Competition of a parathion-hydrolyzing Flavobacterium with bacteria from ditch water in carbon-, nitrate- and phosphate-limited continuous cultures

• Published in: FEMS microbiology ecology Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 45 - 53
• Main Authors: Sprenger, Wander W., Dijkstra, Annereinou, Zwart, Gabriel J.M., van Agterveld, Miranda P., van Noort, Paul C. M., Parsons, John R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.02.2003; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Bacteria; Biodegradation; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon; Chemostat; Competition; Cultivation; Ecology; Flavobacterium; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hydrolase; Microbial activity; Microbial ecology; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Nitrates; Nutrient; Organophosphorus; Parathion; Pesticide; Pesticides; Soil; Various environments (extraatmospheric space, air, water); Organophosphorus; Biodegradation; Competition; Nutrient; Pesticide; Chemostat; Phosphates; Flavobacteriaceae; Enzyme; Loss; Nitrates; Nitrogen; Retention; Carbon; Continuous process; Hydrolysis; Flavobacterium; Bacteria; Hydrolases; Pesticide: Biodegradation
• ISSN: 0168-6496; 1574-6941
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2003.tb01044.x

Abstract The effect of competition for macroelements with bacteria from ditch water on the parathion-hydrolyzing Flavobacterium sp. ATCC 27551 (FB) was investigated within mixed continuous cultures under carbon-, nitrate- or phosphate-limited conditions. The high initial rate of parathion hydrolysis decreased rapidly in all cultures due to the loss of strain FB. Addition of 2-isopropyl-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinol (a selective source of carbon, nitrogen and energy for FB) to one nitrate- and carbon-limited chemostat caused a 20-fold increase in parathion-hydrolyzing activity compared to unamended control cultures and retention of FB. The presence of the parathion hydrolase-encoding gene could be demonstrated by a newly developed PCR detection method in all FB cultures during most of the cultivation period. These results suggest that competition effects cause the pesticide-degrading capacity of microbial communities depending on their frequency of exposure to the pesticide compounds.