Bacterial Diversity in the Different Ecological Niches Related to the Yonghwasil Pond (Republic of Korea)

The bacteriome profile was studied in freshwater ecosystems within the Yonghwasil pond, situated at the National Institute of Ecology, Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, central western Korea. Six samples from water, mud, and soil niches were assessed, specifically from lake water, bottom mud (sediment), and root-soil samples of Bulrush, wild rice, Reed, and Korean Willow. Notably, the phylum <i>Actinobacteria</i> exhibited an upward trend moving from water to mud to soil samples, whereas <i>Chloroflexi</i> showed a contrasting decrease. Across the board, <i>Proteobacteria</i> emerged as the reigning phylum, and subsequent dominance was attributed to <i>Firmicutes</i> and <i>Actinobacteria</i>. The water samples were characterized by an enriched presence of <i>Cyanobacteria</i> and <i>Bacteroidetes</i>, whereas the mud samples distinctly housed a higher concentration of <i>Chloroflexi</i>. Assessing biodiversity through OTU and ACE indices revealed a subdued species richness in the water samples. On the contrary, mud samples stood out with the highest OTU and ACE metrics, signifying a microbially diverse habitat. Bulrush, wild rice, Reed, and Willow samples showed intermediate microbial diversity. The Shannon index further corroborated the pronounced microbial diversity in mud and Bulrush habitats with others. This research elucidates the microbial intricacies across different habitats within Yonghwasil Pond, emphasizing the pivotal role of environmental matrices in shaping bacterial communities.