Chapter 20 - Biotechnological potentials of halotolerant and halophilic bacteria from mangrove ecosystems

Abstract

Mangroves are salt-tolerant forest ecosystems of the tropical and subtropical intertidal regions of the world. The ecosystem is rich in the biodiversity of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Being in a saline environment, mangrove ecosystems harbors different groups of halotolerant and halophilic bacteria. These groups of bacteria exhibit suitability for various biotechnological applications and are a source of many industrially important enzymes and bioactive compounds. Several bioactive compounds with a wide range of biological activities from antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiabetic have been reported from various bacterial and fungal species of mangrove habitats. In particular, some of the halophilic microorganisms are capable of producing massive amounts of compatible solutes that are useful as stabilizers for biomolecules or stress-protective agents. The present chapter highlights the biodiversity of saline microorganisms, particularly halophilic and halotolerant bacteria, in different mangrove ecosystems and discusses their biotechnological potentials as reported in published papers.