Rev. biol. mar. oceanogr. 51(1): 89-100

Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-19572016000100009

Molecular taxonomy and community dynamics of Actinobacteria in marine sediments off central Chile

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.¹, Daniel Gomez-Uchida², Carola Espinoza¹, Nathaly Ruiz-Tagle³, Alexis Fonseca¹ and Víctor A. Gallardo¹

¹Department of Oceanography, Universidad de Concepción, P.O. Box 160-C, Concepción, Chile

²Department of Zoology, Universidad de Concepción, P.O. Box 160- C, Concepción, Chile

³Centro de Biotecnología, Universidad de Concepción, P.O. Box 160- C, Concepción, Chile

  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The southwestern Gulf of California has high-value commercial fisheries; however, there are few studies of the taxonomic diversity of fish in this area. Surveys of taxonomic diversity of the fish assemblage at 8 localities near the shore of Bahía de La Paz were undertaken from March 2002 to April 2003. Seasonal changes in diversity of rocky reef fish were analyzed, including taxonomic distance among fish species, using the alpha, alpha average, beta, and gamma diversity indices, the taxonomic distinctness index (TD D*), and the average taxonomic distinctness index (AvTD D+). Submarine visual censuses were carried out along 48 transects measuring 100 × 5 m (500 m2) at 5 m average depth from 09:00-16:00 h. Two seasons were studied: winter with an average temperature of 22.57°C, and summer with an average temperature of 27.09°C. 24,633 fishes, belonging to 92 species and 67 genera were recorded. According to the alpha average, beta, and gamma diversity indices, August had the highest diversity (19.5, 40.5, and 60 species, respectively), and December had the lowest diversity (20.6, 27.4, and 48 species, respectively). Spatial analysis of TD and AvTD were not significantly different, and analysis by season of these indices was not significant different. Greater anthropogenic impact would cause differences in TD and AvTD found at El Guano compared with other locations.

We used amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize the diversity and assess temporal and spatial patterns of Actinobacteria operational taxonomic units (OTUs) extracted from sediments of the Humboldt Sulfuretum located off the coast of central Chile. The sediment of this zone is rich in sulfur compounds and organic material and supports a vast microbial community that experiences seasonal changes in response to contrasting oceanographic regimes. We distinguished 498 OTUs distributed among 7 orders, 47 families, and 122 genera (5 of these have been widely recognized for their biotechnological applications), and 56 species. The temporal analyses indicated that some OTUs underwent significant temporal changes in abundance, richness, and diversity that allowed samples to be grouped by sampling dates (seasons) but not by sampling depth or location. Since Actinobacteria are mostly aerobic, higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen near the bottom during the austral autumn-winter seasons result in a more benign environment for this phylum than the upwelling-favorable spring-summer seasons when waters over the shelf are oxygen-deficient. To evaluate the taxonomic diversity and inquire into the community dynamic of Actinobacteria present in the Humboldt Sulfuretum and reported as a potentially untapped source for secondary metabolites this work benefited from culture-independent (molecular) techniques.

Key words:  Actinobacteria, Humboldt Sulfuretum, bacterial ecology