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Phylogenetic and Physiological Diversity of Bacteria Isolated from Puruogangri Ice Core

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Abstract

The microbial abundance, the percentage of viable bacteria, and the diversity of bacterial isolates from different regions of a 83.45-m ice core from the Puruogangri glacier on the Tibetan Plateau (China) have been investigated. Small subunit 16S rRNA sequences and phylogenetic relationships have been studied for 108 bacterial isolates recovered under aerobic growth conditions from different regions of the ice core. The genomic fingerprints based on ERIC (enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus)-polymerase chain reaction and physiological heterogeneity of the closely evolutionary related bacterial strains isolated from different ice core depths were analyzed as well. The results showed that the total microbial cell, percentages of live cells, and the bacterial CFU ranged from 104 to 105 cell ml−1 (Mean, 9.47 × 104; SD, 5.7 × 104, n = 20), 25–81%, and 0–760 cfu ml−1, respectively. The majority of the isolates had 16S rRNA sequences similar to previously determined sequences, ranging from 92 to 99% identical to database sequences. Based on their 16S rRNA sequences, 42.6% of the isolates were high-G + C-content (HGC) gram-positive bacteria, 35.2% were low-G + C (LGC) gram-positive bacteria, 16.6% were Proteobacteria, and 5.6% were CFB group. There were clear differences in the depth distribution of the bacterial isolates. The isolates tested exhibited unique phenotypic properties and high genetic heterogeneity, which showed no clear correlation with depths of bacterial isolation. This layered distribution and high heterogeneity of bacterial isolates presumably reflect the diverse bacterial sources and the differences in bacteria inhabiting the glacier’s surface under different past climate conditions.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Prof. Zhang XJ for his assistance with ERIC-PCR analysis and to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. This study was funded jointly by National Science Foundation of China grants 40671042, the Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX1-1-02), and National Basic Research program of China (2005CB422000).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cold and Arid Regions Environment and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, People’s Republic of China

    X. F. Zhang, T. D. Yao, L. D. Tian, S. J. Xu & L. Z. An

  2. School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    X. F. Zhang, S. J. Xu & L. Z. An

  3. Institute of Tibet Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    T. D. Yao & L. D. Tian

  4. Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    X. F. Zhang

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  1. X. F. Zhang
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Correspondence to X. F. Zhang.

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Zhang, X.F., Yao, T.D., Tian, L.D. et al. Phylogenetic and Physiological Diversity of Bacteria Isolated from Puruogangri Ice Core. Microb Ecol 55, 476–488 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-007-9293-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-007-9293-3

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