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FISH Shows That Desulfotomaculum spp. Are the Dominating Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in a Pristine Aquifer

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Abstract

The hydrochemistry and the microbial diversity of a pristine aquifer system near Garzweiler, Germany, were characterized. Hydrogeochemical and isotopic data indicate a recent activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the Tertiary marine sands. The community structure in the aquifer was studied by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Up to 7.3 × 105 cells/mL were detected by DAPI-staining. Bacteria (identified by the probe EUB338) were dominant, representing 51.9% of the total cell number (DAPI). Another 25.7% of total cell were affiliated with the domain Archaea as identified by the probe ARCH915. Within the domain Bacteria, the β-Proteobacteria were most abundant (21.0% of total cell counts). Using genus-specific probes for sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), 2.5% of the total cells were identified as members of the genus Desulfotomaculum. This reflects the predominant role these microorganisms have been found to play in sulfate-reducing zones of aquifers at other sites. Previously, all SRB cultured from this site were from the spore-forming genera Desulfotomaculum and Desulfosporosinus.

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Acknowledgements

This paper represents a publication of the Priority Program 546, “Geochemical processes with long-term effects in anthropogenically-affected seepage- and groundwater.” Financial support provided by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is gratefully acknowledged. Jan Detmers, Katrin Knittel, and Jan Kuever were supported by the Max-Planck-Society. R. Amann is acknowledged for critical reading of the manuscript.

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  1. J. Kuever

    Present address: Department of Microbiology, Institute for Material Testing, Foundation Institute for Materials Science, Paul-Feller-Str. 1, D-28199 Bremen, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, D-28359 Bremen, Germany

    J. Detmers & J. Kuever

  2. Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstrasse 24, D-48149 Münster, Germany

    H. Strauss

  3. Institut für Geologie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, D-44801 Bochum, Germany

    U. Schulte

  4. Rheinisch Westfälisches Institut für Wasser, Moritzstr. 26, D-45476, Mülheim, Germany, Germany

    A. Bergmann

  5. Molecular Ecology, Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, D-28359 Bremen, Germany

    K. Knittel

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  1. J. Detmers
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Detmers, J., Strauss, H., Schulte, U. et al. FISH Shows That Desulfotomaculum spp. Are the Dominating Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in a Pristine Aquifer . Microb Ecol 47, 236–242 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-004-9952-6

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