Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos

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Examinando Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos por Materia "Atacama Desert"

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    Ítem
    Insights into the diversity and survival strategies of soil bacterial isolates from the Atacama Desert
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2024) Reverdy, Alicyn; Hathaway, Daniel; Jha, Jessica; Michaels, Gabriel; Sullivan, Jeffrey; Diaz McAdoo, Daniela; Riquelme, Carlos; Chai, Yunrong; Godoy Carter, Veronica
    The Atacama Desert, the driest, with the highest radiation, and one of the most ancient deserts in the world, is a hostile environment for life. We have a collection of 74 unique bacterial isolates after cultivation and confirmation by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Pigmentation, biofilm formation, antimicrobial production against Escherichia coli MG1655 and Staphylococcus aureus HG003,and antibiotic resistance were assessed on these isolates. We found that approximately a third of the colonies produced pigments, 80% of isolates formed biofilms, many isolates produce growth inhibiting activities against E. coliand/orS. aureus, and many were resistant to antibiotics. The functional characterization of these isolates gives us insight into the adaptive bacterial strategies in harsh environments and enables us to learn about their possible use in agriculture,healthcare, or biotechnology.
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    Ítem
    Isolation of Thermophilic Bacteria from Extreme Environments in Northern Chile
    (MDPI, 2024) Valenzuela, Bernardita; Solís-Cornejo, Francisco; Araya, Rubén; Zamorano, Pedro
    The northern region of Chile boasts unique geographical features that support the emergence of geothermal effluents, salt lagoons, and coastal creeks. These extreme climate conditions create polyextreme habitats for microorganisms, particularly adapted to survive these harsh environments. These extremophilic microorganisms hold immense potential as a source of hydrolytic enzymes, among other biotechnological applications. In this study, we isolated 15 strains of aerobic thermophilic bacteria (45–70 ◦C) from sediment samples collected at five different ecological sites, including hot springs, geothermal fields, and lagoons in the Atacama Desert and Andes high planes. Analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the isolates showed a close genetic similarity (98–100%) with microorganisms of the genera Parageobacillus, Geobacillus, Anoxybacillus, and Aeribacillus. Notably, these thermophiles exhibited significant hydrolytic enzyme activity, particularly amylases, lipases, and proteases. These findings underscore the potential of using these thermophilic bacterial strains as an invaluable source of thermozymes with wide-ranging applications in diverse industries, such as detergent formulations, pharmaceutical processing, and food technology. This research highlights the ecological significance of these extreme environments in the Atacama Desert and Andes high plains, which serve as vital ecological niches housing extremophilic bacteria as a genetic source of relevant thermozymes, promising great potential for innovation in the biotechnology industry.