Stimulated by demands of the natural environment conservation, the need for thorough structural and functional identification of microorganisms colonizing different ecosystems has contributed to an intensive advance in research techniques. The article shows that some of these techniques are also a convenient tool for determination of the physiological state of single cells in a community of microorganisms. The paper presents selected fluorescent techniques, which are used in research on soil, water and sediment microorganisms. It covers the usability of determination of the dehydrogenase activity of an individual bacterial cell (CTC+) and of bacteria with intact, functioning cytoplasmic membranes, bacteria with an integrated nucleiod (NuCC+) as well as fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).

• MeSH
• Bacteria chemistry   enzymology   genetics   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Bacterial Proteins analysis   MeSH
• Fluorometry methods   MeSH
• Bacterial Physiological Phenomena * MeSH
• In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence MeSH
• Water Microbiology * MeSH
• Soil Microbiology * MeSH
• Bacterial Typing Techniques methods   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Bacterial Proteins MeSH

Fourteen genetically modified lines of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) containing the gene Ov from Japanese quail, coding for a methionine-rich protein ovalbumin, were evaluated for nodulation ability and concentration of aerobic bacteria in the rhizosphere. The transgenic lines were derived from a highly regenerable genotype Rg9/I-14-22, selected from cv. Lucia. On selective media, a higher concentration of ammonifying bacteria, bacterial spores, denitrifying and nitrifying bacteria were observed in the rhizosphere of transgenic clonesand, on the other hand, lower concentration of cellulolytic bacteria and Azotobacter spp. compared with the rhizosphere of non-transgenic clone SE/22-GT2. A statistically significant difference in the concentration of all the bacterial types was found between samples taken from two types of substrates (i.e. sterile vs. nonsterile). Higher bacterial concentration (measured as colony forming units per g soil dry mass) were observed for all tested groups of culturable bacteria in the non-sterile substrate. The presence of Azotobacter spp. was found only in the rhizosphere of plants grown in non-sterile soil in which the highest number of fertile soil particles (97 %) was observed in transgenic clones SE/22-9-1-12 and SE/22-11-1-1S.1. Concentration of bacteria involved in the N cycle in the soil was increased in the rhizosphere of transgenic clones and decreased in the rhizosphere of non-transgenic plants compared with the average value. In spite of some differences in colony numbers in samples isolated from the root rhizosphere of transgenic and nontransgenic alfalfa plants, we could not detect any statistically significant difference between individual lines.

• MeSH
• Bacteria, Aerobic classification   growth & development   isolation & purification   metabolism   MeSH
• Azotobacter classification   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Cellulose metabolism   MeSH
• Plants, Genetically Modified microbiology   MeSH
• Plant Roots genetics   microbiology   MeSH
• Quaternary Ammonium Compounds metabolism   MeSH
• Medicago sativa genetics   microbiology   MeSH
• Ovalbumin genetics   MeSH
• Soil Microbiology * MeSH
• Spores, Bacterial isolation & purification   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Cellulose MeSH
• Quaternary Ammonium Compounds MeSH
• Ovalbumin MeSH

A sandy loam soil was brought to 6 water contents (13-100% WHC) to study the effects of extreme soil moistures on the physiological status of microbiota (represented by biomass characteristics, specific respiration, bacterial growth, and phospholipid fatty acid, PLFA, stress indicators) and microbial community structure (assessed using PLFA fingerprints). In dry soils, microbial biomass and activity declined as a consequence of water and/or nutrient deficiency (indicated by PLFA stress indicators). These microbial communities were dominated by G+ bacteria and actinomycetes. Oxygen deficits in water-saturated soils did not eliminate microbial activity but the enormous accumulation of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate by bacteria showed the unbalanced growth in excess carbon conditions. High soil water content favored G bacteria.

• MeSH
• Actinobacteria growth & development   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Bacteria classification   growth & development   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Biomass MeSH
• Ecosystem * MeSH
• Phospholipids analysis   MeSH
• Gram-Negative Bacteria growth & development   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Gram-Positive Bacteria growth & development   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Fatty Acids analysis   MeSH
• Soil analysis   MeSH
• Soil Microbiology * MeSH
• Oxygen Consumption MeSH
• Water analysis   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Phospholipids MeSH
• Fatty Acids MeSH
• Soil MeSH
• Water MeSH

The bacterial population of brown coal colliery spoil (Sokolov coal mining district, Czechia) was characterized by measuring viable bacterial biomass, the culturable to total cell ratio (C : T), colony-forming curve (CFC) analysis and species and/or biotype diversity. Bacterial representatives that differed in colony-forming growth (fast and/or slow growers) were used for growth-strategy investigation of heterotrophic bacteria. Spoil substrates from the surface (0-50 mm) and the mineral (100-150 mm) layers were sampled on 4 sites undergoing spontaneous succession corresponding to 1, 11, 21 and 43 years after deposition (initial, early, mid and late stages). The bacterial biomass of the surface layer increased during the initial and early stages with a maximum at mid stage and stabilized in the late stage while mineral layer biomass increased throughout the succession. The maxima of C : T ratios were at the early stage, minima at the late stage. Depending on the succession stage the C : T ratio was 1.5-2 times higher in the mineral than the surface layer of soil. An increase in the fraction of nonculturable bacteria was associated with the late succession stage. CFC analysis of the surface layer during a 3-d incubation revealed that the early-succession substrate contained more (75%) rapidly colonizing bacteria (opportunists, r-strategists) than successively older substrates. The culturable bacterial community of the mineral layer maintained a high genera and species richness of fast growers along the succession line in contrast to the surface layer community, where there was a maximum in the abundance of fast growers in the early stage. There was a balanced distribution of Gram-positive and Gram-negative representatives of fast growers in both layers. A markedly lower abundance of slow growers was observed in the mineral in contrast to the surface layer. Gram-positive species dominated the slow growers at the surface as well as in the mineral layers. The growth strategy of the heterotrophic bacterial population along four successional stages on spoil of brown coal colliery substrate in the surface layer displayed a trend indicative of a r-K continuum in contrast to the mineral layer, where an r-strategy persisted.

• MeSH
• Biodiversity MeSH
• Biomass MeSH
• Time Factors MeSH
• Gram-Negative Bacteria classification   growth & development   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Gram-Positive Bacteria classification   growth & development   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Colony Count, Microbial MeSH
• Soil Microbiology * MeSH
• Coal microbiology   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Coal MeSH