Open AccessMacrofilamentous microbial communities in the metal‐rich and acidic River Tinto, Spain
Author(s) -
LópezArchilla Ana I,
Gérard Emmanuelle,
Moreira David,
LópezGarcía Purificación
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2004.tb09592.x
Subject(s) - firmicutes , actinobacteria , proteobacteria , archaea , microbial population biology , acid mine drainage , biology , bacteria , ecology , 16s ribosomal rna , environmental chemistry , chemistry , genetics
A novel type of macroscopic microbial community consisting of large dendritic filaments (up to 1.5 m) in a pH 2.0 dam of the River Tinto (South‐western Spain) is described. The combined use of 16S rRNA‐gene surveys and fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) suggested that γ‐proteobacteria and a relative large diversity of α‐proteobacteria dominated these structures. β‐Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were also detected. Whereas acidophilic bacteria of the genera Acidithiobacillus, Leptospirillum and Acidiphilium , and archaea belonging to the Thermoplasmatales dominate mine acid drainage waters and streamers (riverbed filamentous biofilms), none of the lineages identified in this study affiliate to typical acid mine drainage acidophilic bacteria. Bacteria of the Tinto macrofilaments might be heterotrophic, and could be feeding on the organic matter entrapped in the filamentous structure.