Isolation and gene quantification of heterotrophic N<inf>2</inf>-fixing bacterioplankton in the Baltic Sea

Publication Type:
Journal Article
Citation:
Environmental Microbiology, 2007, 9 (1), pp. 152 - 164
Issue Date:
2007-01-01
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Cyanobacteria are regarded as the main N2-fixing organisms in marine waters. However, recent clone libraries from various oceans show a wide distribution of the dinitrogenase reductase gene (nifH) originating from heterotrophic bacterioplankton. We isolated heterotrophic N2-fixing bacteria from Baltic Sea bacterioplankton using low-nitrogen plates and semi-solid diazotroph medium (SSDM) tubes. Isolates were analysed for the nitrogenase (nifH) gene and active N2 fixation by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and acetylene reduction respectively. A primer-probe set targeting the nifH gene from a γ-proteobacterial isolate, 97% 16S rDNA similarity to Pseudomonas stutzeri, was designed for measuring in situ dynamics using quantitative real-time PCR. This nifH gene sequence was detected at two of 11 stations in a Baltic Proper transect at abundances of 3 × 10 4 and 0.8 × 103 copies per litre seawater respectively. Oxygen requirements of isolates were examined by cultivation in SSDM tubes where oxygen gradients were determined with microelectrodes. Growth, and thereby N2 fixation, was observed as horizontal bands formed at oxygen levels of 0-6% air saturation. The apparent microaerophilic or facultative anaerobic nature of the isolates explains why the SSDM approach is the most appropriate isolation method. Our study illustrates how combined isolation, functional analyses and in situ quantification yielded insights into the oxygen requirements of heterotrophic N2-fixing bacterioplankton isolates, which were confirmed to be present in situ. © 2006 The Authors.
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