The effect of reconstruction works on planktonic bacterial diversity of a unique thermal lake revealed by cultivation, molecular cloning and next generation sequencing

The aim of this study was to gain detailed information about the diversity of planktonic bacterial communities of a worldwide special peat bedded natural thermal spa lake, and to reveal the effect of a lake wall reconstruction work. To compare the efficiency of different methods used for analyzing bacterial diversity, cultivation, molecular cloning and pyrosequencing were applied simultaneously. Despite the almost unchanged physical–chemical parameters and cell count values of lake water, remarkable differences were observed in the planktonic bacterial community structures during and after the reconstruction by all applied microbiological approaches. Rhodobacter sp. was found to be one of the most abundant community members during the works probably due to the sediment stirring effect of the reconstruction. Following the reconstruction higher diversity was detected than during the works by all approaches. Bacterial strains related to species Chryseobacterium and Exiguobacterium, furthermore sequences related to Arcobacter, Gemmobacter and MWH-UniP1 aquatic group were identified in the highest proportion at that time. Although the differences revealed by cultivation based and independent community structures were significant, only minor disparities were found by molecular cloning and next generation sequencing techniques.