Analysis of diversity of Diazotrophic bacteria associated with the rhizosphere of a tropical Arbor, Melastoma malabathricum L.

Abstract

The diversity of diazotrophic bacteria in the rhizosphere of Melastoma malabathricum L. was investigated by cloning-sequencing of the nif H gene directly amplified from DNA extracted from soil. Samples were obtained from the rhizosphere and bulk soil of M. malabathricum growing in three different soil types (acid sulfate, peat and sandy clay soils) located very close to each other in south Kalimantan, Indonesia. Six clone libraries were constructed, generated from bulk and rhizosphere soil samples, and 300 nif H clones were produced, then assembled into 29 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on percent identity values. Our results suggested that nif H gene diversity is mainly dependent on soil properties, and did not differ remarkably between the rhizosphere and bulk soil of M. malabathricum except in acid sulfate soil. In acid sulfate soil, as the Shannon diversity index was lower in rhizosphere than in bulk soil, it is suggested that particular bacterial species might accumulate in the rhizosphere.