Chinese Journal of Polar Research

ADVANCES IN POLAR SCIENCE ›› 2011, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (1-English): 55-66.DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1085.2011.00055

• Articles • Previous Articles    

Spatial heterogeneity of a microbial community in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard during late summer 2006 and its relationship to biotic and abiotic factors

GUO ChaoYing1,2, HE JianFeng2*, ZHANG Fang 2, CAI MingHong2  & WANG GuiZhong1   

  1. 1 Department of Oceanography, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China;

    2 SOA Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China

  • Received:2010-09-29 Revised:2011-01-28 Online:1961-03-30 Published:1961-03-30
  • Contact: HE JianFeng

PDF (PC)

1449

Abstract:

The 16S and 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid genes of microbial organisms collected from the contrasting environments (temperature, salinity, silicate, phosphate and nitrate, p <0.05) of the inner and outer basins of Kongsfjorden (Spitsbergen, Arctic) were studied using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE) fingerprinting. Comparison of the microbial fingerprints and the physicochemical parameters revealed that molecular methodology exhibited a greater sensitivity. Sequences obtained from bacterial DGGE were affiliated with four main phylogenetic groups of bacteria:Proteobacteria (Alpha, Beta and Gamma), Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia and Cyanobacteria. The relationships between the genotype distribution of these microbes and associated biotic/abiotic factors, revealed by canonical correspondence analysis, showed that Station 1 at 30 m (outer fjord) was grouped separately from the other sites. This difference could be a consequence of the thermocline and base of the euphotic layer at this depth where the Atlantic and Arctic-type waters overlapped.

Key words: Microbial community, Genetic diversity, Kongsfjorden, Arctic fjord