title: Insights into Diversity and Imputed Metabolic Potential of Bacterial Communities in the Continental Shelf of Agatti Island.
abstract: Marine microbes play a key role and contribute largely to the global biogeochemical cycles. This study aims to explore microbial diversity from one such ecological hotspot, the continental shelf of Agatti Island. Sediment samples from various depths of the continental shelf were analyzed for bacterial diversity using deep sequencing technology along with the culturable approach. Additionally, imputed metagenomic approach was carried out to understand the functional aspects of microbial community especially for microbial genes important in nutrient uptake, survival and biogeochemical cycling in the marine environment. Using culturable approach, 28 bacterial strains representing 9 genera were isolated from various depths of continental shelf. The microbial community structure throughout the samples was dominated by phylum Proteobacteria and harbored various bacterioplanktons as well. Significant differences were observed in bacterial diversity within a short region of the continental shelf (1-40 meters) i.e. between upper continental shelf samples (UCS) with lesser depths (i.e. 1-20 meters) and lower continental shelf samples (LCS) with greater depths (i.e. 25-40 meters). By using imputed metagenomic approach, this study also discusses several adaptive mechanisms which enable microbes to survive in nutritionally deprived conditions, and also help to understand the influence of nutrition availability on bacterial diversity.
authors.affiliation: Microbial Culture Collection, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, 411007, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Shreyas V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Kumbhare
authors.affiliation: Microbial Culture Collection, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, 411007, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Dhiraj P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Dhotre
authors.affiliation: Microbial Culture Collection, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, 411007, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Sunil Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Dhar
authors.affiliation: Microbial Culture Collection, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, 411007, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Kunal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jani
authors.affiliation: Conservation Department, Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Mumbai, 400 001, India.
authors.forename: Deepak A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Apte
authors.affiliation: Microbial Culture Collection, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, 411007, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Yogesh S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Shouche
authors.affiliation: Microbial Culture Collection, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, 411007, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Avinash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D044822:Biodiversity; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D017753:Ecosystem; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology*; D062312:Islands; D056186:Metagenomics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S