Profiling bacteriome associated with the sediments of mangrove ecosystem in Kerala

Abstract Microbiomes play an essential role in maintaining the health of an aquatic ecosystem. The present study is an attempt to analyze the bacteriome of a mangrove ecosystem in Cochin, Kerala, India. 16S rRNA gene-based high throughput sequencing revealed distinct and diverse bacterial communities present in the mangrove sediment sample. The taxonomic approaches applied revealed the dominance of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in the sample, followed by Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Saccharibacteria (TM7) and Verrucomicrobia. At the genus level, Prevotella copri and Bacteroides fragilis dominated the sediment sample, which was followed by Pseudomonas, Bifidobacteria, Faecalibacterium, Agrobacterium, Acinetobacter, Streptococcus and Bacillus. Most of these organisms are predominantly found in the human intestine and human faeces and are found in polluted areas. Vibrio harveyi, a potential pathogen that results in mass mortality of mangrove associated organisms, could also be detected. Archaea only accounted for