Bacterial Community of Klong Tub Mangrove Forest in Chonburi Province, Thailand

Abstract

Mangrove forests are located in the transition zone of terrestrial and river/marine ecosystems, making these forests a unique environment harbouring diverse microbes. This study investigated the bacterial community of Klong Tub Mangrove Forest in Chonburi Province, Thailand. The distinct feature of this forest is its nearby location to a narrowleaf cattail wetland. Assessment of the abiotic parameters of the sediments from site#1 nearby the narrowleaf cattail wetland and site#2 in the mangrove forest revealed differences in pH and salinity values between these two sites. Biochemical identification of bacterial isolates (n=233) indicated that these species belonged to 16 families and 29 genera as follows: Moraxellaceae (17.60%) > Vibrionaceae (16.31%) > Paenibacillaceae (15.88%) > Staphylococcaceae and Bacillaceae (9.87% each) > Aeromonadaceae and Pseudomonadaceae (8.58% each) > Enterobacteriaceae (4.29%) > Lactobacillaceae (2.58%) > Moraxellaceae (2.15%) > Comamonadaceae (1.72%) > Alcaligenaceae (0.86%) > Morganellaceae, Burkholderiaceae, Pasteurellaceae and Streptococcaceae (0.43% each). Among the genera, 12 were commonly isolated from both sites. Bacterial strains from 7 and 10 genera were detected only in site#1 and site#2, respectively. Analysis of the partial 16s rRNA gene sequence of four filamentous gram-positive isolates showed their high sequence similarity to three genera, including three novel species, Streptomyces sp. NA03103, Micromonospora fluminis sp. nov. and Bacillus velezensis sp. nov. In conclusion, the Klong Tub Mangrove Forest possesses high microbial diversity, and the bacterial taxon in the sediments differ between the narrowleaf cattail wetland and mangrove forest. Several bacterial isolates from the forest show a high biotechnological potential.