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Molecular Analysis of the Spatio-temporal Distribution of Sulfate-reducing Bacteria (SRB) in Camargue (France) Hypersaline Microbial Mat

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Abstract

The spatio-temporal distribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the microbial mat of Camargue (Salins-de-Giraud, France) was investigated by molecular approaches at both microscale spatial resolution and different taxonomic organization levels. The vertical distribution of the SRB populations was correlated with oxygen and sulfide microgradient fluctuations. Comparisons of Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) fingerprints showed distinct locations of some operational taxonomic units at daytime and at night (4:00 or 15:00 hours) revealing important differences on the structures of the bacterial communities. When oxygen penetrates the mat, SRB migration was observed either downward to reach deeper anoxic zones to escape oxygen or upward to reach oxic surface zones. When no migration was observed, both metabolism switches and aggregate formations were suspected. These behaviors allowed the aerotolerant SRB to deal with oxygen. The analysis of the Desulfococcus–Desulfonema–Desulfosarcina T-RFLP profiles revealed up-migrating populations related to both Desulfonema sp. and Desulfosarcina variabilis. T-RFLP profiles combined with 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene library analysis of the Desulfobacter group revealed two distinct populations: a population related to the recently described Desulfotignum genus migrating upward during the night and a population of a new species of the Desulfobacter uniformly located throughout the mat independent of the period. Thus, the identification of the new oxygen-tolerant SRB will provide the basis for understanding the physiological adaptations to oxygen.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the financial support provided by the EC (MATBIOPOL project, grant EVK3-CT-1999-00010) and by the “Conseil Régional d’Aquitaine.” The authors are grateful to the Company of Salins-du-midi at Salins-de-Giraud for facilitating access to the salterns, sampling, and field experiments. AF is partly supported by a doctoral grant from the general council of Atlantic Pyrenees. Dr. Remignon (ENSAT, Toulouse, France) is gratefully thanked for the technical support. Thanks also to anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions. The authors are especially indebted to Prof. Jim Spain and C. Mroz for careful reading of the English and for helpful comments on the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Equipe Environnement et Microbiologie—UMR IPREM 5254—IBEAS, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, avenue de l’Université, BP 1155, 64013, Pau Cedex, France

    Pierre Caumette & Robert Duran

  2. Laboratoire de Génomique des Archaea, Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, UMR CNRS 8621, Université Paris Sud XI, Bât 400, 91405, Orsay Cedex, France

    Aude Fourçans

  3. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0512, USA

    Anthony Ranchou-Peyruse

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  1. Aude Fourçans
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  2. Anthony Ranchou-Peyruse
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  3. Pierre Caumette
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  4. Robert Duran
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Correspondence to Robert Duran.

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Fourçans, A., Ranchou-Peyruse, A., Caumette, P. et al. Molecular Analysis of the Spatio-temporal Distribution of Sulfate-reducing Bacteria (SRB) in Camargue (France) Hypersaline Microbial Mat. Microb Ecol 56, 90–100 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-007-9327-x

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