Ramond, Jean-BaptisteLako, Joseph D.W.Stafford, W.H.L. (William)Tuffin, Marla I.Cowan, Don A.2015-07-312015-07-312015-08Ramond, JB, Lako, JDW, Stafford, WHL, Tuffin, MI & Cowan, DA 2015, 'Evidence of novel plant-species specific ammonia oxidizing bacteria clades in acidic South African fynbos soils', Journal of Basic Microbiology, vol. 55, no. 8, pp. 1040-1047.0233-111X (print)1521-4028 (online)10.1002/jobm.201400933http://hdl.handle.net/2263/49193Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are essential in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen as they catalyze the rate-limiting oxidation of ammonia into nitrite. Since their first isolation in the late 19th century, chemolithoautotrophic AOBs have been identified in a wide range of natural (e.g., soils, sediments, estuarine, and freshwaters) and man created or impacted habitats (e.g., wastewater treatment plants and agricultural soils). However, little is known on the plant-species association of AOBs, particularly in the nutrient-starved fynbos terrestrial biome. In this study, we evaluated the diversity of AOBs in the plant canopy of three South African fynbos-specific plant species, namely Leucadendron xanthoconus, Leucospermum truncatulum and Leucadendron microcephalum, through the construction of amoA-gene clone libraries. Our results clearly demonstrate that plant-species specific and monophyletic AOB clades are present in fynbos canopy soils.en© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article : Evidence of novel plant-species specific ammonia oxidizing bacterial clades in acidic South African fynbos soils, Journal of Basic Microbiology, vol. 55, no. 8, pp. 1040-1047, 2015. doi :10.1002/jobm.201400933. The definite version is available at : http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1521-4028.amoA-gene diversityAmmonia oxidizersFynbos soilProteaceae familyPlant–microbe interactionsPostprint Article