Bins.10 Phaeodactylibacter iicbica, bins.9 Oceanicaulis iicbica, and bins.8 Azospirillum iicbica represent the three metagenome assembled genomes MAGs recovered from the Leptolyngbya iicbica LK culture. Together, these MAGs form a stable core population of LK associated bacteria that persist across experimental conditions and long term cultivation.
The cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya iicbica LK was originally isolated from samples collected from the Lakshadweep Islands, India, and has been maintained under laboratory cultivation for more than a decade following its initial isolation. Despite prolonged cultivation and exposure to varying experimental conditions, the culture has consistently retained a stable community of associated heterotrophic bacteria. In this study, we employed metagenomic sequencing to characterize the long-term bacterial associates of the L. iicbica LK culture. Three high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes were recovered, corresponding to Phaeodactylibacter iicbica,bins.10, Oceanicaulis iicbica,bins.9, and Azospirillum iicbica,bins.8. These MAGs represent a persistent and stable core microbiome that has remained associated with the LK culture throughout extended laboratory maintenance. The long term co existence of these bacterial taxa suggests potential ecological or functional interactions with L. iicbica, highlighting their possible roles in nutrient exchange, metabolic support, or culture stability. Our findings provide insight into the durability of cyanobacteria associated microbial consortia and underscore the importance of considering long term bacterial partners in laboratory maintained cyanobacterial cultures.