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The impact of flow rate (simulated leaching) on plasmid transfer frequency between bacteria in a model rhizosphere
D A Pearce1, M J Bazin, J M Lynch
1Division of Life Sciences, King's College London, UK.
Aims:
To investigate the effect of flow rate and inoculation order on plasmid transfer frequency between bacteria in a model rhizosphere system.
Methods And Results:
A physical model system was constructed and used to demonstrate that although flow rate did affect plasmid transfer frequency for an introduced strain, the flow rates necessary for a significant effect on an established population were much higher than typical water flow rates found through soil. Plasmid transfer frequency was highly sensitive to strain inoculation order.
Conclusion:
Flow rate may not have a significant effect on plasmid transfer frequency between established bacterial populations in the rhizosphere.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
This study contributes to the current debate over the release and spread of genetically modified organisms into the environment. It also demonstrates that model controlled systems may be used to rapidly obtain initial data about the potential behaviour of microorganisms, prior to more costly and lengthy glasshouse and field trials.
