Development of a 16S rRNA-targeted probe set for Verrucomicrobia and its application for fluorescence in situ hybridization in a humic lake

Members of the highly diverse bacterial phylum Verrucomicrobia are globally distributed in various terrestrial and aquatic habitats. They are key players in soils, but little is known about their role in aquatic systems. Here, we report on the design and evaluation of a 16S rRNA-targeted probe set for the identification of Verrucomicrobia and of clades within this phylum. Subsequently, the probe set was applied to a study concerning the seasonal abundance of Verrucomicrobia in waters of the humic lake Große Fuchskuhle (Germany) by catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization. The lake hosted diverse Verrucomicrobia clades in all seasons. Either Spartobacteria (up to 19%) or Opitutus spp. (up to 7%) dominated the communities, whereas Prosthecobacter spp. were omnipresent in low numbers (<1%). Verrucomicrobial abundance and community composition varied between the seasons, and between more and less humic basins, but were rather stable in oxic and seasonally anoxic waters.