Molekulare Ökologie der NOR5/OM60-Gruppe der Gammaproteobacteria

In this thesis, a newly discovered gammaproteobacterial group - the NOR5/OM60 clade, which includes the novel aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs (AAnPs), was studied in the aspects of phylogeny, biogeography and physiology using both molecular and culturing methods.By means of 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis, NOR5/OM60 group was defined as a monophyletic clade inside the class Gammaproteobacteria. More than 500 16S rRNA sequences of this clade were retrieved from public databases. Further studies classified the sequences into 13 subclades. My studies on the biogeography of NOR5/OM60 clade showed a cosmopolitan distribution. They were found in all oceans and at the coasts of all the continents. NOR5/OM60 seems to be most abundant in marine coastal water and sediment. However, they have also been encountered in surface water of open ocean, deep-sea sediment, freshwater, saline lakes and soil.The abundance of members of the NOR5/OM60 clade in various marine sites was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a newly designed and optimized probe set. In the ocean, the common relative abundance ranges from