Distribution of Myxobacters in Aquatic Habitats of an Alkaline Bog

Abstract

Ten species of myxobacteria were identified from samples from an alkaline bog and adjacent soils. The frequency of occurrence and the diversity of species were highest at the margin of the bog and were lowest in the center and bottom of the bog lake. Recent studies indicate that members of the family Myxococcaceae are frequently found in marine and freshwater environments (1-4, 8, 15), although it has been suggested that their presence in these habitats may be a result of runoff from adjacent soils (3; E. R. Brockman, Bacteriol. Proc., p. 52, 1971). An increase in the occurrence of myxobacters has been reported in freshwater that is heavily laden with coliform bacteria (8, 15). This study was undertaken to determine which myxobacterial species were present in an alkaline bog lake and to estimate their relative frequency of occurrence. The study area, Davis Lake (Vestaburg Bog), is located 1.5 km southeast of Vestaburg, Mich., in the central portion of the state's lower peninsula. The bog lake measures 100 by 80 m and occupies the bottom of a steeply banked, oblong basin measuring 500 by 150 m (5). The bog lake is bordered on three sides by a quaking Sphagnum sp. mat dominated by bog leatherleaf, Chamaedaphne calculata (5, 7). Near the open water, the mat is a semiwoody Rifle peat that becomes increasingly decomposed near the edge of the basin, forming a moat of standing water (fossa) at the margin of the basin (12). A diagram showing the bog lake and the sampling sites is given in Fig. 1. Samples were obtained from aquatic habitats on eight dates from 15 September 1975 to 28 April 1976. For comparison, terrestrial regi6ns A and B (Fig. 1), each represented by a composite of 10 subsample sites that circumscribe the bog lake, were sampled on 1 July 1976, and site C (not a composite) was sampled on 15 September 1975. The pH of the water at each sampling site was determined in the field with a Corning model 6 portable pH meter (Corning Scientific Instruments, Medfield, Mass.). The dissolved oxygen and temperature were measured in situ with a YSI model 51A dissolved-oxygen meter

Myxobacteria in high moor and fen: An astonishing diversity in a neglected extreme habitat

“…However, this is in accordance with other investigations like those by Hook (1977), who studied myxobacterial fruiting bodies which A surprisingly high diversity of unknown myxobacteria in various samples of high moor and fen, detected exclusively with clone banks, faces the limited set of cultivated species ( Figure S2). When cultivation-independent analyses became more and more popular, also acidic habitats were investigated in more detail and compared in terms of cultivable and uncultivable bacteria.…”

“…Four out of six genera of the Nannocystineae suborder are described from marine or estuary environments, namely Enhygromyxa , Haliangium , Plesiocystis , and Pseudenhygromyxa . The remaining genera Nannocystis and Kofleria have not been mentioned in publication about myxobacteria from moors so far (Dawid, ; Hook, ; Rückert, ), so maybe moors are not a suitable habitat for members of the Nannocystineae . None of the 23 OTUs of our study contains sequences from cultures, neither from our nor from other studies.…”

“…and Pseudenhygromyxa. The remaining genera Nannocystis and Kofleria have not been mentioned in publication about myxobacteria from moors so far (Dawid, 1984;Hook, 1977;Rückert, 1979), so maybe moors are not a suitable habitat for members of the Nannocystineae. Table S2).…”

Diversity of Myxobacteria—We Only See the Tip of the Iceberg

“…However, acidic or alkaline habitats also seem to be suitable for myxobacteria [ 10 ]. Even in 1977, Hook isolated ten species from waters of an alkaline bog and adjacent soils [ 88 ] like Archangium , Corallococcus , Melittangium, Myxococcus , and Sorangium (former Polyangium ). Corallococcus coralloides , (formerly Myxococcus coralloides ) was dominant in the terrestrial samples.…”

Isolation and Characterization of Soil Myxobacteria from Nepal

“…Myxobacteria are nonpathogenic predatory bacteria with most of them known to degrade complex biomolecule such as cellulose (Sorangium and Byssovorax species) and/or prey on other microorganisms. They are ubiquitous social bacteria present in deep-sea vent (Moyer et al, 1995), hydrothermal springs (Iizuka et al, 2006), marine samples (Iizuka et al, 2003;Li et al, 2002), freshwater environments as well as found in varied climatic zones and ecological niches (Dawid, 2000;Jahn 1924;Hook, 1977;Mohr, 2018). Most of the myxobacteria are mesophilic and tend to grow at a neutral to slightly alkaline pH of 6.8-7.8.…”