Preliminary Study of Potential Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria Identified by 16S rRNA Sequencing in Haina Port Water Samples, Dominican Republic

Microorganisms live in a wide range of environments, performing diverse roles either independently or in association with other organisms forming consortia. This study is focused on those with the ability to bioremediate environments contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs), that is, the case of bacteria, fungi, algae, and consortia. PHC contamination constitutes a major global environmental issue, and presents a serious ecological risk. This research was conducted in the coastal waters of Haina Port (Dominican Republic) and the main objective was to characterise the bacterial communities with bioremediation capacity by sequencing the 16S rRNA. The samples were collected in sterile conditions, and physicochemical and molecular analyses were conducted. The results revealed the composition and distribution of bacterial communities in the area. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria is the dominant group, accounting for 70–90% of the community. At the class level, Gammaproteobacteria is the predominant group, followed by Alphaproteobacteria which ranks second in relative abundance. Bacillaceae appears as the most abundant family at most points. This 16S rRNA survey provides a taxonomic baseline of the microbial community, identifying taxa with documented degradative potential. Future functional analyses and culture studies are required to quantify and confirm the active metabolic pathways of the detected microorganisms.