The archaeal diversity in Bolivian, Chardonnay, HâlenMôn,Himalayan
pink, La Baleine coarse sea and Persian blue rock salts was low with isolates
related to less than 3 type strains. Most interestingly, all isolates
from Hâlen Môn salt belonged to genus Halobacterium. This genuswas
equally important in Himalayan pink salt and La Palma Flor de Sal
where 13 isolates on MGM medium were related to Halobacterium
noricense, even though the colonies were preferentially selected when
they presented a different phenotype.
On the contrary, Guérande and Camargue salts displayed a wide diversity.
In Guérande salt, isolates were related to 9 type strains from 7
different genera while in Camargue salt, isolates were related to 9
type strains belonging to 3 genera (Haloarcula, Halobacterium and
Halorubrum).
A few extremely halophilic bacteria were also observed, mostly on
Hv-YPC medium and MGM. These media have a substrate composition
more complex than CDM and DBCM2, which are supplemented with
pyruvate as sole carbon source. Bacterial isolates related to Salinibacter
ruber (Camargue salt), Halobacillus alkaliphilus and Pontibacillusmarinus
(Guérande salts), Actinopolyspora halophila (Gozo Island salt) and
S. hominis (Marsel® fine salt) (dat