title: Biodiversity of moderately halophilic bacteria in hypersaline habitats in Egypt.
abstract: Screening bacteria from different saline environments in Alexandria. Egypt, lead to the isolation of 76 Gram-negative and 14 Gram-positive moderately halophilic bacteria. The isolates were characterized taxonomically for a total of 155 features. These results were analyzed by numerical techniques using simple matching coefficient (SSM) and the clustering was achieved by the unweighed pair-group method of association (UPGMA). At 75% similarity level the Gram-negative bacteria were clustered in 7 phena in addition to one single isolate, whereas 4 phena represented the Gram-positive. Based on phenotypic characteristics, it is suggested that the Gram-negative bacteria belong to the genera Pseudoalteromonas, Flavobacterium, Chromohalobacter, Halomonas and Salegentibacter, in addition to the non-identified single isolate. The Gram-positive bacteria are proposed to belong to the genera Halobacillus, Salinicoccus, Staphylococcus and Tetragenococcus. This study provides the first publication on the biodiversity of moderately halophilic bacteria in saline environments in Alexandria, Egypt.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Alexandria, Egypt. hananghozlan@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ghozlan
authors.forename: Hisham
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Deif
authors.forename: Rania Abu
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kandil
authors.forename: Soraya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabry
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004534:Egypt; D004777:Environment; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D012965:Sodium Chloride