Soil Microbial Community Structure in an Asian Dust Source Region (Loess Plateau)

• Published in: Microbes and Environments Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 53 - 57
• Main Authors: Kenzaka, Takehiko, Sueyoshi, Akio, Baba, Takashi, Li, Pinfang, Tani, Katsuji, Yamaguchi, Nobuyasu, Nasu, Masao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology / Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology / Taiwan Society of Microbial Ecology / Japanese Society of Plant Microbe Interactions / Japanese Society for Extremophiles 2010; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: arid region; Asian dust; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Biodiversity; China; Cluster Analysis; community structure; Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis; diversity; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal - chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal - genetics; Dust; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; rRNA gene; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Soil Microbiology; China
• ISSN: 1342-6311; 1347-4405
• DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.ME09164

The bacterial community structure in four geographically isolated arid regions on the Loess plateau, China, a source of Asian dust, was investigated using a 16S rRNA gene. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and sequencing demonstrated that community diversity in the Loess plateau was low, and a common Alphaproteobacteria phylotype was identified. Phylogenetic analyses of arid soils revealed that most phylotypes had low similarity with known strains in various phyla, suggesting that these regions contain phylogenetically divergent and unknown bacteria.