title: Tank bromeliad water: similar or distinct environments for research of bacterial bioactives?
abstract: The Atlantic Rainforest does not have a uniform physiognomy, its relief determines different environmental conditions that define the composition of its flora and fauna. Within this ecosystem, bromeliads that form tanks with their leaves hold water reservoirs throughout the year, maintaining complex food chains, based mainly on autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria. Some works concluded that the water held by tank bromeliads concentrate the microbial diversity of their ecosystem. To investigate the bacterial diversity and the potential biotechnology of these ecosystems, tank bromeliads of the Neoregelia cruenta species from the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil were used as models for this research. Bacteria isolated from these models were tested for production of bioactive compounds. DGGE of the water held by tank bromeliads was performed in different seasons, locations and sun exposure to verify whether these environmental factors affect bacterial communities. The DGGE bands profile showed no grouping of bacterial community by the environmental factors tested. Most of the isolates demonstrated promising activities in the tests performed. Collectively, these results suggest that tank bromeliads of the N. cruenta species provide important habitats for a diverse microbial community, suggesting that each tank forms a distinct micro-habitat. These tanks can be considered excellent sources for the search for new enzymes and/or new bioactive composites of microbial origin.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de JaneiroRJ Brazil ; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia Vegetal Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de JaneiroRJ Brazil.
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Carmo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de JaneiroRJ Brazil.
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de JaneiroRJ Brazil.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Peixoto
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de JaneiroRJ Brazil.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Rosado
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Faculdade de Formação de Professores Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Rio de JaneiroRJ Brazil.
authors.forename: F V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Araujo
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D044822:Biodiversity; D001688:Biological Products / Q000378:metabolism*; D001938:Brazil; D031229:Bromeliaceae / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D058645:Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D065947:Rainforest; D012621:Seasons; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Atlantic Rainforest; DGGE; bacteria communities; bromeliad