沉积物中微生物资源的研究方法及其进展

Methodology in studies of microbial resource in sediment

沉积物生境条件特殊,含有丰富的微生物资源。作为自然界物质循环的主要推动力,沉积物中的微生物在水-沉积物的物质循环中起重要作用,水质变化如污染和富营养化反过来会引起沉积物中微生物群落的改变。沉积物中微生物多样性的研究,有助于从侧面了解上覆水水质、推测其污染及演化历史。沉积物中微生物物种、基因等资源的鉴定和获得,有助于丰富当前对微生物资源的认知领域,并为其在生物技术领域的应用奠定基础。研究描述了沉积物生境的一般特点,并对沉积物中微生物的多样性、微生物种质和基因资源等几个重要方面的研究方法和进展进行了综述。沉积物中微生物的研究是生物地球化学循环研究的基础,必将受到越来越广泛的关注。

Sediment contains the solid materials eroded, transported and deposited by different mechanisms; therefore the physical and chemical natures of sediment are strongly affected by the surrounding environments. Covered by water body, sediment is a special habitat for microbes, such as the existence of high pressure, low input of sunlight and low concentration of oxygen, etc. Diverse microorganisms live in sediment and they play important roles in the natural biochemical cycles and in the material exchanges between the water body and sediment. In contrast, the changes of water quality, such as water pollution and eutrophication, also alternate the microbial community in the sediment. Study of the microbial diversity is an important way to evaluate the water quality and to retrace the pollutant history of the water body. The study of sediment microbes is coming to the foundation of the research of biogeochemical cycles and will attract more and more attention in future. Detection and possession of the microbial species and their genomes have enlarged the cognitive scope for the microbes, and have provided novel bioresource for the technological application. In this review, the general characteristics of the sediment inhabit are described and methodology in the studies of microbial resources in sediment is summarized in the sections of （ 1 ） culture-independent methods to study the microbial diversity and distribution in sediment; （2） culture-dependent methods to study the microbial diversity in sediment; （3） the biochemical analyses to reveal the relationships among the microbial community and sediment features; and （4） the methods to explore the sediment microbes as potential bioresource in production of novel antibiotics and enzymes.