Open AccessStudying species composition of microbial communities with the use of gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry: microbial community of kaolin
Author(s) -
Osipov George A.,
Turova Evgenia S.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
fems microbiology reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.91
H-Index - 212
eISSN - 1574-6976
pISSN - 0168-6445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6976.1997.tb00328.x
Subject(s) - microbial population biology , biology , burkholderia , arthrobacter , nitrobacter , population , bacteria , clostridium , composition (language) , pseudomonas , mass spectrometry , desulfovibrio , food science , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , chromatography , ecology , nitrite , linguistics , philosophy , genetics , demography , sociology , nitrate
The composition of microbial communities has been investigated avoiding conventional cultural techniques by chromatography‐mass spectrometric analysis of chemical signature markers. Concentrations of fatty acids, hydroxy acids, aldehydes, sterols, and methanolysate of the biomass lipid fractions were used to determine the population size of the individual community members. The calculation is based on the information stored in a data bank about the chemical composition of the probable members of the community. An algorithm for rapid assessment of the genus or species composition from the total biomass GC‐MS data is developed for a quantitative analysis of this community, treating them as a combination of chemical profiles of individual members. The microbial community in kaolin slurry was analyzed; it includes the following genera (in 10 5 cells/g): Nitrobacter (4), Bacillus (0.9), Pseudomonas (0.3), Burkholderia (0.1), Nocardia (0.4), Caulobacter (3), Deinococcus (4), Arthrobacter (0.7), Clostridium (4), Bacteroides (0.08), Desulfovibrio (1), Desulfobacter (0.3). Analyses of the profiles of unassigned components revealed the presence of two as yet unknown organisms, one being an iron‐reducing bacterium designated strain FeRed, the other a microscopic fungus.