Microbial communities (Bacteria and Fungi) of two tropical sandy beaches of Republic of Djibouti (Horn of Africa)

Sandy beaches ecosystems represent key ecotonal zones between terrestrial and marine environments. Sand represents a complex habitat hosting bacteria and fungi that are actively involved in the carbon and in geochemical cycles and could be indicators of beach health, monitoring impact of human activities. Here, we evaluated the bacterial and fungal diversity in two different tropical sandy beaches from Republic of Djibouti, Africa, from a rural (Sagallou-Kalaf, SK, siliceous) and an urban area (Siesta Plage, SP, calcareous), reflecting different anthropic pressure. Genomic DNA was extracted from sediment samples, and metagenomic sequencing of bacterial (V3-V4 16S rRNA) and fungal (ITS2) biomarkers was performed.