Open AccessCompetition of a parathion‐hydrolyzing Flavobacterium with bacteria from ditch water in carbon‐, nitrate‐ and phosphate‐limited continuous cultures
Author(s) -
Sprenger Wander W.,
Dijkstra Annereinou,
Zwart Gabriel J.M.,
Agterveld Miranda P.,
Noort Paul C.M.,
Parsons John R.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2003.tb01044.x
Subject(s) - parathion methyl , biology , parathion , nitrate , flavobacterium , bacteria , phosphate , food science , microbiology and biotechnology , environmental chemistry , pesticide , biochemistry , ecology , pseudomonas , chemistry , genetics
Abstract The effect of competition for macroelements with bacteria from ditch water on the parathion‐hydrolyzing Flavobacterium sp. ATCC 27551 (FB) was investigated within mixed continuous cultures under carbon‐, nitrate‐ or phosphate‐limited conditions. The high initial rate of parathion hydrolysis decreased rapidly in all cultures due to the loss of strain FB. Addition of 2‐isopropyl‐6‐methyl‐4‐pyrimidinol (a selective source of carbon, nitrogen and energy for FB) to one nitrate‐ and carbon‐limited chemostat caused a 20‐fold increase in parathion‐hydrolyzing activity compared to unamended control cultures and retention of FB. The presence of the parathion hydrolase‐encoding gene could be demonstrated by a newly developed PCR detection method in all FB cultures during most of the cultivation period. These results suggest that competition effects cause the pesticide‐degrading capacity of microbial communities depending on their frequency of exposure to the pesticide compounds.