Microbial Community Structure in Zahrez-Gharbi Lake and Hadjer El-Melh Salt Rock, Algeria

This study explores the microbial community composition in two hypersaline environments in Djelfa, Algeria: Zahrez-Gharbi, a seasonal saline lake, and Hadjer El-Melh, a salt rock formation with hypersaline water seeps. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, this project aims to characterize the taxonomic diversity and compare microbial assemblages between both sites. These extreme environments are of interest due to their high salinity, alkalinity, and potential for harboring novel halophilic bacteria and archaea. Understanding microbial life in such extreme ecosystems contributes to ecological, biogeochemical, and biotechnological insights relevant to climate adaptation, extremophile survival mechanisms, and potential bioproduct discovery.