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Response of the Sulfate-Reducing Community to the Re-establishment of Estuarine Conditions in Two Contrasting Soils: a Mesocosm Approach

  • Soil Microbiology
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Abstract

We studied the response of the sulfate-reducing prokaryote (SRP) communities to the experimental variation of salinity and tide in an outdoor mesocosm setup. Intact soil monoliths were collected at two areas of the Haringvliet lagoon (The Netherlands): one sampling location consisted of agricultural grassland, drained and fertilized for at least the last century; the other of a freshwater marshland with more recent sea influence. Two factors, i.e., “salinity” (freshwater/oligohaline) and “tide” (nontidal/tidal), were tested in a full-factorial design. Soil samples were collected after 5 months (June–October). Dissimilatory (bi)sulfite reductase β subunit-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (dsrB-DGGE) analysis revealed that the SRP community composition in the agricultural grassland and in the freshwater marshland was represented mainly by microorganisms related to the Desulfobulbaceae and the Desulfobacteraceae, respectively. Desulfovibrio-related dsrB were detected only in the tidal treatments; Desulfomonile-related dsrB occurrence was related to the presence of oligohaline conditions. Treatments did have an effect on the overall SRP community composition of both soils, but not on the sulfate depletion rates in sulfate-amended anoxic slurry incubations. However, initiation of sulfate reduction upon sulfate addition was clearly different between the two soils.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Reshmadevie Bissesar and Kees Hordijk for their help in the laboratory. Leon Lamers, Jan Roelofs, and Jos Verhoeven are acknowledged for the stimulating discussions. This research was funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). It was part of the TRIAS project 835.80.010 “Biogeochemical constraints for sustainable development of floodplains in riverine regions.” This is publication no. 4645 of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW).

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  1. Marzia Miletto

    Present address: Department of Microbiology, Morrill Science Center IV North, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Rijksstraatweg 6, 3631 AC, Nieuwesluis, The Netherlands

    Marzia Miletto, Paul L. E. Bodelier & Hendrikus J. Laanbroek

  2. Department of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Roos Loeb

  3. Department of Landscape Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 800.84, 3508 TB, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    A. Martjin Antheunisse & Hendrikus J. Laanbroek

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  1. Marzia Miletto
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Correspondence to Marzia Miletto.

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Miletto, M., Loeb, R., Antheunisse, A.M. et al. Response of the Sulfate-Reducing Community to the Re-establishment of Estuarine Conditions in Two Contrasting Soils: a Mesocosm Approach. Microb Ecol 59, 109–120 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-009-9614-9

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