Bacterial community composition of the Antarctic moss Sanionia uncinata

Abstract:

[Background] Antarctic bryophytes harbor highly diverse polar microbes. However, the composition of Antarctic bryophyte bacterial communities is not well understood, which limits the development and application of microbial resources in extreme habitats. [Objective] This study reveals the bacterial community of the Antarctic moss Saniania uncinata sampled randomly around the Antarctic Great Wall Station. [Methods] We used Illumina Hiseq high-throughput sequencing technology to analyse the 16S rRNA gene V4 region of the bacteria. [Results] A total of 273 367 bacterial sequences were obtained from the three moss samples. Totally, 9 759 OTUs (operational taxonomic unit) belonging to 14 phyla, 27 classes, and 50 genera, were grouped based on 97% sequence similarity. The dominant groups were Proteobacteria (30.70%), Bacteroidetes (19.67%), Verrucomicrobia (12.43%), Cyanobacteria (10.55%), and Actinobacteria (9.36%). Particularly, 56.73% of the bacteria in this moss were unclassified at the genus level. [Conclusion] The Antarctic moss Saniania uncinata hosts phylogenetically diverse bacteria. This study provides a basis for the in-depth study of polar microbes.