Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and multi-SIR profiles of soil microbial communities from a karst doline at Aggtelek National Park, Hungary.

Soils play an important role in the ecosystem of karstic landscapes both as a buffer zone and as a source of acidity to belowground water. Although the microbiota of karstic soils is known to have a great effect on karstification processes, the activity and composition of these communities are largely unknown. This study gives a comparative analysis of soil microbial profiles from different parts of a doline located at Aggtelek, Hungary.

Bacterial diversity in soils of different Hungarian karst areas.

Karst areas have great environmental importance as sources of subsurface water and often maintain very sensitive ecosystems. In recent years, increasing number of microbiological studies focused on the bacterial communities of karst soils. In this study, diversity examinations on two distinct Hungarian karst areas, Aggtelek and Tapolca, were performed using parallel cultivation and molecular cloning methods.

Comparison of soil microbial communities from two distinct karst areas in Hungary.

Karst areas belong to the most exposed terrestrial ecosystems, therefore their study have a priority task in Hungary, as well. The aim of this study was to compare the structure, activity and diversity of soil microbial communities from two distinct Hungarian karst areas (Aggtelek NP and Tapolca-basin). Soil samples were taken three times from 6 distinct sites, from different depths.