LAUSR

The episodic monsoon condition in a tropical estuarine environment inputs high allochthonous materials that are rich in carbohydrates and are mainly broken down by enzymatic hydrolysis thus alter both organic matter and microbial community composition of an estuary. β-Glucosidases are one of the enzymes mediating the degradation of carbohydrates and are majorly produced by heterotrophic bacteria. The present study elucidated β-glucosidase-producing culturable bacterial diversity and measured their activity during non-monsoon and monsoon seasons in Zuari estuary. The results revealed that both bacterial abundance and β-glucosidase activity decreased significantly from non-monsoon to monsoon, whereas phylogenetic diversity increased. Majority of β-glucosidase producers during non-monsoon belonged to the members of Bacillales (53%), Pseudomonadales (26%), and Vibrionales (11%) which shifted to the members of Enterobacteriales (51%), Bacillales (14%), Alteromonadales (12%), Aeromonadales (9%), Xanthomonadales (7%), Pseudomonadales (5%), and Flavobacteriales (2%) during the monsoon. The shift in bacterial community structure points out the occurrence of different allochthonous forms with carbohydrate-metabolizing ability during the monsoon, and their relevance in ecology and health of this estuary can be elucidated by studying their functional diversity and is a step ahead.