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The sensitivity and spatial recovery of river sediment biofilms along 1 km after the input of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in two river reaches with different degrees of anthropogenic influence were investigated. First, at the upper reach, we observed an inhibition of some microbial functions (microbial respiration and extracellular enzyme activities) and strong shifts in bacterial community composition (16S rRNA gene), whereas an increase in microbial biomass and activity and less pronounced effect on microbial diversity and community composition were seen at the lower reach. Second, at the lower reach we observed a quick spatial recovery (around 200 m downstream of the effluent) as most of the functions and community composition were similar to those from reference sites. On the other hand, bacterial community composition and water quality at the upper reach was still altered 1 km from the WWTP effluent. Our results indicate that biofilms in the upstream sites were more sensitive to the effect of WWTPs due to a lower degree of tolerance after a disturbance than communities located in more anthropogenically impacted sites.

Recent studies have shown that the spatial turnover of bacterial communities, that is, beta-diversity, is determined by a combination of different assembly mechanisms, such as species sorting, that is, environmental filtering, and dispersal-related mechanisms. However, it is currently unclear to what extent the importance of the different mechanisms depends on community traits. Here, we implemented a study using a rock pool metacommunity to test whether habitat specialization of bacterial taxa and groups or their phylogenetic identity influenced by which mechanisms communities were assembled. In general, our results show that species sorting was the most important assembly mechanism. However, we found that a larger fraction of the variation in bacterial community composition between pools could be explained by environmental factors in case of habitat generalists, that is, taxa that were widespread and abundant in the metacommunity, compared with habitat specialists, that is, taxa that had a more restricted distribution range and tended to be rare. Differences in assembly mechanisms were observed between different major phyla and classes. However, also here, a larger fraction of the variation in community composition among pools could be explained for taxonomic groups that contained on average more habitat generalists. In summary, our results show that species sorting is stronger for the most common taxa, indicating that beta-diversity along environmental gradients can be adequately described without considering rare taxa.

It has been suggested that autochthonous (internally produced) organic carbon and allochthonous (externally produced) organic carbon are utilized by phylogenetically different bacterioplankton. We examined the relationship between the source of organic matter and the structure and function of lake bacterial communities. Differences and seasonal changes in bacterial community composition in two lakes differing in their source of organic matter were followed in relation to environmental variables. We also performed batch culture experiments with amendments of various organic substrates, namely fulvic acids, leachates from algae, and birch and maple leaves. Differences in bacterial community composition between the lakes, analysed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, correlated with variables related to the relative loading of autochthonous and allochthonous carbon (water colour, dissolved organic carbon, nutrients, and pH). Seasonal changes correlated with temperature, chlorophyll and dissolved organic carbon in both lakes. The substrate amendments led to differences in both structure and function, i.e. production, respiration and growth yield, of the bacterial community. In conclusion, our results suggest that the source of organic matter influences community composition both within and among lakes and that there may be a coupling between the structure and function of the bacterial community.

The impact of salinity on the composition and functional performance (biomass production, growth efficiency and growth rates) of bacterial communities was investigated using batch cultures growing on dissolved organic carbon from a river draining into the Northern Baltic Sea. The cultures were adjusted to riverine or estuarine salinity levels and inoculated with bacteria from these two environments. Bacterial growth efficiencies differed in response to salinity and the origin of the inoculum. When salinity was adjusted to correspond to the salinity at the site where the inoculum was retrieved, growth efficiency was relatively high (11.5+/-2.6%). However, when bacteria were confronted with a shift in salinity, growth efficiency was lower (7.5+/-2.0%) and more of the utilized carbon was respired. In contrast, growth rates were higher when bacteria were exposed to a change in salinity. The composition of the bacterial communities developing in the batch cultures differed, as shown by 16S rDNA DGGE, depending on the origin of the inoculum and salinity. Reverse and direct DNA-DNA hybridization revealed salinity optima in the growth of specific bacterial strains as well as broader phylogenetic groups. Strains belonging to the alpha- and beta-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and gamma-Proteobacteria other than the genus Pseudomonas showed higher relative abundance under freshwater conditions, whereas strains of the genus Pseudomonas and the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides group were favored by estuarine conditions. Generally, our results demonstrate functional changes associated with changes in community composition. We suggest that even moderate changes in salinity affect bacterial community composition, which subsequently leads to altered growth characteristics.

It has been suggested that autochthonous (internally produced) organic carbon and allochthonous (externally produced) organic carbon are utilized by phylogenetically different bacterioplankton. We examined the relationship between the source of organic matter and the structure and function of lake bacterial communities. Differences and seasonal changes in bacterial community composition in two lakes differing in their source of organic matter were followed in relation to environmental variables. We also performed batch culture experiments with amendments of various organic substrates, namely fulvic acids, leachates from algae, and birch and maple leaves. Differences in bacterial community composition between the lakes, analysed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, correlated with variables related to the relative loading of autochthonous and allochthonous carbon (water colour, dissolved organic carbon, nutrients, and pH). Seasonal changes correlated with temperature, chlorophyll and dissolved organic carbon in both lakes. The substrate amendments led to differences in both structure and function, i.e. production, respiration and growth yield, of the bacterial community. In conclusion, our results suggest that the source of organic matter influences community composition both within and among lakes and that there may be a coupling between the structure and function of the bacterial community.