A phylogenetic tree of 16S rRNA sequences from sulfate-reducing bacteria in a sandy marine sediment

The divergence of 16S rDNA sequences in marine sediment was investigated. Twenty unique partial sequences were found among 33 cloned following PCR. Thirteen shared 82 to 91% similarity with sequences of delta subclass sulfate-reducing bacteria. Three contained the target sequence for a sulfate-reducing bacterium-specific oligonucleotide probe designed from pure-culture studies.