Poster: Winogradsky Column—Microbial Evolution in a Bottle

Sergei N. Winogradsky was one of the first microbiologists to study the organisms found in complex biofilm communities. One of the strategies he used to isolate organisms from nature was a miniature model of a pond cross-section that is now called a Winogradsky column. It is a simple device for constructing a stratified ecosystem and provides a visual example of various modes of metabolism and zonation in the microbial world. It is a classic demonstration of the metabolic diversity of prokaryotes. The poster shows the different bacteria found in each zone, their metabolic niches, and the gradients of energy sources.