Diversity and Metabolic Potential of Earthworm Gut Microbiota in Indo-Myanmar Biodiversity Hotspot
Earthworms are important members of the soil macrofauna that play a significant role in soil structure and fertility. However, there is scanty information on the earthworm gut microbial flora and their metabolic potential. In the present study, the diversity of the microbial community and their me...
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology
2020-06-01
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Series: | Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://microbiologyjournal.org/diversity-and-metabolic-potential-of-earthworm-gut-microbiota-in-indo-myanmar-biodiversity-hotspot/ |
Summary: | Earthworms are important members of the soil macrofauna that play a significant role in soil structure
and fertility. However, there is scanty information on the earthworm gut microbial flora and their
metabolic potential. In the present study, the diversity of the microbial community and their metabolic
potential from the gut content of four different earthworm species from Indo-Myanmar Biodiversity
Hotspot were collected and identified by standard methods. The microbial diversity and their metabolic
potential were assessed by high throughput sequencing of V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA using Illumina
technology. Analysis of microbial diversity was performed by QIIME software package v.1.8.0 with their
metabolic potential by PICRUSt (v1.1) software package. A total of 3,36,047 processed sequences were
obtained that generated 3686 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Major bacterial phyla identified
were Proteobacteria (47.1%), Firmicutes (38.9%), Actinobacteria (6.3%), Bacteroidetes (3.6%) and
Cyanobacteria (1.1%). The abundant genera were Lysinibacillus (26.9%), Acinetobacter (21.2%),
Pseudomonas (4.7%), Bacillus (3.8%), Staphylococcus (3.5%), Stenotrophomonas (1.1%) and Ralstonia
(1%). The functional annotation of the metagenome revealed abundance of bacterial community
associated with amino acid, carbohydrate as well as energy metabolism. Furthermore, the presence
of enzymes involved in the process of denitrification and methanogenesis were also identified. This
study gives insight into the gut microbial composition and their putative functional roles in the gut
of tropical hilly earthworms. The study on forest and garden soil earthworm gut microbiomes might
help us understand the role of these organisms in their respective ecosystems. |
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ISSN: | 0973-7510 2581-690X |