Microbial dynamics in an anaerobic soil slurry amended with glucose, and their dependence on geochemical processes

Under anoxic conditions, microbial activities interact closely with geochemical reactions and consequently affect soils, underlying aquifers, and the atmosphere. Recent studies have noted the relationships between microbial biodiversity and environmental conditions, but the dynamics of numerous coexisting microbial groups in connection with soil biogeochemical processes has never been investigated. In this work, we investigated the dynamics of anaerobic microbial populations using a new method combining PCR-SSCP and epifluorescent direct counts, and analysed these results in the light of biogeochemical changes. Batch incubations were performed over an 8-day period on a calcic cambisol (WRB) incubated anaerobically, either without amendment (treatment C) or after adding glucose (treatment +G). In treatment +G, the predominant microbial processes included (i) NO 3 − and NO 2 − reduction during the first 12 and 24 h of incubation respectively, (ii) fermentations during the first 6 days with non-symbiotic N 2 fixation between days 1 and 6, enabling bacterial growth during this period, and probably (iii) reduction of FeIII by H 2 oxidation throughout the incubation period. In treatment C, microbiological and geochemical measurements revealed no prominent microbial activities, and the PCR-SSCP method led to complex bacterial density profiles without prominent peaks. In treatment +G, 78 microbial groups were distinguished; these were divided into seven sets (A to G) according to their dynamics. Bacteria belonging to sets A, E and F grew during the period of intense fermentation and were probably able to fix N 2, as is the case with Clostridium butyricum (set A). Bacteria belonging to sets B, D, and G were probably able to reduce FeIII to FeII with concomitant oxidation of H 2 into H 3O +, but unable to fix N 2. Two microbial groups in these sets were closely related to Clostridium favosporum (set B) and the genus Bacillus (set B). Bacteria belonging to class C were probably only able to reduce N oxide(s). Lastly, we obtained two similar estimates of the gross increase in microbial biomass by taking into account either (i) the sum of gross increases for the 78 microbial groups, or (ii) the energy yield of catabolic reactions minus the energy requirement for N 2 fixation.