BAISAKHI SAHA, SOUVIK BAG, ABHIJIT MANDAL AND SOUMENDRANATH CHATTERJEE
Abstract
Ancient landscapes safeguarded by local communities, harbour small forest patches, and the Chandur Forest stands out as a crucial one in the Hooghly district, West Bengal. This tropical dry forest, characterized by numerous trees, is surrounded by urbanization. The soil in these areas represents a complex ecosystem hosting various microorganisms, including bacteria. This study aimed to assess the bacterial diversity and physiochemical properties of soil samples collected from different zones within the Chandur Forest. In this investigation, the bacterial diversity in soil samples from ten specific zones within the Chandur forest of the Hooghly district, West Bengal, labeled as Region 1 to 10, was scrutinized. The populations of various aerobic bacterial groups were quantified using the serial dilution method. The soil samples underwent dilution up to a 10-5 dilution. The populations of aerobic heterotrophic, Gram-negative, spore-forming, phosphate-solubilizing, nitrifying, asymbiotic N2-fixing, and nitrate-reducing bacteria ranged from 35 to 11 Ã 107, 29 to 10 Ã 104, 39 to 20 Ã 106, 31 to 15 Ã 105, 39 to 19 Ã 105, 41 to 22 Ã 105, and 42 to 25 Ã 105 cfu/g dry soil, respectively. The physical properties of soil samples from the study sites were also assessed, revealing organic carbon content, available nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium levels ranging from 0.19% to 0.63%, 17 to 37 kg/ha, 41 to 71 kg/ha, and 166 to 302 kg/ha, respectively. Hierarchical classical clustering was employed to elucidate similarities between different groups of soil bacteria. This emphasizes the complex interaction among microbial communities, environmental factors, and the plant ecosystem within the Chandur forest. Consequently, the soil takes center stage as a vital element in the Chandur forest ecosystem, where microorganisms play pivotal roles in governing soil fertility, nutrient mobilization, soil health, and exerting significant influences on plant development. The present study underscores the notably abundant bacterial populations thriving in the soil of the Chandur forest.