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Community structure of aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria in algae- and macrophyte-dominated areas in Taihu Lake, China

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Abstract

Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (AAPB) represent a major group of bacterioplankton assemblages in many water systems and some are assumed to be closely associated with phytoplankton. However, studies on relationships between AAPB and cyanobacterial blooms are in scarcity. The dynamics of the abundance and diversity of AAPB was compared based on pufM gene in Meiliang Bay (featured by cyanobacterial blooms) and East Bay (featured by macrophyte) of Taihu Lake, a shallow subtropical lake in the East China plain. AAPB abundance was not significantly different between the two sites, and they were positively correlated with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. The ratios of AAPB to total bacteria varied from 3.4% to 11.5% and peaked in winter in both sites. No significant differences of AAPB community compositions were detected between the two sites, but there was a separation between warm seasons (June, August, and October) and cold seasons (December, February, and April). Rhizobiales and Limnohabitans-like pufM sequences were significantly contributors for the difference between two seasons, and specially enriched in cold seasons. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) and DOC were the most significant variables influencing the AAPB community structure. Furthermore, Porphyrobacter and Rhodospirillales-like pufM sequences were positively correlated with Chl a, indicating potential influence of cyanobacterial blooms on these AAPB taxa. These results suggested that diverse AAPB ecotypes coexisted in Taihu Lake, and their ecological role in carbon cycling in the lake may not be ignored.

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Data Availability Statement

The data supporting the conclusions are presented in the main article.

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Acknowledgment

We are grateful to Mingyong DU, Shiming LIU, Mingbo SUN, and Yinping WANG from Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology for their assistances on sample collection, and Mengyu QIAN for determination of concentration of chlorophyll a and phycocyanin. Of the authors, Limei SHI conducted the experiments and drafted the manuscript, Yuanfeng CAI performed data analyses. Xiaoli SHI and Min ZHANG reviewed and edited the manuscript. Qingfei ZENG helped in sample collection. Fanxiang KONG designed the study. Ping XU revised the English language. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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  1. Limei SHI and Yuanfeng CAI contributed equally to this work and should be regarded as co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Limei Shi, Xiaoli Shi, Min Zhang, Qingfei Zeng & Fanxiang Kong

  2. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Yuanfeng Cai

  3. The Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298-0566, USA

    Ping Xu

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  1. Limei Shi
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Correspondence to Limei Shi or Min Zhang.

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Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31971449, 31370509, 31100363), the CAS-SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams (CN) (No. KZZD-EW-TZ-08), and the startup funds from Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. NIGLAS2011QD05)

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Shi, L., Cai, Y., Shi, X. et al. Community structure of aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria in algae- and macrophyte-dominated areas in Taihu Lake, China. J. Ocean. Limnol. 40, 1855–1867 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-022-1348-2

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