Prokaryotic microbiomes of halophile and halotolerant microalgae

Microalgae are the primary producers of organic matter in reservoirs of various types. They serve as the base of food webs in the water ecosystems. The growth of algae is known to be influenced by the associated bacteria. The aim of this project is evaluation of the composition of prokaryotic communities associated with microalgae isolated from lakes and rivers with different salinities. A new dataset of sequences of V3-V4 region 16S rDNA resulted from the project, will be used to assess the diversity and structure of bacterial communities associated with algae under different salinities. The data can be applied for the study of interactions between prokaryotes and algae in associations. The obtained results are also promising for development of methods of handling the biotechnological processes involving commercially important cultures of algae.