Blechnum rhizosphere microbial community project. Metagenome

Prince Edward Islands (PEIs) archipelago comprises of two islands namely Marion Island (270 km2) and the smaller Prince Edward Island (45 km2) separated by a shallow strait of between 40 to 200 m in depth. The PEIs are situated within the APFZ, flanked by the sub-Antarctic Front (SAF) and Antarctic Polar Front (APF), respectively. The island contains different habitats, which support diverse flora and fauna, especially vascular plants are distributed throughout the island. Till date, 22 species were recorded, among them may of them were alien species which were introduced into the islands by fisherman’s in the early days. Among them, the dominant species are Azorella selgo, Cotula plumose, Blechnum penna-marina that is known as the bio-engineers of the island, which help in the formation of soil around the Island. The current study, aims to investigate the rhizosphere microbial communities of Blechnum penna-marina species present in different geographical regions of the island and its role in ecosystem functioning of the island.