Isolation and characterization of metal resistant-tolerant rhizosphere bacteria from the serpentine soils in Turkey

Despite the number of studies describing metal hyper-accumulating plants and their associated bacteria in various regions and countries, there is no information on rhizosphere microbial potential of the Turkish serpentine soils. This study aimed to explore the rhizosphere microbial diversity of Ni-resistant, hyper-accumulating plants grown on Ni-rich soils and their metal tolerance–resistance characteristics. One hundred ninety-one locations were visited to collect soil and plant samples from different serpentine regions of Western Turkey. Following bioavailable and total Ni analysis of collected samples, the seeds of the selected plants with higher Ni content were taken to the growth/germination test in a range of serpentine soils in a growth chamber condition. In order to investigate the rhizosphere microbial diversity, Isatis pinnatiloba and Alyssum dasycarpum which were able to germinate and grow well in the preliminary tests, were introduced to 6-month greenhouse experiment in the range of three serpentine soils with higher bioavailable Ni content. I. pinnatiloba had a better stimulatory effect on the rhizosphere microbial diversity. A total of 22 bacterial isolates were identified from different soil conditions in the end of experiment. Following microbial identification and confirmation tests, 11 isolates were found to be resistant and tolerant to the increasing concentrations of Ni, Pb, Cd and Zn in the range of 50–2,000 mg L^− 1, which was considerably higher than those indicated by earlier studies. The strains isolated and identified from the Turkish serpentine soils were the members of genera Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Microbacterium and Staphylococcus.