Metabarcoding under Brine: Microbial Ecology of Five Hypersaline Lakes at Rottnest Island (WA, Australia)

Hypersaline ecosystems—aquatic environments where concentration of salt exceeds 35 g L−1—host microbial communities that are highly specialised to cope with these extreme conditions. However, our knowledge on the taxonomic diversity and functional metabolisms characterising in water columns hypersaline ecosystems is still limited, this may compromise future preservation unique environments. DNA metabarcoding provides a reliable affordable tool investigate environmental dynamics aquatic ecosystems, its use brine can be informative. Here, we make bacterial 16S techniques combined hydrochemical analyses patterns (diversity functions) from five lakes located at Rottnest Island (WA). Our results indicate lake-driven assemblages characterised by taxonomically functionally moderately extremely halophilic groups, TDS (total dissolved solids) alkalinity amongst most influential parameters driving community patterns. Overall, findings suggest allows rapid but ecological assessment Island. Further studies involving different across multiple seasons will help elucidate full extent potential brine.