Molecular Ecology - Bacterial Diversity

Bacterial Diversity

Molecular ecological techniques have recently been used to study in situ questions of bacterial diversity. This stems from the fact that many microorganisms are not easily obtainable as cultured strains in the laboratory, which would allow for identification and characterisation. It also stems from the development of PCR technique, which allows for rapid amplification of genetic material.

The amplification of DNA from environmental samples using general of group-specific primers leads to a mix of genetic material that has to be sorted out before sequencing and identification. The classic technique to achieve this is through cloning, which involves incorporating the amplified DNA fragments into bacterial plasmids. More recent techniques such as temperature gradient gel electrophoresis, allow for a faster result.