Bacterial communities in a Northeast Ohio stream: effects of substrate size, environmental features and temporal changes

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Santmire, Judith Ann
Language:English
Published: Kent State University / OhioLINK 2005
Subjects:
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1113326109
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-kent11133261092021-08-03T05:36:13Z Bacterial communities in a Northeast Ohio stream: effects of substrate size, environmental features and temporal changes Santmire, Judith Ann bacterial communities substrate lotic fluorescent in situ hybridization sediment Examination of bacterial communities in lotic biofilms can aid understanding of the processes driving their presence. Organic matter utilization, detritus availability, geomorphology and hydrodynamics, along with temporal and spatial variation are all influences on bacterial communities. The focus of this research was to examine factors affecting bacterial communities in a lotic ecosystem. Field studies and in situ experiments were completed in the West Branch of the Mahoning River in Northeast Ohio from October 2000 through August 2004. Total numbers of bacteria were determined via epifluorescent microscopy using DAPI stain. Additionally, fluorescently labeled taxon-specific probes were hybridized with cellular rRNA to determine the abundance of specific taxa. The Domain Bacteria, Proteobacteria (alpha and gamma groups), and Cytophaga-Flavobacterium were enumerated via epifluorescent microcopy. Multiple habitats (water, leaves and sediments) were compared during 2000-2001, and greatest stability in abundance was in the sediments. A second seasonal study during 2003-2004 focused on bacteria colonizing various size sediments and showed differences in abundance among the different size categories. Species-specific probes included Burkholderia cepacia (beta-Proteobacteria) and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus (gamma-Proteobacteria). Supporting physical and chemical data were also collected during field studies. Experiments examined the impact of sediment grain size on bacteria using glass beads of different diameters (0.1 mm, 1.0 mm, 5.0 mm) and unglazed ceramic tiles incubated in situ in packets made of plankton netting. Effects of incubation habitat (riffle versus pool) and organic matter addition (dried maple leaves) were tested. A microcosm experiment tested the premise that bacteria incubated in situ on one bead size would respond differently when inoculated onto a different bead size. The field surveys revealed temporal variation in communities in the various habitats, with more stability in the sediments. Natural and artificial substrata showed significant differences generally between the 0.1 mm and 5.0 mm beads or tiles. In most instances the community composition was fairly consistent. Of all taxa examined, B. cepacia was the least responsive to variations in environmental conditions. Surface area, did not entirely account for differences in abundance on the substrates; it is evident that other physical processes also affect utilization and abundance. 2005-04-13 English text Kent State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1113326109 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1113326109 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic bacterial communities
substrate
lotic
fluorescent in situ hybridization
sediment
spellingShingle bacterial communities
substrate
lotic
fluorescent in situ hybridization
sediment
Santmire, Judith Ann
Bacterial communities in a Northeast Ohio stream: effects of substrate size, environmental features and temporal changes
author Santmire, Judith Ann
author_facet Santmire, Judith Ann
author_sort Santmire, Judith Ann
title Bacterial communities in a Northeast Ohio stream: effects of substrate size, environmental features and temporal changes
title_short Bacterial communities in a Northeast Ohio stream: effects of substrate size, environmental features and temporal changes
title_full Bacterial communities in a Northeast Ohio stream: effects of substrate size, environmental features and temporal changes
title_fullStr Bacterial communities in a Northeast Ohio stream: effects of substrate size, environmental features and temporal changes
title_full_unstemmed Bacterial communities in a Northeast Ohio stream: effects of substrate size, environmental features and temporal changes
title_sort bacterial communities in a northeast ohio stream: effects of substrate size, environmental features and temporal changes
publisher Kent State University / OhioLINK
publishDate 2005
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1113326109
work_keys_str_mv AT santmirejudithann bacterialcommunitiesinanortheastohiostreameffectsofsubstratesizeenvironmentalfeaturesandtemporalchanges
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