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Insensitivity of Diverse and Temporally Variable Particle-Associated Microbial Communities to Bulk Seawater Environmental Parameters.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Yung, C-M; Ward, CS; Davis, KM; Johnson, ZI; Hunt, DE
Published in: Applied and environmental microbiology
June 2016

There is a growing recognition of the roles of marine microenvironments as reservoirs of biodiversity and as sites of enhanced biological activity and in facilitating biological interactions. Here, we examine the bacterial community inhabiting free-living and particle-associated seawater microenvironments at the Pivers Island Coastal Observatory (PICO). 16S rRNA gene libraries from monthly samples (July 2013 to August 2014) were used to identify microbes in seawater in four size fractions: >63 μm (zooplankton and large particles), 63 to 5 μm (particles), 5 to 1 μm (small particles/dividing cells), and <1 μm (free-living prokaryotes). Analyses of microbial community composition highlight the importance of the microhabitat (e.g., particle-associated versus free-living lifestyle) as communities cluster by size fraction, and the microhabitat explains more of the community variability than measured environmental parameters, including pH, particle concentration, projected daily insolation, nutrients, and temperature. While temperature is statistically associated with community changes in the <1-μm and 5- to 1-μm fractions, none of the measured bulk seawater environmental variables are statistically significant in the larger-particle-associated fractions. These results, combined with high particle-associated community variability, especially in the largest size fraction (i.e., >63 μm), suggest that particle composition, including eukaryotes and their associated microbiomes, may be an important factor in selecting for specific particle-associated bacteria.By comparing levels of particle-associated and free-living bacterial diversity at a coastal location over the course of 14 months, we show that bacteria associated with particles are generally more diverse and appear to be less responsive to commonly measured environmental variables than free-living bacteria. These diverse and highly variable particle-associated communities are likely driven by differences in particle substrates both within the water column at a single time point and due to seasonal changes over the course of the year.

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Published In

Applied and environmental microbiology

DOI

EISSN

1098-5336

ISSN

0099-2240

Publication Date

June 2016

Volume

82

Issue

11

Start / End Page

3431 / 3437

Related Subject Headings

  • Temperature
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Seawater
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • Phylogeny
  • Microbiology
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • DNA, Ribosomal
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Biota
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
MLA
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Yung, C.-M., Ward, C. S., Davis, K. M., Johnson, Z. I., & Hunt, D. E. (2016). Insensitivity of Diverse and Temporally Variable Particle-Associated Microbial Communities to Bulk Seawater Environmental Parameters. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 82(11), 3431–3437. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00395-16
Yung, Cheuk-Man, Christopher S. Ward, Katherine M. Davis, Zackary I. Johnson, and Dana E. Hunt. “Insensitivity of Diverse and Temporally Variable Particle-Associated Microbial Communities to Bulk Seawater Environmental Parameters.Applied and Environmental Microbiology 82, no. 11 (June 2016): 3431–37. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00395-16.
Yung C-M, Ward CS, Davis KM, Johnson ZI, Hunt DE. Insensitivity of Diverse and Temporally Variable Particle-Associated Microbial Communities to Bulk Seawater Environmental Parameters. Applied and environmental microbiology. 2016 Jun;82(11):3431–7.
Yung, Cheuk-Man, et al. “Insensitivity of Diverse and Temporally Variable Particle-Associated Microbial Communities to Bulk Seawater Environmental Parameters.Applied and Environmental Microbiology, vol. 82, no. 11, June 2016, pp. 3431–37. Epmc, doi:10.1128/aem.00395-16.
Yung C-M, Ward CS, Davis KM, Johnson ZI, Hunt DE. Insensitivity of Diverse and Temporally Variable Particle-Associated Microbial Communities to Bulk Seawater Environmental Parameters. Applied and environmental microbiology. 2016 Jun;82(11):3431–3437.

Published In

Applied and environmental microbiology

DOI

EISSN

1098-5336

ISSN

0099-2240

Publication Date

June 2016

Volume

82

Issue

11

Start / End Page

3431 / 3437

Related Subject Headings

  • Temperature
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Seawater
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • Phylogeny
  • Microbiology
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • DNA, Ribosomal
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Biota