Mineral and Bacterial Diversities of Desert Sand Grains from South-East Morocco |
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| Authors: | Maxime Gommeaux Mohamed Barakat Gilles Montagnac Richard Christen François Guyot Thierry Heulin |
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| Institution: | 1. CEA, DSV, IBEB, SBVME, Lab Ecol Microb Rhizosphere &2. Environ Extrem (LEMiRE) , Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, F-13108, France;3. CNRS , UMR 6191, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, F-13108, France;4. Aix-Marseille Université , Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, F-13108, France;5. Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne , GEGENA, 2 esplanade Roland Garros, F-51100, Reims;6. Aix-Marseille Université , Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, F-13108, France;7. Laboratoire des Sciences de la Terre , UMR 5570 CNRS-ENS Lyon , 46 allée d'Italie, F-69364, Lyon;8. Laboratoire de Biologie Virtuelle , UMR 6543 CNRS–Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, Centre de Biochimie , Parc Valrose, F-06108, Nice cedex 2;9. Institut de Minéralogie et de Physique des Milieux Condensés and Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris , Université de Paris 6 et Université de Paris 7 , 140 rue de Lourmel, F-75015, Paris |
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| Abstract: | Mineralogy and microbiology of sand from Merzouga (Morocco) were simultaneously characterized, with the purpose of contributing to a better understanding of the geomicrobiology of deserts. In spite of very low measured bacterial biomass, bacterial diversity on each of the five defined mineralogical classes, was found high. An original grain by grain cultivation method enabled to obtain bacterial isolates with an unusually high recovery rate. The results of this study show that the genus Arthrobacter is well adapted to this environment with a preference for grains other than the dominant mineral quartz, and that the genera Chelatococcus and Saccharotrix are strongly attached to the grains. |
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| Keywords: | arid environment bacterial diversity sand mineralogy |
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