Polyphosphate storage in the family Beggiatoaceae with a focus on the species Beggiatoa alba

Sulfur bacteria of the family Beggiatoaceae are of special interest with respect to the phosphorus cycle, because they can store large amounts of polyphosphate and are proposed to influence phosphorus sequestration in marine sediments (e.g. Schulz and Schulz, 2005). The aim of this thesis was to study different aspects of polyphosphate storage in members of the family Beggiatoaceae especially on a physiological but also on genomic level with a special focus on the heterotrophic freshwater strain Beggiatoa alba B15LD.