Ecology of microorganisms from springs of national park "Alkhanai" (Transbaikalia, Russia)

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The composition and diversity of microbial communities from the cold ultra-fresh oligotrophic seeps and River Sukhoe Ubzhogoe of the National Park "Alkhanai" were determined via culture-dependent vs. culture-independent approaches. The microbial community of six groundwater seeps determined by 16S rDNA cloning, and sequencing consisted of four dominant genera belonging to the classes Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria; they were Duganella sp., Janthinobacterium sp., and Pseudomonas sp., Serratia sp., respectively. Uncultured bacteria were presented by the phylum Bacteroidetes, classes Flavobacteriia (Flavobacterium sp.), Cytophagia (Flexibacter sp.), and Chitinophagia (Sediminibacterium sp.); the phylum Proteobacteria, classes Betaproteobacteria (Comamonadaceae) and Gammaproteobacteria (Acinetobacter sp.); and the phylum Actinobacteria, class Actinomycetia (Rhodococcus sp.). The same chemoorganoheterotrophic bacteria were cultivated as dominant species from the waters of the investigated seeps. Still, differences in the microbial communities were found in a proper combination of the four dominant forms of bacteria in the appropriate ecosystems. One of the peculiarities of the cultivable bacteria was the production of colored pigments violacein and prodigiosin, known for their therapeutic properties. The subject is promising for fundamental and applied research. Curative properties of cold seeps were discussed, and it was proposed that the water quality could assume medicinal qualities due to the specific composition of microorganisms.