Exploration of Microbial Biodiversity in Ephemeral Pools

Abstract

Ephemeral pools have been well studied in regard to eukaryotic life but are understudied in regard to the microorganisms found in these ecosystems. We examined the microbial composition of six ephemeral pools in the Southern Utah area for a 12-day period from the beginning of hydration. The V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene sequence (EMP 16S primers) was sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq system and the reads were analyzed using Mothur bioinformatics analysis software. We identified 58 genera that were present in all six pools, suggesting that these could form a core set of bacteria common to the local ephemeral pool ecosystem. Two pools experienced cyanobacterial blooms, which greatly decreased the microbial diversity of the affected pools. Further research will elucidate any relation these bacteria have with the microfauna found in these pools.