f3f8d97ddb6761b5d67ab97e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-12-21 / As bactérias heterotróficas desempenham um importante papel no fluxo de energia e na ciclagem de matéria dos sistemas aquáticos. Diversos são os fatores que influenciam esta comunidade e suas interações no plâncton, dentre eles: temperatura, nutrientes, qualidade da matéria orgânica e predação. Apesar das bactérias terem se tornado foco de muitos estudos após o advento do conceito da alça microbiana, ainda há muito para se responder sobre a ecologia desta comunidade, especialmente em sistemas tropicais. A presente dissertação tem como objetivo estudar os fatores reguladores do bacterioplâncton e suas implicações na estrutura e nas interações tróficas planctônicas em sistemas tropicais, subtropicais e temperados. O trabalho consta de três diferentes vertentes da ecologia do bacterioplâncton, tendo como objetivos específicos: (1) avaliar a relação entre o bacterioplâncton e o fitoplâncton nos sistemas tropicais e comparar com padrões estabelecidos para os sistemas temperados, (2) descrever a dinâmica do bacterioplâncton, sua relação com a comunidade fitoplanctônica e os fatores abióticos em dois lagos rasos temperados caracterizados pela flutuação na cobertura de macrófitas e, (3) estudar a estrutura trófica microbiana ao longo de gradiente latitudinal e verificar os fatores direcionadores desta cadeia. A relação entre as bactérias e o fitoplâncton é fraca nos sistemas tropicais, dependendo do tipo de sistema aquático, de suas características hidrológicas, temperatura e estado trófico. As macrófitas aquáticas influenciam na dinâmica bacteriana através da inibição da comunidade fitoplanctônica ou pela excreção de carbono orgânico. Em geral, fatores locais como disponibilidade de carbono orgânico, nutrientes e presença de predadores são suficientes para determinar a estrutura da cadeia trófica microbiana. Esta dissertação possibilitou a geração de dados e discussões que contribuem para a literatura acerca da ecologia bacteriana em sistemas tropicais e temperados. Além disso, os resultados sugerem que independentemente da região climática, a temperatura, os nutrientes e as características de cada sistema (cobertura de macrófitas, predação, regime hidrológico) em conjunto direcionam a comunidade bacteriana nos sistemas aquáticos. / Bacterioplankton plays an important role on energy flux and biogeochemistry cycles in aquatic systems. Several factors affect the bacterioplankton in aquatic systems, such as temperature, nutrients, organic matter, grazing and macrophytes. Although bacterioplankton has been the focus of many studies since the advents of microbial loop concept, there is still a lot to answer about bacteria community ecology. The aim is to investigate drive factors of bacterioplankton and implications for the plankton structure and trophic interactions in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters. This present study has three specific goals: (1) to assess the relationship between bacterioplankton and phytoplankton in tropical systems and compare with the well-studied temperate systems (2) to describe the dynamics of bacterioplankton, its relationship with phytoplankton and abiotic factors in two shallow temperate lakes characterized by fluctuation in coverage macrophytes and (3) to study microbial trophic structure and driver factors of microbial food web along latitudinal gradient. Relationship between bacterioplankton and phytoplankton was weak in Brazilian systems depending on the type of aquatic sytems and its hydrological characterizes temperature and trophic status. Macrophytes can influence the dynamics of bacteria by inhibiting the phytoplankton community or directly by the excretion of organic carbon. In general, local factors such as availability of organic carbon, nutrients and predators influence microbial trophic structure instead of gradient latitudinal. This work supplied data and discussion which will contribute to the literature about ecology of bacterioplankton in tropical and temperate systems. Furthermore, the results suggest that temperature, nutrients and characteristics of each system (coverage of acrophytes, grazing, hydrological regime) drive bacterial community in aquatic systems, regardless of climate region.