Epiphytic bacterial community composition on two common submerged macrophytes in brackish water and freshwater
2008

Bacterial Communities on Aquatic Plants

Sample size: 12 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Melanie Hempel, Maja Blume, Irmgard Blindow, Elisabeth M Gross

Primary Institution: University of Konstanz

Hypothesis

Do different macrophytes or their habitats determine bacterial community composition?

Conclusion

Bacterial biofilm communities on aquatic plants are influenced by the host plant and environmental factors.

Supporting Evidence

  • Bacterial abundance was higher on plants from brackish water than on plants from freshwater.
  • The organic content of freshwater plants was lower than that of brackish water plants.
  • Members of the Cytophaga-Flavobacteria-Bacteroidetes group were abundant in all samples.

Takeaway

This study looked at tiny bacteria living on water plants and found that the type of plant and where it grows affects which bacteria are there.

Methodology

The study compared bacterial communities on two aquatic plants in different water types using fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Limitations

The study did not assess the impact of pH, temperature, salinity, and water retention time on bacterial communities.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2180-8-58

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