Bacterial Community of the Largest Oligosaline Lake, Namco on the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Bacterial abundances and diversity in the surface water of Lake Namco, the largest oligosaline lake on the Tibetan Plateau, were examined using flow cytometry approach and constructing 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Bacterial abundances were from 0.08 × 106 to 1.6 × 106 cells mL−1, and were in the reported range of other lakes of the Tibetan Plateau and high mountain regions. Bacterial abundances were significantly correlated with the concentrations of chlorophyll a (chl a), but showed no significant relationship with the dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which suggested that the amount of DOC released by algae was the key factor determining the bacterial abundance rather than the total DOC. The total trace elements concentrations also obviously connected with bacterial abundances, and 9 of 20 elements showed significant relationship. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene clone sequences were affiliated to the α-, β-, γ-, δ-, and ϵ-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia, Candidate division OD1, or unclassified, and among these the β-Proteobacteria dominated. Bacteria in Lake Namco were most closely related to those retrieved from freshwater habitats. Relatively few sequences were closely related to those recovered from saline habitats. Eleven of 34 typical freshwater bacterial clusters were detected in the oligosaline Lake Namco. Bacterial diversity within the lake varied and was connected with the concentrations of DOC and chl a.