Exploring the Bacterial Diversity of the Armutlu Geothermal Spring (Türkiye) through a Metagenomic Sequenced Based Approach

Abstract

The geothermal or hot springs are home to a diverse microbial population. Identification of the thermophilic microbial world of these niches can direct us to the exploration of novel economically valuable biocatalysts, antibiotics, and a variety of other biomolecules. Due to the tectonic features within its borders, Türkiye has many thermal springs in different regions. In this study, a thermal site, the Armutlu geothermal spring in the eastern Marmara region, was investigated to identify the bacterial taxonomic composition and diversity through a metagenomic sequence-based approach which is the first study to the best of our knowledge. During the period of sampling, the water temperature and pH at the surface were 74.9 °C and 7.1, respectively. According to 16S rRNA sequencing results, Bacteria (98.36%) are the dominant taxa compared to Archaea (1.64%). Based on the diversity findings, the bacterial community is primarily dominated by Proteobacteria (42.49%), which, together with Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae, and Bacteroidetes, constitute ~87% of the overall bacterial population. Furthermore, the microbial community was also investigated for the activity of hydrolase enzymes such as protease, amylase, and amylopullulanase through a culture-dependent approach for possible future applications. As a conclusion, the microbiota of the Armutlu geothermal spring was open to investigate the novel species and hydrolytic biocatalysts.