DETERMINATION OF MICROBIAL DIVERSITY IN MOONMILK DEPOSITS WITH NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING

Abstract

Moonmilk an omnipresent cave deposit consists of mineral components presents extreme habitats for microbial life forms. However, our knowledge in life in moonmilk deposits is limited. This research is the first record of microbial diversity in moonmilk deposits at Oylat Cave. 454-pyrotag sequencing one of the culture-independent techniques was applied to analyze the environment. Twelve phyla were identified with an average of 1,630 operational taxonomic units per moonmilk sample. Bacterial taxonomic profiles are dominated by Proteobacteria, followed by Actinobacteria, Nitrospirae and Acidobacteria respectively. Community Shannon diversity index was between 4.09 and 5.87. In this context our study provides details about constituent microorganisms of the microbial community of moonmilk formations in Oylat Cave (Bursa, Turkey).