Characterization of nickel-resistant bacteria isolated from serpentine soil

In the present study, heterotrophic nickel-resistant bacteria were isolated and characterized from three different serpentine outcrops in central Italy populated by the nickel-hyperaccumulating plant Alyssum bertolonii. Bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of the plant and from soil portions at various distances from the plant. The proportion of nickel-resistant cfu was higher in proximity to the plant than in free soil. A total of 138 isolates was collected and grouped into 47 different operational taxonomic units (OTUs) by means of amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and into 25 heavy-metal resistant phenotypes. The phylogenetic position of strains belonging to 20 OTUs, representing more than the 70% of the total isolates, was determined by 16S rDNA sequencing. These analyses showed that the most represented genera in all three different outcrops were Pseudomonas and Streptomyces. Pseudomonas strains were found to be predominant in the plant rhizosphere, whereas Streptomyces strains were mainly present in the soil.