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Mutualism between autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and heterotrophs present in an ammonia-oxidizing colony

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Abstract

Coexistence of an autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (Nitrosomonas sp. RA) and heterotrophic bacteria was consistently observed when cultured in an inorganic medium without any external supply of organic carbon. The present study was undertaken to understand the association between autotrophs and the associated heterotrophs for which a system containing active autotrophs and heterotrophs controlled by Hg2+ addition was developed. The study revealed interdependence of heterotrophs and Nitrosomonas sp. RA for growth under iron-limited condition. Growth of Nitrosomonas sp. RA was supported by siderophores produced by the associated heterotroph, Pusillimonas sp., thereby complementing its high iron requirement while the organics (such as pyruvate) excreted by Nitrosomonas sp. RA during its autotrophic growth supported the survival of heterotrophs in the inorganic medium. The study thus sheds light on the nature of the mutual interactions between heterotrophs and autotrophs that play a role in the ammonia-oxidizing system involved in wastewater treatment.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by University Grants Commission, New Delhi UGC Order No. F. No. 37-375/2009(SR) and GNFC, Bharuch, India. We thank Dr. Pranav Vyas for reviewing the work and his insightful discussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology Centre, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, 390 002, Gujarat, India

    Radhika Keluskar, Anuradha Nerurkar & Anjana Desai

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  1. Radhika Keluskar
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  2. Anuradha Nerurkar
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  3. Anjana Desai
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Correspondence to Anjana Desai.

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Communicated by Friedrich Widdel.

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Keluskar, R., Nerurkar, A. & Desai, A. Mutualism between autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and heterotrophs present in an ammonia-oxidizing colony. Arch Microbiol 195, 737–747 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-013-0926-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-013-0926-2

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