Dr. Michael Pester
Department für Mikrobielle Ökologie
Wiener Ökologiezentrum
Universität Wien
Althanstr. 14
A-1090 Wien
Austria
 
phone: +43 1 4277 57312
fax: +43 1 4277 54389
email:
 
Acidobacteria
After their first description in 1997, Acidobacteria were discovered in a great variety of habitats with very different physicochemical parameters. Despite their abundance, especially in soil habitats, little is known about their ecophysiology and their importance in biogeochemical cycling. We are investigating the function of Acidobacteria in anoxic fen soils and arable farm land in Europe and Africa.
 
Sulfate reducers
The process of sulfate reduction in water saturated soils is gaining importance because of the predicted increase in sulfur pollution by coal burning, especially in Asia. It is well known that sulfate reducers efficiently outcompete methanogenic archaea and, therefore, counteract the production of the greenhouse gas methane. The recently discovered novel lineages of the dissimilatory (bi)sulfite reductase suggest so far unknown sulfate reducers in these environments. We are investigating the structure-function relationship of the sulfate reducing community by modern molecular techniques such as isotope microarrays and Raman fluorescence in situ hybridization.
 
 Phylogeny, diversity, and function of microorganisms involved in sulfur cycling
 Ribosomal RNA-targeted oligonucleotide microarrays for analysis of microbial communities
 
Publications in peer reviewed journals
  1. Tholen A, Pester M, Brune A. 2007. Simultaneous methanogenesis and oxygen reduction by Methanobrevibacter cuticularis at low oxygen fluxes. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 62: 303-312.
  2. Pester M, Brune A. 2007. Hydrogen is the central free intermediate during lignocellulose degradation by termite gut symbionts. ISME Journal 1: 551–565.
  3. Pester M, Tholen A, Friedrich MW, Brune A. 2007. Methane oxidation in termite hindguts - absence of evidence and evidence of absence. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 2024-2028.
  4. Pester M, Brune A. 2006. Expression profiles of fhs (FTHFS) genes support the hypothesis that spirochaetes dominate reductive acetogenesis in the hindgut of lower termites. Environ. Microbiol. 8: 1261-1270.
  5. Bussmann I, Pester M, Brune A, Schink B. 2004. Preferential cultivation of type II methanotrophic bacteria from littoral sediments (Lake Constance). FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 47: 179-189.
  6. Pester M, Friedrich MW, Schink B, Brune A. 2004. pmoA-based analysis of methanotrophs in a littoral lake sediment reveals a diverse and stable community in a dynamic environment. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 3138-3142.
Book chapters and other publications
  1. Brune A, Pester M. 2005. In situ measurements of metabolite fluxes: microinjection of radiotracers into insect guts and other small compartments. In Methods in Enzymology. Leadbetter, J. R. (ed). London: Elsevier, pp. 200-212.
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