The molecular study of microbial and functional diversity of resistant microbes in heavy metal contaminated soil

Abstract The operations of biological systems are challenged by various environmental factors that interrupt biological processes. Accurate identification and predictive models can serve as useful tools for distinguishing microbes and understanding key organisms and their roles. This study was aimed at evaluating the microbial abundance/diversities (bacteria and fungi) present in contaminated soil using molecular approaches. The soil samples were artificially contaminated with heavy metal salts of nickel (25, 50, 75 mg/kg); chromium (50, 100, 150 mg/kg); lead (150, 300, 450 mg/kg) and cadmium (1.5, 3.0, 4.5 mg/kg). Pure culture of bacteria and fungi were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis for bacteria community and the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) gene for fungi. The results show that the physicochemical properties of the soil reduced significantly at the end of the experiment (p