Bacterial diversity along the geothermal gradients: insights from the high-altitude Himalayan hot spring habitats of Sikkim.

ABSTRACT: Geothermal habitats present a unique opportunity to study microbial adaptation to varying temperature conditions. In such environments, distinct temperature gradients foster diverse microbial communities, each adapted to its optimal niche. However, the complex dynamics of bacterial populations in across these gradients high-altitude hot springs remain largely unexplored. We hypothesize that temperature is a primary driver of microbial diversity, and bacterial richness peaks at intermediate temperatures. To investigate this, we analysed bacterial diversity using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing across three temperature regions: hot region of 56-65 °C (hot spring), warm region of 35-37 °C (path carrying hot spring water to the river), and cold region of 4-7 °C (river basin). Our findings showed

SUBMITTER: Kumar S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11613191 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature