Metagenomic Insights Into the Diversity of Halophilic Microorganisms Indigenous to the Karak Salt Mine, Pakistan.

ABSTRACT: Hypersaline regions are terrestrial analogs of the Earth's primitive ecosystem and extraterrestrial environment. The salt range in Pakistan is considered among a few of the ancient salt deposits in the subcontinent. Karak salt mine is situated at the Northwest end in Pakistan. Despite the fact that halophiles initiated the formation of terrestrial ecosystems, their products and identities remain hidden. Some preliminary studies limited to culture-dependent isolations have been reported. Characterizing the microbiome that spans over centuries of ecosystem development is crucial, given their role in shaping landscape succession and biogeochemical cycles. Here, we used metagenomics techniques to explore the microbial diversity of the Karak salt mine. We used 16S rRNA Illumina amplicon sequenc

SUBMITTER: Cycil LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7386132 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature