Аннотация:Classical fluorescent microscopy method was used during the last decades in various microbiological studies of
terrestrial ecosystems. The method provides representative results and simple application which is allow to use it
both as routine part of amplitudinous research and in small-scaled laboratories. Furthermore, depending on research
targets a lot of modifications of fluorescent microscopy method were established. Combination and comparison of
several approaches is an opportunity of quantitative estimation of microbial community in soil.
The first analytical part of the study was dedicated to soil bacterial density estimation by fluorescent microscopy
in dynamic of several 30-days experiments. The purpose of research was estimation of changes in soil bacterial
community on the different soil horizons under aerobic and anaerobic conditions with adding nutrients in two
experimental sets: cellulose and chitin. Was modified the nalidixic acid method for inhibition of DNA division
of gram-negative bacteria, and the method provides the quantification of this bacterial group by fluorescent microscopy.
Established approach allowed to estimate 3-4 times more cells of gram-negative bacteria in soil.
The functions of actinomyces in soil polymer destruction are traditionally considered as dominant in comparison
to gram-negative bacterial group. However, quantification of gram-negative bacteria in chernozem and peatland
provides underestimation of classical notion for this bacterial group. Chitin introduction had no positive effect to
gram-negative bacterial population density changes in chernozem but concurrently this nutrient provided the fast
growing dynamics at the first 3 days of experiment both under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This is confirming
chitinolytic activity of gram-negative bacteria in soil organic matter decomposition.
At the next part of research modified method for soil gram-negative bacteria quantification was compared to fluorescent
in situ hybridization method (FISH). This approach was used for evaluation of contribution of each gramnegative
bactera group. No significant difference between the main soil gram-negative bacterial groups (phylum
Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes) was found both under anaerobic and anaerobic conditions in chernozem in the
topsoil. Thus soil gram-negative bacteria play an important ecological role in natural polymer degradation as common
group of microorganisms.
Another approach with using cascade filtration technique for bacterial population density estimation in chernozem
was compared to classical method of fluorescent microscopy. Quantification of soil bacteria with cascade filtration
provided by filters with different diameters and filtering of soil suspension in fixed amount. In comparison to the
classical fluorescent microscopy method the modification with filtration of soil suspension provided to quantify
more bacterial cells. Thus biomass calculation results of soil bacteria by using classical fluorescent microscopy
could be underestimated and combination with cascade filtration technique allow to avoid potential experimental
error.
Thereby, combination and comparison of several fluorescent microscopy methods modifications established during
the research provided miscellaneous approaches in soil bacteria quantification and analysis of ecological roles of
soil microorganisms.