Genotypic characterization of soil bacteria in the Umm Al-Namil Island, Kuwait

Microflora is an integral part of soil ecosystem, in which bacteria are the largest group of soil microbes. This is a pioneer study for establishing baseline data on the diversity of soil bacteria among different regions in Kuwait. The aim is to understand biodiversity in different settings, how bacteria adapt to different niches in the environment as well as in different hosts. The identification of bacterial 16S rRNA molecules from environmental soil samples was investigated. Genomic Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA was extracted from 25 soil samples derived from five different test regions in the Umm Al-Namil Island, Kuwait. After amplification of bacterial 16S rRNA molecules by the Polymerase chain reaction PCR, the products were characterized and complex band patterns were obtained, indicating high bacterial diversity. A sample of the 16 s rRNA amplicons were sequenced in order to identify the species. The spatial distribution of bacterial taxa in the different soil samples was homogeneous, suggesting a stable and widespread community. Forty-nine isolates from Umm Al-Namil island were identified by comparative analysis of partial 16S rRNA gene sequences. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out in order to study the connection between the isolates to identify species. A large proportion of these isolates represent correspond to known or novel species within the Pseudomonus and Bacillus genera, which are common soil bacteria. Our results provided a reference for future studies to facilitate bacterial identification and ecological research in Kuwait.