Draft genome assemblies from seven Bacillaceae isolates from woodland soil

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Genomics
• Bacterial Taxonomy

Background:

• Endospore-forming bacteria are crucial in various ecosystems.
• Genomic data is essential for understanding bacterial diversity and function.
• Campus environments harbor diverse microbial communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and identify endospore-forming bacteria from a campus woodland.
• To generate draft genome sequences for selected bacterial isolates.
• To contribute novel genomic data to the scientific community.

Main Methods:

• Bacterial isolation from soil samples.
• Genomic DNA extraction and purification.
• Whole-genome sequencing using Illumina NextSeq platform.
• Bioinformatic analysis for genome assembly.

Main Results:

• Seven endospore-forming bacterial strains were successfully isolated.
• Draft genome assemblies were generated for *Bacillus wiedmanii*_SC129, *Bacillus pseudomycoides*_SC131, *Bacillus pumilis*_SC133, *Peribacillus butanolivorans*_SC135, *Bacillus thuringiensis*_SC136, *Priestia megaterium*_SC138, and *Bacillus wiedmanii*_SC141.
• Genome sizes ranged from 3,645,032 to 5,969,865 bp with GC content from 34.8% to 41.2%.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully characterized seven endospore-forming bacteria from a campus woodland.
• The generated draft genomes provide valuable resources for future research on these bacterial species.
• This work enhances the genomic database for bacteria within the *Bacillus*, *Priestia*, and *Peribacillus* genera.