A pyrosequencing-based analysis of microbial diversity governed by ecological conditions in the Winogradsky column

The Winogradsky column is used as a microcosm to mimic both the microbial diversity and the ecological relationships between the organisms in lake sediments. In this study, a pyrosequencing approach was used to obtain a more complete list of the microbial organisms present in such columns and their ratios in different layers of this microcosm. Overall, 27 different phyla in these columns were detected in these columns, most (20 phyla) belonged to bacteria. Based on this study, Proteobacteria (mostly Sphingomonadales), Cyanobacteria (mostly Oscillatoriales) and Bacteroidetes (mostly Flavobacteriales) were the dominant microorganisms in the water, middle, and bottom layers of this column, respectively. Although the majority of organism in the water layer were photoautotrophic organisms, the ratio of the phototrophic organisms decreased in the lower layers, replaced by chemoheterotrophic bacteria. Furthermore, the proportion of aerobic chemoheterotrophic bacteria was greater in the higher layers of the column in comparison to the bottom. The green and purple sulfur phototrophic bacteria inhabited the bottom and middle of these columns, with none of them found in the water layer. Although the sulfur oxidizing bacteria were the dominant chemolithotrophic bacteria in the water layer, their ratio decreases in lower layers, being replaced with nitrogen oxidizing bacteria in the middle and bottom layers. Overall, the microbial population of these layers changes from a phototrophic and aerobic chemoheterotrophic organisms in the water layer to a mostly anaerobic chemoheterotrophic population of bacteria in the bottom layers.