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Assembly and Tracking of Microbial Community Development within a Microwell Array Platform
Published on: June 6, 2017
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Validation of microbial community structure and ecological functional parameters in an aquatic microcosm designed for
1Department of Marine Ecology and Microbiology, National Environmental Research Institute, Frederiksborgvej 399, P.O. Box 358, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark.
Microbial Ecology
|November 5, 2013
Summary
Aquatic microcosms simulate lake ecosystems, but nutrient limitations affect results. Microbial community similarity recovered after introducing Alcaligenes eutrophus, showing microcosm validity with careful extrapolation.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Aquatic ecology
- Ecosystem modeling
Background:
- Microcosms are crucial for studying microbial fate and effects in aquatic environments.
- This study utilized three-phase (sediment/water/air) microcosms with distinct compartments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate aquatic microcosms by comparing them to the eutrophic Lake Bagsværd.
- To assess the impact of microbial release on ecosystem similarity.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of ecological parameters and microbial community structure.
- Measurement of photosynthetic potential, chlorophyll a, and bacterial metabolic activity.
- DNA hybridization techniques to assess microbial community similarity over time.
Main Results:
- Microcosms showed lower photosynthetic potential and chlorophyll a due to nutrient limitation.
- Bacterial numbers and activity were temperature-dependent, simulating field conditions.
- Microbial community similarity to the lake increased from 40% to 63-76% over 10 days.
- Introduction of Alcaligenes eutrophus initially reduced similarity but recovered as the population declined.
Conclusions:
- The developed microcosms effectively simulate freshwater lake ecosystems.
- Extrapolation of microcosm results requires caution due to potential differences in selective conditions.
- Microbial release significantly impacts community similarity, with recovery observed upon population decline.
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