Abstract Detail

Symbioses: Plant, Animal, and Microbe Interactions

Bharaj, Ameet [1], Maltman, Christopher [1], Yurkov, Vladmir  [1], Piercey-Normore, Michele [2].

Diversity of lichen-associated bacteria from four corticolous lichens.

Microbial communities associated with lichen thalli are considered a significant component of the lichen symbiosis with high levels of diversity reported in other studies. However,an estimation of microbial quantities, seasonal differences, and their metabolic activity within the thallus is not well understood. The objectives of this study were to compare the numbers of bacteria among three types of media (RO,RO-N, and S-N) and four species of corticolous lichens (Imshaugia placorodia, Flavopunctelia flaventior, Physcia aipolia,and Xanthomendoza fallax); and to determine the identity and infer the function of selected bacterial colonies using 16S rDNA nucleotide sequence comparisons. Of the 129 morphologically diverse colonies isolated, ten selected colonies were sequenced and seven of those were thought to be nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The numbers of bacterial colonies found for each lichen species were consistent between media types, but the numbers varied between lichen species. The bacterial taxa reported include members of the Firmicutes, Proteobacteria,and Actinobacteria, which is consistent with that of other studies. The inferred function is also diverse but this study focused on nitrogen-fixing and cold-adapted bacteria. Diversity of bacteria was low in Physcia aipolia but higher in the other three species, which was explained in part by the species-specific nature of the thallus and a seasonal change in bacterial communities.

Broader Impacts:

1 - University of Manitoba, Microbiology, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
2 - University of Manitoba, Biological Sciences, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada

Keywords:
lichen
Bacteria
16S rDNA
diversity.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Battelle South/Convention Center
Date: Monday, July 9th, 2012
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PDB003
Abstract ID:909