Recent molecular data from open ocean bacterioplankton populations and hot spring microbial mats suggest that natural populations of bacteria are remarkably diverse. The observation of numerous unique, deeply branching lineages in these systems supports the widely held view that natural ecosystems contain many novel microbial taxa, some of nearly phylum level depth. Moreover, particularly in the planktonic ecosystem, related 16s rRNA gene sequences were found to form clusters of high similarity suggesting that rRNAs might be used as a tool to study microbial population genetics, as well as species diversity. The P.I.s propose to study the genetic diversity, abundance, and ecological role of the Planctomycetales phylum in natural ecosystems using similar rRNA techniques. This approach will identify components of the microbial community in fresh water systems that have never been assemble before, and will promote the refinement of an exciting molecular technique.
