Abstract

It is well stablished that some cyanobacterial biomasses have nutritious ingredients and have been consumed for centuries. In South America, macrocolonies of filamentous diazotrophic species, order Nostocales, known as Llayta, can be found at Andean wetlands and have been consumed since pre-Columbian times. Cyanocohniella sp. LLY has been identified as a major cyanobacterial member of the Llayta cyanosphere, however, the microflora colonizing these macrocolonies has been poorly explored. Genomic DNA from Gentamycin-treated cyanobacterial filaments purified from the rehydrated biomass of Llayta macrocolonies, were subjected to metagenomics studies to identify resilient members of the accompanying heterotrophic bacterial flora. Here, we report a metagenomics-based identification of five prominent bacterial members belonging to the genera Mesorhizobium, Microvirga, Paracoccus, Aquimonas, and Blastomonas, tightly adhered to Llayta trichomes. Their metagenome-assembled genomes and information on putative genes and genes clusters involved in primary and secondary metabolism is also provided. We expect this information on Llayta cyanosphere would help to further explore adaptive responses and role of cyanobacteria macrocolonies in ecosystem processes under the stressful environmental conditions prevailing at the Atacama Desert highlands.