Microbial diversity of a meromictic soda lake: seasonal and spatial patterns

Select anaerobic activities and the composition of members of the domain Bacteria in samples from a meromictic soda lake were studied. Summer and fall samples were collected from the mixolimnion, the chemocline, the monimolimnion, and sediment.. Most-probable number assays targeting anaerobic microbial guilds were established. In both seasons, the anoxic samples appeared to be dominated by lactate-oxidizing sulfate-reducing bacteria. Lactate- and acetate-oxidizing iron-reducing bacteria, as well as fermentative microorganisms, were also detected at high numbers, whereas methanogenic numbers were low or undetectable. In addition, community structure was assessed with a culture-independent approach --Abstract, page iii