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Genus‐wide acid tolerance accounts for the biogeographical distribution of soil Burkholderia populations
Author(s) -
Stopnisek Nejc,
Bodenhausen Natacha,
Frey Beat,
Fierer Noah,
Eberl Leo,
Weisskopf Laure
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.954
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1462-2920
pISSN - 1462-2912
DOI - 10.1111/1462-2920.12211
Subject(s) - biology , ecological niche , burkholderia , genus , 16s ribosomal rna , ecology , soil water , niche , bacteria , soil microbiology , abundance (ecology) , species diversity , library , relative species abundance , biodiversity , botany , genetics , habitat
Summary Bacteria belonging to the genus B urkholderia are highly versatile with respect to their ecological niches and lifestyles, ranging from nodulating tropical plants to causing melioidosis and fatal infections in cystic fibrosis patients. Despite the clinical importance and agronomical relevance of B urkholderia species, information about the factors influencing their occurrence, abundance and diversity in the environment is scarce. Recent findings have demonstrated that pH is the main predictor of soil bacterial diversity and community structure, with the highest diversity observed in neutral pH soils. As many B urkholderia species have been isolated from low pH environments, we hypothesized that acid tolerance may be a general feature of this genus, and pH a good predictor of their occurrence in soils. Using a combination of environmental surveys at trans‐continental and local scales, as well as in vitro assays, we show that, unlike most bacteria, B urkholderia species have a competitive advantage in acidic soils, but are outcompeted in alkaline soils. Physiological assays and diversity analysis based on 16S rRNA clone libraries demonstrate that pH tolerance is a general phenotypic trait of the genus B urkholderia . Our results provide a basis for building a predictive understanding of the biogeographical patterns exhibited by B urkholderia sp.