title: Firmicutes dominate the bacterial taxa within sugar-cane processing plants.
abstract: Sugar cane processing sites are characterised by high sugar/hemicellulose levels, available moisture and warm conditions, and are relatively unexplored unique microbial environments. The PhyloChip microarray was used to investigate bacterial diversity and community composition in three Australian sugar cane processing plants. These ecosystems were highly complex and dominated by four main Phyla, Firmicutes (the most dominant), followed by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi. Significant variation (p < 0.05) in community structure occurred between samples collected from 'floor dump sediment', 'cooling tower water', and 'bagasse leachate'. Many bacterial Classes contributed to these differences, however most were of low numerical abundance. Separation in community composition was also linked to Classes of Firmicutes, particularly Bacillales, Lactobacillales and Clostridiales, whose dominance is likely to be linked to their physiology as 'lactic acid bacteria', capable of fermenting the sugars present. This process may help displace other bacterial taxa, providing a competitive advantage for Firmicutes bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science and Technology, Level 5, Q Block, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, GPO Box 2434, Qld 4001, Australia.
authors.forename: Farhana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sharmin
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wakelin
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huygens
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hargreaves
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D044822:Biodiversity; D019295:Computational Biology; D017753:Ecosystem; D054892:Metagenome; D064307:Microbiota; D010802:Phylogeny; D031786:Saccharum / Q000382:microbiology*