Small eukaryotes, cells with a diameter of less than 5 m, are fundamental components of lacustrine planktonic systems. In this study, small-eukaryote diversity was determined by sequencing cloned 18S rRNA genes in three libraries from lakes of differing trophic status in the Massif Central, France: the oligotrophic Lake Godivelle, the oligomesotrophic Lake Pavin, and the eutrophic Lake Aydat. This analysis shows that the least diversified library was in the eutrophic lake (12 operational taxonomic units [OTUs]) and the most diversified was in the oligomesotrophic lake (26 OTUs). Certain groups were present in at least two ecosystems, while the others were specific to one lake on the sampling date. Cryptophyta, Chrysophyceae, and the strictly heterotrophic eukaryotes, Ciliophora and fungi, were identified in the three libraries. Among the small eukaryotes found only in two lakes, Choanoflagellida and environmental sequences (LKM11) were not detected in the eutrophic system whereas Cercozoa were confined to the oligomesotrophic and eutrophic lakes. Three OTUs, linked to the Perkinsozoa, were detected only in the Aydat library, where they represented 60% of the clones of the library. Chlorophyta and Haptophyta lineages were represented by a single clone and were present only in Godivelle and Pavin, respectively. Of the 127 clones studied, classical pigmented organisms (autotrophs and mixotrophs) represented only a low proportion regardless of the library's origin. This study shows that the small-eukaryote community composition may differ as a function of trophic status; certain lineages could be detected only in a single ecosystem.

The Bacteria and Archaea from the meromictic Lake Pavin were analyzed in samples collected along a vertical profile in the anoxic monimolimnion and were compared to those in samples from the oxic mixolimnion. Nine targeted 16S rRNA oligonucleotide probes were used to assess the distribution of Bacteria and Archaea and to investigate the in situ occurrence of sulfate-reducing bacteria and methane-producing Archaea involved in the terminal steps of the anaerobic degradation of organic material. The diversity of the complex microbial communities was assessed from the 16S rRNA polymorphisms present in terminal restriction fragment (TRF) depth patterns. The densities of the microbial community increased in the anoxic layer, and Archaea detected with probe ARCH915 represented the largest microbial group in the water column, with a mean Archaea/ Eubacteria ratio of 1.5. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis revealed an elevated archaeal and bacterial phylotype richness in anoxic bottom-water samples. The structure of the Archaea community remained rather homogeneous, while TRFLP patterns for the eubacterial community revealed a heterogeneous distribution of eubacterial TRFs.Permanent anoxic basins are of great interest to microbial ecologists, and during the last decade several papers have been published on microbial assemblages from different marine anoxic basins (e.g., see references 42 and 36). Among permanent anoxic aquatic systems, meromictic lakes are unusual and provide a special opportunity for research in aquatic biology for several reasons, e.g., the high physical stability of the water masses, clearly separated compartments, a relatively constant vertical stratification of bacterial populations, a compact and stable transition zone between the oxic mixolimnion and the anoxic monimolimnion, and in many cases the presence of a dense microbial community at the redox transition zone (6). These small and well-defined ecosystems can be useful for studying anaerobic microbial community structure and diversity and providing information on global carbon cycling and biogeochemical processes. Although molecular characterizations of microbial communities from Lake Saelenvannet (31, 41), Lake Cadagno (6), Mono Lake (18), and Mariager Fjord (34, 40) have been reported, the microbial populations and communities living in anaerobic zones of meromictic lakes remain largely unexplored.This paper focuses on the in situ distribution, abundance, and diversity of the Bacteria and Archaea communities in the anoxic zone of Lake Pavin, which has the advantage of being in a steady state (28). We have conducted culture-independent studies of the anoxic water column of Lake Pavin and of samples collected from the oxic zone to provide comparative information. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) and fluorescent in situ hybridization analyses were performed on samples from between 50-and 90-m depths to characterize the microbial assemblages using 16S rRNA genes. Because previous geochemic...

The cave bear spread from Western Europe to the Near East during the Riss glaciation (250 KYA) before becoming extinct approximately 12 KYA. During that period, the climatic conditions were highly dynamic, oscillating between glacial and temperate episodes. Such events have constrained the geographic repartition of species, the movements of populations and shaped their genetic diversity. We retrieved and analyzed ancient DNA from 21 samples from five European caves ranging from 40 to 130 KYA. Combined with available data, our data set accounts for a total of 41 sequences of cave bear, coming from 18 European caves. We distinguish four haplogroups at the level of the mitochondrial DNA control region. The large population size of cave bear could account for the maintenance of such polymorphism. Extensive gene flow seems to have connected European populations because two haplogroups cover wide geographic areas. Furthermore, the extensive sampling of the deposits of the Scladina cave located in Belgium allowed us to correlate changes in climatic conditions with the intrapopulational genetic diversity over 90 KY.