Collection, Identification and Phylogenetic Diversity of Bacillus species in Soil Samples from Xinjiang

The present study dealt with the collection, identification and phylogenetic diversity of Bacillus species in soil samples from Xinjiang. Fourteen soil samples were used for the microbial identification based on their fatty acid compositions and 16S rDNA sequences. As a result, 53 strains were isolated and identified as 13 species including B. megaterium,B. cereus,B. subtilis,B. alcalophilus,B. viscosus,B. licheniformis,B. atrophaeus, etc. The phylogenetic tree analysis clustered their 16S rDNA sequences for genetic relationship among them. Based on the diversity indices, the Bacillus counts in soils from different locations were found to vary significantly. For instance, the number in Alaer was greater than those in Xinjiang Kashen, Akesu and Takelamagan, in that order. Even the same species in the soil from a same locality could differ significantly. For example, Bacillus cereus was 5.230105 cfug-1 in Akesu, but only 0.7103 cfug-1 in Takelamagan. Bacillus existed abundantly in Xinjiang, and the varieties and quantities in the soils also varied greatly.