- Dona Paula, Goa, India.
- +91-0832- 2450327
- iiosc2020[at]nio[dot]org
| Abstract Submission No. | ABS-2022-05-0212 |
| Title of Abstract | Modern molecular techniques used to decipher bacterial communities in the oxygen minimum zone of the Indian Ocean |
| Authors | Genevieve L. Fernandes*, Belle Damodara Shenoy, Samir Damare |
| Organisation | CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa and Goa University |
| Address | Trinity Apt, Flat no. 5, Bicholim, Goa Bicholim, Goa, India Pincode: 403504 Mobile: 9545198735 E-mail: 1990eve@gmail.com |
| Country | India |
| Presentation | Oral |
| Abstract | The Indian Ocean harbors oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, with dissolved oxygen < 20 μM, located at the mid-depths of the water column. Till date, high-throughput sequence-data on depth-wise distribution patterns of prokaryotic communities have rarely been reported from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal OMZs. This study is aimed to characterize prokaryotic communities inhabiting Arabian Sea Time Series (ASTS), India⿿s Idea 2 (II2) locations in the Arabian Sea, and Bay of Bengal Time Series (BoBTS) location in the Bay of Bengal OMZs by using 16S rRNA gene metagenomic approach, along 6 sampled depths in the water column. With the use of Illumina sequencing, high prokaryotic richness was observed from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal sampled locations. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the range of 1249⿿3298 were identified, wherein, less prokaryotic diversity was observed at surface and within oxygen minimum depths. At phylum level, most OTUs were affiliated to Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, Marinimicrobia, Planctomycetes and Proteobacteria. Prokaryotic community differed between ASTS, II2 and BoBTS locations along varying physicochemical conditions. Presence of bacterial clades, δ-Proteobacteria and γ-Proteobacteria, suggested their possible participation in biogeochemical cycling of nitrate and sulphur in the OMZs. Bacterial genera involved in anammox processes, e.g. Candidatus Scalindua was relatively high at ASTS and II2 locations in the Arabian Sea. This study implies that microbial diversity can be better understood by using recent identification techniques and by considering the distribution of abundant microbes along with the dynamic environmental conditions. |