Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
CUMHURIYET SCIENCE JOURNAL, cilt.47, sa.1, ss.34-43, 2026 (TRDizin)
Blue Lake, a newly discovered soda lake in Giresun Province, Türkiye, is characterized by alkaline water and
moderate salinity, creating a unique and unexplored habitat for microorganisms. This study aimed to investigate the
prokaryotic diversity of Blue Lake using both culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches and to
evaluate the industrial enzyme-producing potential of the cultivable isolates. Physicochemical properties of water
and sediment samples were analyzed, followed by 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomic sequencing and conventional
cultivation techniques. Metagenomic analyses revealed a highly diverse prokaryotic community comprising 52 phyla
and 311 species, with Proteobacteria being the dominant phylum (65.79 ± 4.94%) and Gammaproteobacteria being
the most abundant class (46.58 ± 5.18%). Acinetobacter was identified as the predominant genus, while
Sphingobacterium multivorum was the most prevalent species. A total of 87 bacterial isolates were obtained using
culture-dependent methods, several of which exhibited significant enzymatic activities, including protease, lipase,
amylase, cellulase, chitinase, and pectinase production. The presence of enzyme-producing alkaliphilic and
halotolerant bacteria highlights the biotechnological and environmental potential of Blue Lake. This study provides
the first integrated metagenomic and cultivation-based characterization of the prokaryotic ecosystem of Blue Lake,
contributing valuable insights into soda lake microbiomes and their industrial relevance.