Bacterial Community Composition and Diversity of Soils from Different Geographical Locations in the Northeastern USA

Soil is the most dynamic matrix in the environment and where biogeochemical cycles take place through the activities of microorganisms such as bacteria. A 16S rRNA sequence analysis of seven different soil samples from different geographical locations in the northeastern part of the United States of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Luis Jimenez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Microbiology Research
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/16/2/47
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Summary:Soil is the most dynamic matrix in the environment and where biogeochemical cycles take place through the activities of microorganisms such as bacteria. A 16S rRNA sequence analysis of seven different soil samples from different geographical locations in the northeastern part of the United States of America was conducted in order to determine bacterial community composition and diversity and whether geographical distance affects community composition. Microbial DNA was extracted from each soil sample and next generation sequencing was performed. Overall, the predominant bacterial phyla with high relative abundance in each soil were found to be members of Pseudomonadota, Actinomycetota, Acidobacteriota, Chloroflexota, and Bacteroidota which comprised the core microbiome in all 7 soils analyzed. At the order level, the top four bacteria belonged to Rhizobiales, Actinomycetales, Gaiellales, and Solirubrobacterales. Bacterial identification at the genus level were predominantly unclassified with an average of 58%. However, when identification was possible, the most abundant genera detected were <i>Bradyrhizobium</i> and <i>Rhodoplanes</i>. Surface soil samples from the states of New York, Maryland, and Delaware showed the lowest bacterial diversity when compared to suburban soil samples from the state of New Jersey. Similarity between bacterial communities decreased with increasing distance, indicating the dispersal limitations of some bacteria to colonize different habitats where some types show high relative abundance and others did not. However, in some samples, deterministic factors such as land management and possible vehicle emissions probably affected the assemblage and diversity of bacterial communities. Stochastic and deterministic processes might have determined the biogeographical distribution of bacteria in soils influencing the community structure and diversity.
ISSN:2036-7481