Analysis of Midgut Bacterial Community Structure of <i>Neanthes chilkaensis</i> from Polluted Mudflats of Gorai, Mumbai, India

Abstract

Adaptation of microbial communities to anthropogenic stress has often been shown to involve reduction in diversity and in selective enrichment of species capable of survival. The gut bacterial community of pollution-stressed polychaete Neanthes chilkaensis was studied using cultivation dependent and independent approaches. The possible role of the gut bacteria in remediation of pollutants was also studied. The analysis of clones covering about 90% of the 16S rRNA clone library indicated that the majority of the taxa in the library resemble GenBank entries of aromatic- hydrocarbon pollutant degraders. Among them Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were dominant. About 84% of the gut isolates were capable of utilizing PAHs as sole carbon sources while 20% of isolates were found to produce biosurfactants. Production of surfactant along with capability to utilize PAH and other pollutants indicate the role of the gut community in alleviating the pollution stress. The results also show the potential source of microorganisms with industrial and environmental application.