Phylogenetic Characterization of Nitrifying Bacteria Isolated from East Kolkata Wetland

AbstractEast Kolkata Wetland (EKW) is an “International Ramsar Site”, famous for broad biodiversity and insightful use of sewage for aquaculture. Native nitrifying bacteria of EKW play a significant role in maintaining water quality and controlling environmental pollution by converting ammonia into nitrate in wastewater. Therefore, the characterization of nitrifying bacteria is important in EKW. Thus, the main focus of this research was to identify and characterize the nitrifying bacteria, investigating their phylogeny and diversity in EKW. 16S rRNA and functional genes analysis may help in the proper evaluation of composition and distribution of nitrifying bacteria in some water bodies in EKW, which has not yet been explored. Molecular and phylogenetic characterization was targeted and achieved through 16S rRNA and functional gene analysis, followed by computational estimation. Resulted sequences were analysed to gain insight into the knowledge for global and local taxonomic orientation. Hence, a model can be created for characterizing the dynamics of nitrifying bacteria in wastewater treatment and sustainable aquaculture in different water bodies of EKW. Graphical Abstract