title: Soil Microbiology, Ecology and Biochemistry
author: Eldor A. Paul
description: Eldor A. Paul is a Senior Research Scientist at the Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University, Fort Collins and Professor Emeritus at Michigan State University, East Lansing. During his time at Michigan State, he was professor of Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry, and Crop and Soil Sciences. He earned degrees from the University of Alberta and the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on the dynamics of soil organic matter and the microbial ecology of soil. Dr. Paul is a Fellow of ASA, SSSA, the Canadian Society of Soil Science, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
zlib_text: ORIGINAL PAPER
  Respiratory and dissimilatory nitrate-reducing communities
  from an extreme saline alkaline soil of the former lake
  Texcoco (Mexico)
  Rocio J. Alca´ntara-Herna´ndez Æ
  Ce´sar Valenzuela-Encinas Æ Rodolfo Marsch Æ
  Luc Dendooven
  Received: 23 June 2008 / Accepted: 27 October 2008 / Published online: 3 December 2008
  � Springer 2008
  Abstract
  The diversity of the dissimilatory and respira-
  tory nitrate-reducing communities was studied in two soils
  of the former lake Texcoco (Mexico). Genes encoding the
  membrane-bound nitrate reductase (narG) and the peri-
  plasmic nitrate reductase (napA) were used as functional
  markers. To investigate bacterial communities containing
  napA and narG in saline alkaline soils of the former lake
  Texcoco, libraries of the two sites were constructed (soil
  T3 with pH 11 and electrolytic conductivity in saturated
  extract (ECSE) 160 dS m-1 and soil T1 with pH 8.5 and
  ECSE
  0.8
  dS m-1).
  Phylogenetic
  analysis
  of
  napA
  sequences separated the clone families int