Microbial diversity extreme saline environments


Microbial diversity extreme saline environments

Franze, M.; Cherkouk, A.

Backgrounds: Rock salt formations are considered as potential host rock systems for the long-term storage of highly radioactive waste in a deep geological repository. To date, little is known about the habitat rock salt and the way of life of the microorganisms occurring there. Next to bacteria and fungi, extreme halophilic archaea are dominating this habitat. It is of interest to know what kind of microorganisms are living there, how active they are under repository relevant conditions and how these microorganisms can influence the safe storage of the waste. Objectives: A combination of culture-dependent and -independent methods was used to investigate the microbial diversity in rock salt from potential host rock for nuclear waste disposal as well as saline soil samples from Arava Desert, Israel. Methods: Culture-dependent: A specific portion of the two kinds of samples were incubated in three different sodium chloride concentrations of modified R2A resuscitation buffer and were spread on corresponding agar plates (37°C) to get isolates which were further characterized. Culture-independent: From two samples DNA was extracted, purified for PCR amplification of 16S rRNA genes and sequenced with Illumina MiSeq (RTL Genomics). Conclusions: Halophilic microorganisms could be isolated from both kinds of samples. The soil sample isolates can be assigned to different archaeal genera Natrinema, Halorubrum, and Halobacterium. Bacterial isolates could be related to Bacilli such as Halobacillus and Aquibacillus. From rock salt samples could be isolated different Halobacetrium species. The obtained isolates could be further used for investigations, regarding there activity under repository relevant conditions.

  • Poster
    FEMS 2017 7th congress of european microbiologists, 09.-13.07.2017, Valencia, Spanien

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Publ.-Id: 24954