Genetic Composition of Benthic Bacterial Assemblages in the River Cauvery, Tamil Nadu, India

Most naturally occurring biofilms contain a vast majority of microorganisms, which have not yet been cultured, and therefore we have little information on the genetic content of the communities. It has been observed that 99% of the microorganisms present in many natural environments are not readily culturable and therefore not accessible for biotechnological and basic research. As the physical and chemical factors that affect the planktonic bacteria may also affect attached microorganisms, examination of the genetic composition of bacterial community of the benthos was examined by PCR amplification using a domain bacteria specific universal primer. The distribution of bacterial assemblages in the river sediment along the stations were not uniform which could be due to longitudinal and temporal changes caused by natural and anthropogenic influences.