AUTHOR=Highton Matthew P. , Roosa Stéphanie , Crawshaw Josie , Schallenberg Marc , Morales Sergio E. TITLE=Physical Factors Correlate to Microbial Community Structure and Nitrogen Cycling Gene Abundance in a Nitrate Fed Eutrophic Lagoon JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=7 YEAR=2016 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01691 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2016.01691 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=
Nitrogenous run-off from farmed pastures contributes to the eutrophication of Lake Ellesmere, a large shallow lagoon/lake on the east coast of New Zealand. Tributaries periodically deliver high loads of nitrate to the lake which likely affect microbial communities therein. We hypothesized that a nutrient gradient would form from the potential sources (tributaries) creating a disturbance resulting in changes in microbial community structure. To test this we first determined the existence of such a gradient but found only a weak nitrogen (TN) and phosphorous gradient (DRP). Changes in microbial communities were determined by measuring functional potential (quantification of nitrogen cycling genes via