Interpreting Proteobacteria diversity through 16S rRNA analysis in Manasbal Lake, Kashmir

Abstract

Bacterial community composition in aquatic ecosystems is of renewed interest for its health as well as the people living in the adjoining areas, and the current work on a freshwater ecosystem in Kashmir Himalayas–the Manasbal Lake was carried out in this backdrop. Water samples were collected from various sampling stations, selected as the zones of special ecological interest and according to the degree of difference in the anthropogenic intrusions in the lake. For identification, the isolated bacterial colonies were subjected to morphological and biochemical characterization, which were further confirmed by targeting their 16S rRNA gene, using 27F and 1492R as the universal bacterial primers. Major bacterial phylum, thus isolated, was proteobacteria with 15 different bacterial species belonging to class alpha-proteobacteria, beta-proteobacteria, and gammaproteobacteria. However, the most diverse class isolated was Alphaproteobacteria comprising seven species followed by Betaproteobacteria comprising six species and Gamma-proteobacteria comprising only two species. The distribution of the bacterial group was seen influenced on a Spatio-temporal scale with the maximum density observed during summer and minimum during winter, further the load was highest for littoral sampling stations in comparison to the open water sites. Proteobacteria are important since they perform basic functions in global transformations of elements. But at the same time, they show close interaction with eukaryotes, both as pathogens and as symbionts.