Physiology of Pseudovibrio sp. FO-BEG1 - a facultatively oligotrophic and metabolically versatile bacterium

Bacteria belonging to the genus Pseudovibrio are frequently found in marine habitats, mainly in association with sponges, corals and tunicates. Particularly sponges harbor populations of Pseudovibrio spp.-related bacteria, which led to the proposal that this genus contains sponge symbionts. However, the physiology of the genus Pseudovibrio is insufficiently studied and hardly anything is known about its relevance in the environment. In the course of this thesis, the Pseudovibrio strain FO-BEG1 was investigated. It had previously been enriched together with the sulfide oxidizing Beggiatoa sp. 35Flor from a black band diseased coral and was eventually cultured axenically, permitting sequencing of the genome as well as metabolic studies and investigations of physiological changes under different growth conditions.