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Effect of salinity on diazotrophic activity and microbial composition of phototrophic communities from Bitter-1 soda lake (Kulunda Steppe, Russia)

Extremophiles volume 22, pages 651–663 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Bitter-1 is a shallow hypersaline soda lake in Kulunda Steppe (Altai region, Russia). During a study period between 2005 and 2016, the salinity in the littoral area of the lake fluctuated within the range from 85 to 400 g/L (in July of each year). Light-dependent nitrogen fixation occurred in this lake up to the salt-saturating conditions. The rates increased with a decrease in salinity, both under environmental conditions and in laboratory simulations. The salinities below 100 g/L were favorable for light-dependent nitrogen fixation, while the process was dramatically inhibited above 200 g/L salts. The analysis of nifH genes in environmental samples and in enrichment cultures of diazotrophic phototrophs suggested that anaerobic fermenting and sulfate-reducing bacteria could participate in the dark nitrogen fixation process up to soda-saturating conditions. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that haloalkaliphilic nonheterocystous cyanobacteria (Euhalothece sp. and Geitlerinema sp.) and anoxygenic purple sulfur bacteria (Ectothiorhodospira sp.) might also play a role in the process at light conditions. The heterocystous cyanobacterium Nodularia sp. develops at low salinity (below 80 g/L) that is not characteristic for Bitter-1 Lake and thus does not make a significant contribution to the nitrogen fixation in this lake.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Program of fundamental research for state academies (No. 01201350928), Russian Academy of Sciences and Federal Agency of Scientific Organizations (Project Nos. 0104-2018-0033 and 0104-2018-0030). ZN was supported by the NRC “Kurchatov Institute”. DS was supported by the the Gravitation-SIAM program of the Dutch Ministry of Education and Science (24002002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, Moscow, 123182, Russia

    Zorigto Namsaraev

  2. Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology RAS, Moscow, 117312, Russia

    Olga Samylina, Dimitry Y. Sorokin & Tatiana Tourova

  3. Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology RAS, Moscow, 117312, Russia

    Marina Sukhacheva

  4. Soil Science Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Gennadii Borisenko

  5. Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Dimitry Y. Sorokin

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  1. Zorigto Namsaraev
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  2. Olga Samylina
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  3. Marina Sukhacheva
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  4. Gennadii Borisenko
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  5. Dimitry Y. Sorokin
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  6. Tatiana Tourova
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Correspondence to Zorigto Namsaraev.

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Communicated by A. Oren.

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Namsaraev, Z., Samylina, O., Sukhacheva, M. et al. Effect of salinity on diazotrophic activity and microbial composition of phototrophic communities from Bitter-1 soda lake (Kulunda Steppe, Russia). Extremophiles 22, 651–663 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-018-1026-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-018-1026-7

Keywords

  • Nitrogen fixation
  • Phototrophic bacteria
  • Sulfate-reducing bacteria
  • Hypersaline
  • Soda lakes