Halophilic Microbe Counts on Rock Surfaces in the Bochnia Salt Mine

The Bochnia Salt Mine in southern Poland was sampled to investigate rock surfaces as reservoirs for airborne halophilic microorganisms. Surface swabs from rock salt and salty claystone were collected at three underground sites during summer and winter, with microbial counts analyzed via cultivation and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The dataset was authored by Magdalena Kowalewicz-Kulbat and last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Compare halophilic versus non-halophilic microbe abundances based on colony-forming unit (CFU) counts per surface area.
• Analyze seasonal variation in microbial communities based on summer and winter sampling data.
• Identify dominant archaeal taxa on rock surfaces based on the 11 species listed in the description.
• Investigate the relationship between rock-associated and airborne microbial communities referenced in the study.

Strengths

• Provides specific microbial abundance ranges: halophiles at 1.2×10³ to 4.3×10³ CFU/25 cm², non-halophiles at 0.5–1.3×10² CFU/25 cm².
• Includes seasonal comparison data: mean halophilic abundance was approximately 3.8×10³ CFU/25 cm² in summer and 1.4×10³ CFU/25 cm² in winter.
• Identifies 11 specific halophilic archaeal species, dominated by members of the genus Halococcus.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is small (20.1 KB), indicating limited scope.

Provenance

Source

Magdalena Kowalewicz-Kulbat via figshare.

Collection Method

Surface swabs collected from rock salt and salty claystone, analyzed using cultivation-based methods combined with 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Time Range

Sampling conducted during summer and winter seasons.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-22 05:46:31; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bochnia Salt Mine, southern Poland.