Molecular Characterization of Wetland Soil Bacterial Communities in Constructed Mesocosms

16S rRNA gene analysis was performed on soil samples from a subsurface flow mesosocm experiment, mimicking aconstructed wetland. Three typical wetland species of plant were used in nine of the columns and three columnswere unplanted controls. Analyses showed that plant presence, plant species, and depth did not have a significanteffect on microbial community composition. However, richness analyses illustrated that plant presence had apositive effect on richness, plant species analyses indicated that there was evidence that plant species affectedrichness in a significant manner, and lastly richness was negatively affected in the bottom depth for the control andCarex comosa communities.