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Distribution of Microbial Communities Associated with the Dominant High Marsh Plants and Sediments of the United States East Coast

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Abstract

Microbial communities in the sediment and associated with the dominant type of standing dead plant were collected from the high marsh zones of 10 sites along the eastern coast of the United States from Maine to Florida. Microbial community composition was examined using T-RFLP, and bacterial and fungal abundance was determined microscopically. Within the sediment, community composition was strongly correlated with latitude, indicating that biogeographical factors are important determinants of sediment community composition, whereas abundance was positively and strongly correlated with sediment organic matter content. A strong biogeographical effect was observed for both bacterial and fungal abundance on standing dead plants, but there was no clear relationship between community composition and latitude. Microbial community composition was more similar among plants of the same type (i.e., related plant species) suggesting that plant type (i.e., substrate quality) is primarily responsible for the determining community composition on standing dead plants.

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Acknowledgments

Gary King, University of Maine; Chuck Hopkinson, Marine Biological Laboratory, PIE-LTER; Randy Chambers, Fairfield University; Michael Reiter, Delaware State University; Robert Christian, East Carolina University; James Morris, University of South Carolina; Steven Newell, University of Georgia, GCE-LTER; and Joseph Boyer, Florida International University, ECE-LTER. Technical assistance was provided by Jennifer Adams and Greg Harp. Support for the project was provided under an LTER Intersite Comparison Grant (DEB-0087256) from the NSF.

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  1. Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904-4123, USA

    L. K. Blum & A.L. Mills

  2. Dynamac Inc., DYN3, John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL, 32899, USA

    M.S. Roberts & J.L. Garland

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Blum, L.K., Roberts, M., Garland, J. et al. Distribution of Microbial Communities Associated with the Dominant High Marsh Plants and Sediments of the United States East Coast. Microb Ecol 48, 375–388 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-003-1051-6

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