Snapshot of microbial diversity in an Australian sugarcane bagasse pile

Sugarcane bagasse, the fibrous material remaining after sugarcane stalks are crushed, is one of the world's largest sources of lignocellulosic biomass. The bagasse is burnt to provide energy for the mill but also often stored in large open-air piles where it becomes a unique environmental niche. 16S and ITS2 rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to gain insight into the microbial communities living in different layers of an Australian sugarcane bagasse pile.