HR: 09:30h
AN: NB41C-05    [Abstracts]
TI: The Effects of Nutrient Stoichiometry on Bacterial Community Composition in Streams
AU: * Rubin, M A
EM: mrubin2@kent.edu
AF: Kent State University, Dept of Biological Sciences, Kent, OH 44242 United States
AU: Leff, L G
EM: lleff@kent.edu
AF: Kent State University, Dept of Biological Sciences, Kent, OH 44242 United States
AB: Bacterial biofilm community composition in streams may be affected by the nutrient stoichiometry of the surrounding water. Specifically, varying nitrogen to phosphorus (N:P) molar ratios potentially can select for or against different taxa, such as various subclasses of Proteobacteria, and thus alter community structure. In this study, bacterial communities at three sites along the Mahoning River (Ohio) with different inorganic nutrient concentrations were compared. Bacteria in biofilms on cobbles were enumerated using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to determine the abundance of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-Proteobacteria, and the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-cluster. Nitrate, ammonia, and soluble reactive phosphate (SRP) concentrations in the water ranged from undetectable to 0.05 g/L of SRP and 0.3 g/L of ammonia. Beta-Proteobacteria appeared to be the most affected by N:P (ranging from 11 to 150) showing a positive correlation between their abundance and the N:P ratio. The Cytophaga-Flavobacterium showed effects that were nearly opposite of the beta-Proteobacteria. These findings provide evidence that limitation by single nutrients may not be as good a predictor of bacterial community structure as the molar ratios of these nutrients. Also, the nutrient stoichiometry could have a bottom up effect on stream ecosystems because of the central role that microbes play in stream food webs.
DE: 9810 New fields (not classifiable under other headings)
DE: 9901 NABS Student Award - Basic Research
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly