Existence and diversity of myxobacteria in Chenghai Lake mud

We investigated the existence and distribution of myxobacteria in lake mud using culture–independent methods and comparatively analyzed the phylogeny of the soil, marine and lake myxobacteria. The mud samples were collected from Chenghai Lake (N 26°27'-26°38', E 100°38'-100°41'), which is located in Yunnan province of China. The annual average temperature of the lake water is about 16°C, with a maximum of 31°C in August and a minimum of 2°C in January. It is a moderately nutrient-enriched alkaline lake. The mud was sampled 50 m away from the shore in August, 2008. After collection, the sample was air dried in a super-clean bench and stored at -20°C.