Phylogenetic Analysis of Marine Microbial Communities: Insights from Kanyakumari Coastal Sediments

Abstract

Marine ecosystems and the microbial diversity therein are still very underexplored because their related microbes are not very culturable, and access to deep-sea environments is limited. This study aims to determine the bacterial community by analysing sediment samples collected from coastal regions of Kanyakumari – Muttom, Sanguthurai, Sothavilai, Thengapattinam and Kanyakumari. From the screens, 160 organisms (S1—S60) were isolated, and species identification was achieved through their morphological and phenotypic characterization by Gram staining. Five high biomass strains (S1, S18, S25, S38 and S59) undertook the advanced 16S rRNA sequencing. The species found were Vibrio alginolyticus, Bacillus stratosphericus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterobacter cloacae, and Micrococcus luteus. The accession numbers for the NCBI database of these strains are KY952688, KY952690, KY952691, KY952694, and KY952695. The results reveal Kanyakumari to be a major reservoir of rich and diverse microbial species with high biotechnological potential.