In-sight into microbial structure and function of an Eastern Obolo estuarine water using metagenomics

Abstract

Estuary microbes play several crucial roles that are not fully understood. We utilised metagenomics, a culture-independent technique to evaluate microbial composition and functions in an estuary. Sampling and physicochemical analyses were carried out using standard techniques. Extracted metagenomic DNA was sequenced using next-generation sequencing on the Illumina Miseq platform. In addition to taxonomic analysis, functional genes assessment was carried out using several pipelines for a robust analysis. The result of the physicochemical analysis showed anthropogenic influence on the estuarine water. Structural composition revealed two kingdoms (bacteria and archaea), and the dominant phyla to be firmicutes and proteobacteria. All three pipelines combined showed genes associated with energy metabolisms, post-translational modifications, and environmental information processing. Interestingly, these functions were linked to either proteobacteria (alpha and gamma proteobacteria) or firmicutes. The wide array of energy metabolisms and environmental information processing pathways confirm microbial versatility in an estuary. Evaluation of microbial structure and function as done in this study can infer the status of an ecosystem.