Propionate is a main intermediate product, and its degradation is crucial for maintaining the efficiency and stability of an anaerobic reactor. However, there was little information about the effects of ecological factor on propionate-oxidizing bacteria. In current research, microbial community composition and quantitative analysis of some identified propionate-oxidizing bacteria with hydraulic retention time (HRT) decrease in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor containing propionate as sole carbon source was investigated. The results showed that propionate-oxidizing bacteria from Syntrophobacter, Pelotomaculum, and Smithella were major functional bacteria in this UASB system. Most propionate-oxidizing bacteria in composition have not changed with HRT decrease. However, the number of previously identified propionate-oxidizing bacteria from these three genera exhibited significant shift. Under HRT 10 h condition, Pelotomaculum schinkii was dominant and its quantity was 1.2 x 10(4) 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene copies/ng DNA, occupying 56.2 % in total detectable propionate-oxidizing bacteria. HRT decrease from 10 h to 8 and 6 h stepwise resulted in P. schinkii, Syntrophobacter sulfatireducens and Smithella propionica becoming the main population. HRT decrease from 6 to 4 h did not markedly change the amount of propionate-oxidizing bacteria, but S. propionica dominated in the reactor.