Loading content, please wait..
| Authors | Bergholz, PW; Bagwell, CE; Lovell, CR |
| Author Full Name | Bergholz, PW; Bagwell, CE; Lovell, CR |
| Title | Physiological diversity of rhizoplane diazotrophs of the saltmeadow cordgrass, Spartina patens: Implications for host specific ecotypes |
| Source | MICROBIAL ECOLOGY |
| Language | English |
| Document Type | Article |
| Keywords Plus | NATURAL BACTERIAL COMMUNITIES; ACTIVITY ACETYLENE-REDUCTION; NITROGEN-FIXING BACTERIA; SALT-MARSH SEDIMENTS; ASSEMBLAGE COMPOSITION; ALTERNIFLORA LOISEL; RHIZOSPHERE; FIXATION; ROOTS; DECOMPOSITION |
| Abstract | Diazotrophic bacteria are important contributors to salt marsh productivity, but the biotic and abiotic factors that influence their distributions and function and the extent of their diversity cannot be understood in the absence of physiological information. Here we examine the physiological diversity and distribution patterns of diazotrophic bacteria associated with the rhizoplane of the saltmeadow cordgrass, Spartina patens, in comparison with diazotrophs from other intertidal grasses (tall and short form Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus) from the same salt marsh. S. patens plants were collected from two distinct habitats, and a total of 115 strains (111 Gram negative and 4 Gram positive strains) were isolated into pure culture by stab inoculating roots and rhizomes into combined nitrogen-free semisolid media. Most strains were microaerophilic and approximately one-half were motile. API test strips were used to eliminate redundancy within the culture collection, resulting in 21 physiologically different API groups (17 Gram negative and 4 Gram positive groups). A representative strain from each API group was selected for dot blot hybridization with a nifH specific probe and 16 strains (13 Gram negative and 3 Gram positive) were scored as positive. The nifH positive API group representative strains were characterized further using BIOLOG test plates. Substrate utilization potentials defined two S. patens strain clusters, and only one S. patens strain was physiologically similar to any other strain from a different host plant origin. No distinctions could be made based on the different S. patens habitats, suggesting that the host plant may have a greater impact than abiotic environmental conditions on the distributions of the rhizoplane diazotrophs recovered. |
| Author Address | Univ S Carolina, Dept Biol Sci, Columbia, SC 29208 USA |
| Reprint Address | Lovell, CR (corresponding author), Univ S Carolina, Dept Biol Sci, Columbia, SC 29208 USA. |
| ResearcherID Number | Bergholz, Peter/C-1293-2010 |
| ORCID Number | Bergholz, Peter/0000-0002-3420-5261 |
| Times Cited | 22 |
| Total Times Cited Count (WoS, BCI, and CSCD) | 27 |
| Publisher | SPRINGER-VERLAG |
| Publisher City | NEW YORK |
| Publisher Address | 175 FIFTH AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10010 USA |
| ISSN | 0095-3628 |
| 29-Character Source Abbreviation | MICROBIAL ECOL |
| ISO Source Abbreviation | Microb. Ecol. |
| Publication Date | OCT |
| Year Published | 2001 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Beginning Page | 466 |
| Ending Page | 473 |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | 10.1007/s002480000118 |
| Page Count | 8 |
| Web of Science Category | Ecology; Marine & Freshwater Biology; Microbiology |
| Subject Category | Environmental Sciences & Ecology; Marine & Freshwater Biology; Microbiology |
| Document Delivery Number | 488WZ |
| Unique Article Identifier | WOS:000171961000025 |
| Plants associated with this reference |