First Insights Into the Biological and Physical-Chemical Diversity of Various Salt Ponds of Trapani, Sicily.

ABSTRACT: The salt ponds of Trapani, Sicily, represent an extreme and under-explored ecosystem characterised by varying salinity gradients and environmental conditions. These ponds, integral to traditional salt extraction, include cold, driving, hot and crystallizer ponds, each hosting diverse microbial communities. This study aimed to explore the biological and physical-chemical diversity of 11 ponds during the salt production season in Trapani. We conducted comprehensive physical-chemical characterizations, including measurements of pH, conductivity, viscosity, density, organic carbon and ion concentration. Microbial DNA was extracted from salt pond waters and subjected to metabarcoding of 16S rRNA genes to determine the diversity of archaea and bacteria. High-throughput sequencing revealed signif

SUBMITTER: Cusenza BS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11926572 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature