Halobacterium identification in saltworks of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain)

Abstract

This work analyzes bacterial communities present in evaporation ponds of solar salterns of Gran Canaria and reveals specific organisms through molecular techniques. Solar salterns are protected areas in Canary Islands where salt is produced from sea water by solarand windpowered evaporation. Salt was an important product for ancient islanders who used it for a broad field of purposes, but also has a great importance in recent time for its implications in the island economy. Based on amplifications with specific primers for 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA) and subsequent nested-PCRapproaches, different amplicons were obtained, and analyzed in silico. A taxonomic classification was carried out through phylogenetic trees. Results revealed different bacteria according to the evaporation grade of crystallizer ponds in saline works. It is worthstanding the presence of the genus Halobacterium in all crystallizer ponds. This opens an interesting framework for further studies and continuative molecular characterization approaches of bacterial communities in solar salterns of Gran Canaria.