Isolation of Cellulolytic Bacillus sp. from the Viviparous Seedling Hypocotyls of Red Mangrove – Rhizophora mucronata Lam.

Mangroves are one of the world’s most unique tropical coastal ecosystems. They are a rich repository of biological wealth, including specially adapted flora and fauna. The microbiome component of this ecosystem is a fascinating world that is yet to be fully explored for its functional and ecological inter-relationships with its hosts. The mangrove ecosystem is a hidden treasure of microbial diversity, without which mangrove biology is incomplete. In the present study, the isolation of a cellulase-producing, endophytic Bacillus sp. from the hypocotyl region of viviparous seedlings is described. This study urges us to look into the microbial diversity of mangrove propagules, by presenting a glimpse of a member of the endospheric microbiome of viviparous hypocotyls.