Priest Pot in the English Lake District: A showcase of microbial diversity

Authors: Esteban, G.F., Finlay, B.J. and Clarke, K.J.

Journal: Freshwater Biology

Volume: 57

Issue: 2

Pages: 321-330

eISSN: 1365-2427

ISSN: 0046-5070

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02641.x

Abstract:

1.The distinctive characteristic of the water column of Priest Pot in summer is its intense physical and chemical stratification. The changing dissolved oxygen tension with depth is the main factor determining which microbes live where; distinct microbial communities exploit the different microbial niches at different depths and times. 2.Most biological activity in Priest Pot, whether in sediment or water column, is driven by microorganisms. The number of protist species recorded thus far is 883. Much remains to be discovered, particularly concerning scale-bearing protists. 3.Transmission electron microscopy has been used to study the microscales from, and on, the surfaces of microbial eukaryotes living in Priest Pot. The biological material was collected from fresh samples of the water column, from the sediment surface and from the pond's immediate surrounding habitats. 'Subfossils' from the superficial sediment of the pond at the end of summer were also examined. 4.A total of 220 species of scale-bearing protists have been documented in the pond, belonging to the three functional groups or 'body plans' of protozoa: the amoeboid protozoa, the flagellates and the ciliates. The following genera are reported and illustrated: Acanthocystis, Chrysochromulina, Chrysolepidomonas, Chrysosphaerella, Cochliopodium, Cyathobodo, Gyromitus, Korotnevella, Lepidotrachelophyllum, Luffisphaera, Mallomonas, Paraluffisphaera, Paraphysomonas, Pompholysophrys, Pseudodendromonas, Raphidiophrys, Spiniferomonas, Synura, Thuamatomastix and Trachelophyllum/Bylamellophrya. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Source: Scopus

Preferred by: Genoveva Esteban