Bacteria of the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides (CFB) group (phylum Bacteroidetes), in particular members of the class Flavobacteria, are among the most prominent heterotrophic organisms in marine pelagic systems. They have also previously been found to be important in the initial biopolymer degradation of sedimentary organic matter. The Flavobacteria community was analysed in inshore, marine sediments subject to regular inputs of highly labile organic carbon in order to understand the importance of this group in carbon degradation. We used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and real-time PCR in a statistically robust manner, over 2 consecutive years, to demonstrate that the number of Flavobacteria in the sediment increased and community composition shifted with organic loading. Further community shifts occurred after cessation of organic loading, and population numbers also decreased. Flavobacteria appear to be important in the initial responses of the sediment microbial community to organic loading, regardless of sediment type, but flavobacterial composition was not predictable. The highly dynamic nature and large diversity (functional redundancy) of the Flavobacteria in these sediments may contribute to this unpredictable response. © Inter-Research 2008.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Microbiology
Research Field:	Bacteriology
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Public health (excl. specific population health)
Objective Field:	Food safety
UTAS Author:	Bissett, AP (Mr Andrew Bissett)
UTAS Author:	Bowman, JP (Associate Professor John Bowman)
UTAS Author:	Burke, CM (Dr Chris Burke)
ID Code:	52010
Year Published:	2008
Web of Science® Times Cited:	17
Deposited By:	Agricultural Science
Deposited On:	2008-05-16
Last Modified:	2015-02-02
Downloads:	0