2009), resulting in the identification of a plethora of novel halophilic bacteria and archaea. Microbial communities in hypersaline environments have been extensively studied during the last decade (Burns et al. ectoine and β-carotene) in the cosmetic and food industry (Oren 2010). From a biotechnological point of view, halophiles can be used in environmental applications, such as the bioremediation of highly polluted marine and saline terrestrial ecosystems, and in the development of new biotechnological products, such as the use of their metabolites (e.g. ![]() Halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms are distributed in several terrestrial and aquatic habitats, such as the Dead Sea, the hypersaline lakes of Asia and Africa, the benthic zone, salt marshes and marine sediments (Takai and Horikoshi 1999 Mutlu et al. Based on these results, we conclude that moderate halophilic bacteria rather than extremely halophilic archaea dominate in such a hypersaline environment. ![]() None of the halophilic strains were able to grow without the presence of sea salt or seawater. The herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate could be effectively utilized by selected strains as the sole carbon source, but phenolic compounds could not be utilized by any of the halophilic isolates examined. Ecophysiological analysis also revealed distinct phenotypic profiles for the prokaryotic strains analyzed. Four bacterial isolates were distantly related to their closest validly described species Aquisalimonas asiatica (96.5 % similarity), representing a novel phylogenetic linkage. ![]() Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the prokaryotic strains isolated were related to the bacterial genera Rhodovibrio, Halovibrio, Aquisalimonas, Bacillus and Staphylococcus and to the haloarchaeal species Haloferax alexandrinus. Enumeration of microorganisms at different salinities showed that the tide pool was dominated by moderate halophiles. Chlorinity measurements revealed that the tide pool brine could be characterized as one of the most hypersaline ecosystems on earth. We have studied a temporary salt-saturated tide pool and isolated prokaryotes from the water. Although hypersaline environments have been extensively examined, only a limited number of microbial community studies have been performed in saline tide pools.
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