Vega Sepúlveda, Juan A.

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    Bacterias fototróficas anoxigénicas púrpuras no-sulfurosas en la fitotelmata de bromelias en diversos bosques de Puerto Rico
    (2009) Vega Sepúlveda, Juan A.; Ríos Velázquez, Carlos; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Muñoz, Carlos A.; Santos Flores, Carlos J.; Department of Biology; Vega Olivencia, Carmen
    Due to the special arrangement of their leaves, plants of the Bromeliaceae family like bromeliad are capable of forming special structures that create an environment called phytotelmata. This aquatic microhabitat serves as home for a rich biota that plays an important role in tropical forests. This biota includes a variety of organisms, being the bacteria at the bottom of the food chain. The anoxyphototroph purple non-sulfur bacteria (APNB) are known by their capabilities of growing in diverse environments and are recognized by their ecological and biotechnological importance. Here, we present the first report of APNB in bromeliad’s phytotelmata, specifically in rain, dry and moist subtropical forests of Puerto Rico. The bromeliad used on this study belong to the genera Guzmania, Vrisea and Tillandsia, and where sampled by collecting the water from the phytothelmata, enriching it for APBN using selective media, and by incubated them in the presence of light under anoxic conditions. The colonies with the characteristic reddish pigment were isolated and characterized microbiologically, by absorption spectra and by scanning electron microscopy. A total of twenty six gram- negative rod-shaped bacteria of variable size were isolated and the presence of bacterial photosynthetic pigments was confirmed by a whole cell absorption spectra. Genomic DNA was extracted from the isolates in order to complete the molecular analyses which included the PCR amplification of the 16S rDNA and the pufM genes for further in silico analysis. The data obtained suggest the presence of the genera Rhodomicrobium and Rhodospeudomonas, being the latter the most abundant genus in all the analyzed samples. Also, the molecular analyses suggest the isolation of as many as 9 isolates that belong to new genera. The data confirm the ubiquity of the isolates and their presence as part of the microflora of this habitat in nature. Finally, the biotechnological potential of the isolated APNB was explored by testing their ability of using diesel and biodiesel as the sole carbon source aerobically, anaerobically and by photosynthesis. The results indicated that only two of the isolates were able to use biodiesel only under photosynthetic conditions.