Microbial communities of intertidal sediments play an important role in
global chemical cycles. However, little is known about the majority of
microbial populations in this dynamic ecosystem, their metabolisms and
functions, or their response to diurnal disturbances. We used bioreactors
to enrich for sulfate-reducers and fermenters, key players in these
sediments. We then mimicked tidal cycles and investigated the impacts of
oxygen and nitrate on the anaerobic communities. This approach enabled us
to gain insights into the ecophysiology of key functional organisms, as
well as into so far uncultivated bacterial clades. Less...