A Metagenomic Survey of the Microbial Community from an Australian Thermal Spring

The Innot hot springs in northern Australia is a unique thermal environment with temperatures up to 70 degrees Celsius generated by the heating of subsurface waters that are forced to the surface. To date, no microbial community analysis has been performed on these thermal waters. By analysing the microbial community and physiochemical characteristics of this hot spring, the interactions between the prevailing conditions and microbial community has been assessed. Preliminary analyses of eleven sample sites the microbial community structure showed two distinct community profiles depending on the sample site, a major difference being the presence of the recently described phylum of Bipolaricaulota. In sites where phylum Bipolaricaulota was highly abundant (up to 30% of the overall community based on relative abundance estimates), the microbial richness was greater but other community members were of much lower abundance. At sites where the phylum was absent, the richness was lower, but the abundance of a different suite of microbes was higher.