BSS and beyond - functional markers to unravel the ecology of anaerobic hydrocarbon degraders in the environment

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Until recently, the understanding of the identity and diversity of microbial key players involved in anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation in environmental systems remained almost exclusively based on a relatively small number of laboratory cultures. To address this problem, we have recently established a functional marker concept for fumarate-adding catabolic genes involved in the anaerobic degradation of many hydrocarbons. We now want to implement this in an innovative pyrotag sequencing approach to rapidly and comprehensively assess anaerobic hydrocarbon degrader diversities in environmental samples. This approach is employed to investigate central links between structure and functioning of anaerobic hydrocarbon degrader communities. Thus we test our hypothesis that more diverse degrader communities also harbour a greater level of functional redundancy, and thus are more robust to hydrogeochemical habitat dynamics. Moreover, we will address central ecological mechanisms that may actually cause the establishment of more or less diverse degrader communities in different contaminated ecosystems. Thus we will contribute to primary objectives of the proposed DFG Priority Programme, the identification of the true diversity of relevant microbial key-players in anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation in natural systems, and the elucidation of the ecology of contaminant plumes as a habitat for hydrocarbon degrading microbes.