DIVERSITY OF SEAGRASS IN PULICAT LAKE AND IDENTIFICATION OF ASSOCIATED BACTERIAL ISOLATES

Abstract

Background: Seagrasses are marine flowering plants that form productive ecosystems in shallow
coastal waters and support diverse epiphytic and endophytic bacterial communities. The present
study was undertaken to document the diversity of seagrass species present in Pulicat Lake, India's
second-largest brackish water lagoon, and to isolate, identify, and characterize the bacteria
associated with them.
Materials and Methods: Seagrass species were collected from Pulicat Lake and identified
(Halophila ovalis and Syringodium isoetifolium) on the basis of their morphological characteristics.
Bacteria associated with the roots, leaves, and rhizosphere of both species were isolated on
nutrient agar and Zobell marine agar, yielding 7 isolates from H. ovalis (HO-1 to HO-4) and S.
isoetifolium (SI-1 to SI-3).
Results: Halophila ovalis and Syringodium isoetifolium were the seagrass species collected from the
Pulicat Lake. The associated bacterial isolates were characterized on the basis of colony
morphology, biochemical tests, and carbohydrate fermentation patterns. Totally 7 bacterial species
were obtained from the different genera.
Conclusion: The findings provide baseline data on seagrass and associated bacterial diversity in
Pulicat Lake and highlight the lagoon's potential as a reservoir of ecologically and medically
significant marine bacteria.