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This study assessed the diversity and distribution of fungal communities in eight marine sediments of Kongsfjorden (Svalbard, High Arctic) using 454 pyrosequencing with fungal-specific primers targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal rRNA gene. Sedimentary fungal communities showed high diversity with 42,219 reads belonging to 113 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Of these OTUs, 62 belonged to the Ascomycota, 26 to Basidiomycota, 2 to Chytridiomycota, 1 to Zygomycota, 1 to Glomeromycota, and 21 to unknown fungi. The major known orders included Hypocreales and Saccharomycetales. The common fungal genera were Pichia, Fusarium, Alternaria, and Malassezia. Interestingly, most fungi occurring in these Arctic sediments may originate from the terrestrial habitats and different basins in Kongsfjorden (i.e., inner basin, central basin, and outer basin) harbor different sedimentary fungal communities. These results suggest the existence of diverse fungal communities in the Arctic marine sediments, which may serve as a useful community model for further ecological and evolutionary study of fungi in the Arctic.

Polyamines (PAs) are a group of nitrogen-rich dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) compounds that are ubiquitously distributed in marine environments. To identify bacteria that are involved in PA transformations, coastal bacterioplankton microcosms were amended with a single PA model compound, i.e. putrescine (PUT) or spermidine (SPD), or with no addition as controls (CTRs). Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was added to all the microcosms to label newly synthesized DNAs. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis indicated significant increases in numbers of total cells and cells with both high and low levels of BrdU incorporation in the PUT and SPD microcosms, but not in the CTRs. 16S rDNA pyrotag sequencing of FACS-sorted cells indicated that PUT- and SPD-transforming bacteria were composed similarly of a diverse group of taxa affiliated with Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria (especially Roseobacter of its alpha lineage). Broad taxonomic distribution of PA-transforming bacteria was also indicated by the abundance and distribution of PA transporter gene homologues in a survey of sequenced marine bacterial genomes. Our results suggest that PAs may be common DON substrates for marine bacterioplankton, in line with the hypothesis that bacterially mediated PA transformation accounts for an important proportion of marine DON flux., (© 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Large spatial scales and long-term shifts of bacterial community composition (BCC) in the open ocean can often be reliably predicted based on the dynamics of physical-chemical variables. The power of abiotic factors in shaping BCC on shorter time scales in shallow estuarine mixing zones is less clear. We examined the diurnal variation in BCC at different water depths in the spring and fall of 2011 at a station in the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS). This site is located in the transition zone between the estuarine plume and continental shelf waters of the South Atlantic Bight. A total of 234,516 pyrotag sequences of bacterial 16S rRNA genes were recovered; they were taxonomically affiliated with >200 families of 23 bacterial phyla. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis revealed significant differences in BCC between spring and fall samples, likely due to seasonality in the concentrations of dissolved organic carbon and nitrate plus nitrite. Within each diurnal sampling, BCC differed significantly by depth only in the spring and differed significantly between day and night only in the fall. The former variation largely tracked changes in light availability, while the latter was most correlated with concentrations of polyamines and chlorophyll a. Our results suggest that at the GRNMS, a coastal mixing zone, diurnal variation in BCC is attributable to the mixing of local and imported bacterioplankton rather than to bacterial growth in response to environmental changes. Our results also indicate that, like members of the Roseobacter clade, SAR11 bacteria may play an important role in processing dissolved organic material in coastal oceans., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

A novel moderately halophilic, alkaliphilic, non-motile, non-sporulating, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, aerobic, coccus-shaped, Gram-positive bacterium, designated strain JSM 071043(T), was isolated from a subterranean brine sample collected from a salt mine in Hunan Province, China. Growth occurred with 0.5-20% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 5-10%) at pH 6.5-10.5 (optimum pH 8.5) and at 10-40 degrees C (optimum 25-30 degrees C). Good growth also occurred in the presence of 0.5-20% (w/v) KCl (optimum 5-8%) or 0.5-25% (w/v) MgCl(2).6H(2)O (optimum 5-10%). The peptidoglycan type was A4alpha (L: -Lys-L: -Ala-L: -Glu) and major cell-wall sugars were tyvelose and mannose. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C(15:0), iso-C(16:0) and anteiso-C(17:0). Strain JSM 071043(T) contained MK-9 and MK-8 as the predominant menaquinones and diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol as the major polar lipids. The DNA G + C content was 67.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain JSM 071043(T) was a member of the suborder Micrococcineae, and was most closely related to Zhihengliuella halotolerans YIM 70185(T) (sequence similarity 98.9%) and Zhihengliuella alba YIM 90734(T) (98.2%), and the three strains formed a distinct branch in the phylogenetic tree. The combination of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA relatedness values, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data supports the proposal that strain JSM 071043(T) represents a novel species of the genus Zhihengliuella, for which the name Z. salsuginis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JSM 071043(T) (= DSM 21149(T) = KCTC 19466(T)).

A facultatively anaerobic, moderately halophilic, Gram-positive, endospore-forming, motile, catalase- and oxidase-positive, rod-shaped bacterium, strain JSM 072002(T), was isolated from a sea anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) collected from the South China Sea. Strain JSM 072002(T) was able to grow with 0.5-15 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 6.0-10.0 and 15-50 degrees C; optimum growth was observed with 2-5 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 7.5 and 35 degrees C. meso-Diaminopimelic acid was present in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C(15 : 0) and anteiso-C(15 : 0). The predominant respiratory quinone was menaquinone 7 and the genomic DNA G+C content was 41.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain JSM 072002(T) should be assigned to the genus Pontibacillus and revealed relatively low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities (<97 %) with the type strains of the three recognized Pontibacillus species (Pontibacillus chungwhensis BH030062(T), 96.8 %; Pontibacillus marinus KCTC 3917(T), 96.7 %; Pontibacillus halophilus JSM 076056(T), 96.0 %). The combination of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA relatedness values, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data supports the view that strain JSM 072002(T) represents a novel species of the genus Pontibacillus, for which the name Pontibacillus litoralis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JSM 072002(T) (=DSM 21186(T)=KCTC 13237(T)). An emended description of the genus Pontibacillus is also presented.

A novel Gram-stain-positive, slightly halophilic, facultatively alkaliphilic, non-motile, catalase- and oxidase-positive, endospore-forming, rod-shaped, aerobic bacterium, strain JSM 071004(T), was isolated from a sea anemone collected from Neizhou Bay in the South China Sea. Growth occurred with 0.5-10 % (w/v) total salts (optimum 2-4 %) and at pH 6.5-10.0 (optimum pH 8.5) and 4-30 degrees C (optimum 25 degrees C). meso-Diaminopimelic acid was present in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The predominant respiratory quinone was menaquinone 7 (MK-7) and the polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C(15 : 0) and iso-C(15 : 0). The genomic DNA G+C content was 39.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain JSM 071004(T) belongs to the genus Bacillus, being related most closely to the type strain of Bacillus agaradhaerens (sequence similarity 97.3 %), followed by the type strains of Bacillus cellulosilyticus (96.2 %), Bacillus clarkii (96.1 %) and Bacillus polygoni (96.0 %). The combination of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data support the proposal that strain JSM 071004(T) represents a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus neizhouensis sp. nov. is proposed, with JSM 071004(T) (=CCTCC AB 207161(T) =DSM 19794(T) =KCTC 13187(T)) as the type strain.

A Gram-positive, endospore-forming, catalase- and oxidase-positive, motile, rod-shaped, aerobic bacterium, designated strain JSM 079157(T), was isolated from surface seawater off the coastline of Naozhou Island in South China Sea. The organism was able to grow with 1-15% (w/v) total salts (optimum, 4-7%), and at pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.5) and 10-45 degrees C (optimum, 30 degrees C). meso-Diaminopimelic acid was present in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The predominant menaquinone was MK-7, and the polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C(15:0) (45.1%) and anteiso-C(17:0) (16.2%), and the DNA G + C content was 39.5 mol%. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons revealed that strain JSM 079157(T) should be assigned to the genus Virgibacillus, being related most closely to the type strains of Virgibacillus litoralis (97.4% sequence similarity), Virgibacillus necropolis (97.3%) and Virgibacillus carmonensis (97.1%). These four strains formed a distinct subcluster in the phylogenetic tree. The levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between the new isolate and the type strains of V. litoralis, V. necropolis and V. carmonensis were 30.4, 19.3 and 12.6%, respectively. The results of the phylogenetic analysis, combined with DNA-DNA relatedness data, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic information, support the suggestion that strain JSM 079157(T) represents a new species of the genus Virgibacillus, for which the name Virgibacillus zhanjiangensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JSM 079157(T) (=DSM 21084(T) = KCTC 13227(T)).

A novel actinomycete, strain S187(T), was isolated from a marine sediment sample collected from Xinghai Bay, Dalian, China. Growth occurred on ISP medium 2 containing 0-9 % NaCl and at pH 6.0-9.0 and 10-45 degrees C. The cell wall of strain S187(T) contained the isomer ll-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H(6)) (40.8 %), MK-9(H(8)) (38.2 %) and MK-9(H(2)) (8.8 %). The major fatty acids were iso-C(16 : 0) (29.6 %), anteiso-C(15 : 0) (14.0 %) and anteiso-C(17 : 0) (11.6 %). Cells contained phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol mannosides and one unknown phospholipid. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 72.01 mol%. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the isolate had similarities of 98.1 and 97.5 % with those of Streptomyces flavofuscus NRRL B-8036(T) (=DSM 41426(T)) and Streptomyces albiaxialis DSM 41799(T), respectively, showing that the novel strain should be assigned to the genus Streptomyces. DNA-DNA hybridizations with the two above-mentioned Streptomyces species showed 31.4 and 46.9 % relatedness, respectively. Moreover, the three strains differed in some physiological and biochemical properties. Thus, on the basis of phenotypic and genotypic analyses, it is proposed that strain S187(T) represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces xinghaiensis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is S187(T) (=NRRL B-24674(T)=CCTCC AA 208049(T)=KCTC 19546(T)).

A novel Gram-negative, slightly halophilic, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, obligately aerobic, non-sporulating rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain JSM 078169(T), was isolated from a sea urchin (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus) collected from the South China Sea. Growth occurred with 1-20 % (w/v) total salts (optimum, 3-5 %), at pH 6.0-10.5 (optimum, pH 7.5) and at 4-40 degrees C (optimum, 25-30 degrees C). The major cellular fatty acids were C(18 : 1)omega7c, C(16 : 0) and C(12 : 0) 3-OH. The predominant respiratory quinone was Q-9 and the genomic DNA G+C content was 55.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain JSM 078169(T) should be assigned to the genus Halomonas. The sequence similarities between the isolate and the type strains of members of the genus Halomonas were in the range 92.4-97.0 %. The combination of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA relatedness, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data supported the view that strain JSM 078169(T) represents a novel species of the genus Halomonas, for which the name Halomonas zhanjiangensis sp. nov. is proposed, with JSM 078169(T) (=CCTCC AB 208031(T)=DSM 21076(T)=KCTC 22279(T)) as the type strain.

A pale yellow-colored, moderately halophilic, Gram-negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive, non-sporulating, rod-shaped, motile, aerobic bacterium, designated strain JSM 073008(T), was isolated from a sea anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) collected from Naozhou Island, Leizhou Bay, South China Sea. The organism was able to grow with 1-20% (w/v) total salts (optimum, 5-10%), at pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.5) and 10-40 degrees C (optimum, 25-30 degrees C). The major cellular fatty acids were C(16:0), C(16:1) omega7c/iso-C(15:0) 2-OH and C(18:1) omega7c. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified phospholipid. The predominant respiratory quinone was Q-8 and the genomic DNA G + C content was 47.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain JSM 073008(T) should be assigned to the genus Alteromonas, being most closely related to Alteromonas hispanica F-32(T) (sequence similarity 96.9%), followed by Alteromonas genovensis LMG 24078(T) (96.6%) and Alteromonas litorea TF-22(T) (96.4%). The sequence similarities between the novel isolate and the type strains of other recognized Alteromonas species ranged from 95.9% (with Alteromonas stellipolaris ANT 69a(T)) to 94.5% (with Alteromonas simiduii BCRC 17572(T)). The combination of phylogenetic analysis, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data supported the view that strain JSM 073008(T) represents a new species of the genus Alteromonas, for which the name Alteromonas halophila sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JSM 073008(T) (=CCTCC AA 207035(T) = KCTC 22164(T)).

A novel Gram-negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive, non-sporulating, rod-shaped, aerobic bacterium, designated strain JSM 078120(T), was isolated from sea water collected from a tidal flat of Naozhou Island, South China Sea. Growth occurred with 1-15% (w/v) total salts (optimum, 2-4%), at pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.5) and at 4-35 degrees C (optimum, 25-30 degrees C). The major cellular fatty acids were C(18:1) omega9c, C(16:0), C(12:0) 3-OH and C(16:1) omega7c. The predominant respiratory quinone was ubiquinone Q-9, and the genomic DNA G + C content was 60.6 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain JSM 078120(T) should be assigned to the genus Marinobacter, being related most closely to the type strains of Marinobacter segnicrescens (sequence similarity 98.2%), Marinobacter bryozoorum (97.9%) and Marinobacter gudaonensis (97.6%). The sequence similarities between the novel isolate and the type strains of other recognized Marinobacter species ranged from 96.7 (with Marinobacter salsuginis) to 93.3% (with Marinobacter litoralis). The levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain JSM 078120(T) and the type strains of M. segnicrescens, M. bryozoorum and M. gudaonensis were 25.3, 20.6 and 18.8%, respectively. The combination of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA relatedness, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data supported the view that strain JSM 078120(T) represents a novel species of the genus Marinobacter, for which the name Marinobacter zhanjiangensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JSM 078120(T) (= CCTCC AB 208029(T) = DSM 21077(T) = KCTC 22280(T)).

A Gram-positive, moderately halophilic, endospore-forming, catalase- and oxidase-positive, motile, rod-shaped, aerobic bacterium, designated strain JSM 089168(T), was isolated from saline soil collected from Naozhou Island, Leizhou Bay, South China Sea. The organism was able to grow with 2-25% (w/v) total salts (optimum, 5-10%), at pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 8.0) and 10-45 degrees C (optimum, 30 degrees C). meso-Diaminopimelic acid was present in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The strain contained MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone, and diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol as the major polar lipids. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C(15:0), iso-C(15:0) and anteiso-C(17:0), and the DNA G + C content was 40.2 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons revealed that strain JSM 089168(T) should be assigned to the genus Virgibacillus, being related most closely to the type strains of Virgibacillus carmonensis (sequence similarity 97.6%), Virgibacillus necropolis (97.3%) and Virgibacillus halodenitrificans (97.1%). Levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain JSM 089168(T) and the type strains of V. carmonensis, V. necropolis and V. halodenitrificans were 20.4, 14.3 and 12.0%, respectively. The combination of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA relatedness, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data supported the view that strain JSM 089168(T) represents a novel species of the genus Virgibacillus, for which the name Virgibacillus litoralis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JSM 089168(T) (=DSM 21085(T) =KCTC 13228(T)).

A novel Gram-positive, halotolerant, non-sporulating, non-motile, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative and aerobic bacterium, designated strain JSM 078085(T), was isolated from sea water collected from the South China Sea. Strain JSM 078085(T) exhibited a rod-coccus growth cycle and produced a yellow pigment. The strain was able to grow in the presence of 0-12% (w/v) NaCl and at pH 6.0-9.5 and 4-35 degrees C; optimum growth was observed at pH 7.0 and 25-30 degrees C in the absence of NaCl. The peptidoglycan type was A4alpha (L: -Lys-L: -Ala-L: -Glu). Cell-wall sugars contained galactose and glucose. Strain JSM 078085(T) contained menaquinone MK-9(H(2)) as the major respiratory quinone and diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol as the major polar lipids. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C(15:0), iso-C(15:0) and anteiso-C(17:0) and the DNA G + C content was 63.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons revealed that strain JSM 078085(T) should be assigned to the genus Arthrobacter, being most closely related to the type strain of Arthrobacter rhombi (sequence similarity 97.1%), and the two strains formed a distinct lineage in the phylogenetic tree. The level of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain JSM 078085(T) and the type strain of Arthrobacter rhombi was 10.6%. The combination of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA relatedness, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data supported the view that strain JSM 078085(T) represents a novel species of the genus Arthrobacter, for which the name Arthrobacter halodurans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JSM 078085(T) (=DSM 21081(T)=KCTC 19430(T)).

A novel marine actinomycete, designated SCSIO 00652(T), was isolated from a marine sediment collected from the northern South China Sea at a depth of 3865 m. The strain formed branched substrate mycelia and no fragmentation was found. Abundant aerial mycelia differentiated into long spore chains and the spores had a wrinkled surface. Growth occurred on ISP medium 2 with 0-5 % (w/v) NaCl and at 10-55 degrees C. The whole-cell hydrolysate contained meso-diaminopimelic acid and glucose as the whole-cell sugar. blast search results based on an almost-complete 16S rRNA gene sequence showed the novel strain had the highest similarity (96.5 %) with Nocardiopsis trehalosi VKM Ac-942(T). The phylogenetic tree of the family Nocardiopsaceae indicated that strain SCSIO 00652(T) formed a distinct lineage at the deepest branch with a high bootstrap value. Additionally, the profiles of menaquinones, phospholipids and fatty acids showed there were marked differences between strain SCSIO 00652(T) and the recognized genera of the family Nocardiopsaceae. Based on the polyphasic data, a new genus, Marinactinospora gen. nov., is proposed within the family Nocardiopsaceae with the type species Marinactinospora thermotolerans sp. nov. The type strain of the type species is SCSIO 00652(T) (=DSM 45154(T)=CCTCC AA 208041(T)).

A novel Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, non-sporulating, non-motile, catalase- and oxidase-positive, rod-shaped bacterium (strain JSM 061001(T)) was isolated from a tidal flat in the South China Sea, China. Growth occurred with 0-5 % (w/v) NaCl [optimum, 0.5-1 % (w/v) NaCl], at pH 5.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and at 4-35 degrees C (optimum, 25-30 degrees C). The major cellular fatty acids were C(16 : 0), cyclo C(17 : 0), C(18 : 1)omega7c and C(16 : 1). Strain JSM 061001(T) contained ubiquinone Q-8 as the predominant respiratory quinone, and phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified phospholipid as the polar lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 65.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain JSM 061001(T) belongs to the family Alcaligenaceae and was related most closely to the type strains of the two recognized species of the genus Pigmentiphaga. The three strains formed a robust cluster in the neighbour-joining, maximum-parsimony and maximum-likelihood phylogenetic trees. Levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain JSM 061001(T) and the type strains of Pigmentiphaga daeguensis and Pigmentiphaga kullae were 15.8 and 10.5 %, respectively. The combination of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization data, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic differences supported the view that strain JSM 061001(T) represents a novel species of the genus Pigmentiphaga, for which the name Pigmentiphaga litoralis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JSM 061001(T) (=CCTCC AA207034(T)=KCTC 22165(T)).