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Journal of Applied Phycology

, Volume 30, Issue 5, pp 2883–2899 | Cite as

Heterotrophic bacteria associated with the green alga Ulva rigida: identification and antimicrobial potential

  • A. Ismail
  • L. Ktari
  • M. Ahmed
  • H. Bolhuis
  • Balkiss Bouhaouala-Zahar
  • L. J. Stal
  • A. Boudabbous
  • M. El BourEmail author
6th Congress of the International Society for Applied Phycology
First Online:

Abstract

Heterotrophic bacteria associated with the green alga Ulva rigida, collected from the coast of Tunisia, were isolated and subsequently identified by their 16S rRNA gene sequences and by phylogenetic analysis. The 71 isolates belong to four phyla: Proteobacteria (Alpha-and Gamma- subclasses), Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. Most of the isolates belong to Proteobacteria. The Gram-positive Firmicutes and especially the genus Bacillus were well-represented at the surface of U. rigida, collected from the coast as well as from the lagoon, while Actinobacteria were represented only at the surface of algae collected from the coast of Cap Zebib. Bacteroidetes were more represented at the surface of algae collected from the Ghar El Melh lagoon. The bacterial community of the water surrounding the algae was different from that associated with the surface of the algae. Moreover, the abundance of bacteria in the surrounding water was much lower compared to the density of bacteria associated with the surface of the algae. Bacteria isolated from the algal surface were tested for their antimicrobial potential. The results show that ~ 36% of the algae-associated bacterial isolates possess antibacterial activity whereas free-living bacteria, isolated from the surrounding water, did not show such activity. The surface of U. rigida was colonized by a high diversity of culturable and possibly novel epiphytic bacteria that may be an important source of antimicrobial compounds and are therefore of biotechnological interest.

Keywords

Epiphytic bacteria Ulva rigida 16S rRNA identification Phylogeny Antibacterial activity 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mrs. Veronique Confurius-Guns, Department of Marine Microbiology, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), for her assistance and help with PCR and DNA sequencing and Mr. Fourat Akrout of the “National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology” (INSTM) for his help with the hydrobiological analyses and technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  • A. Ismail
    • 1
    • 2
  • L. Ktari
    • 1
  • M. Ahmed
    • 2
    • 3
  • H. Bolhuis
    • 2
  • Balkiss Bouhaouala-Zahar
    • 4
  • L. J. Stal
    • 2
    • 5
  • A. Boudabbous
    • 6
  • M. El Bour
    • 1
    • 7
    Email author
  1. 1.National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology (INSTM)SalammbôTunisia
  2. 2.Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea ResearchUtrecht UniversityDen BurgNetherlands
  3. 3.Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of the PunjabLahorePakistan
  4. 4.Laboratory of Venoms and Therapeutic Molecules, Pasteur Institute of TunisUniversity of Tunis El ManarTunisTunisia
  5. 5.Department of Fresh Water and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem DynamicsUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
  6. 6.Faculty of MathematicalPhysical and Natural Sciences of TunisTunisTunisia
  7. 7.Department: Marine BiotechnologiesNational Institute of Sea Sciences and TechnologiesTunisTunisia

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