Three plant species, Aster sphathulifolius, Sedum oryzifolium, and Lysimachia mauritiana, native to the Dokdo Islands in South Korea, were examined for rhizosphere microorganisms by using 16S rDNA sequences. Nine species of rhizosphere microorganisms were isolated from the three native plant species, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the microorganisms could be classified into 19 species belonging to four phyla (Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria), and the characteristics of the microbes were confirmed. Rhizosphere microorganisms from the six orders (Bacillales, Corynebacteriales, Flavobacteriales, Micrococcales, Oceanospirillales, and Rhodobacterales) were isolated from S. oryzifolium. From L. mauritiana, microbes belonging to the seven orders (Bacillales, Flavobacteriales, Micrococcales, Oceanospirillales, Rhizobiales, and Rhodobacterales) were isolated.From A. sphathulifolius, the six orders of rhizosphere microorganisms (Alteromonadales, Bacillales, Corynebacteriales, Flavobacteriales, Micrococcales, and Rhizobiales) were isolated. These data showed that Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla for the rhizosphere of all three plants. To confirm the bacterial diversity in rhizospheres, Shannon's diversity index (H') was used at the genus level. In these data, the rhizosphere from S. oryzifolium and L. mauritiana had more diverse bacteria compared to that from A. sphathulifolius.

Bacterial diversity was studied in the rhizosphere of Suaeda japonica Makino, which is native to Suncheon Bay in South Korea. Soil samples from several sites were diluted serially, and pure isolation was performed by subculture using marine agar and tryptic soy agar media. Genomic DNA was extracted from 29 pure, isolated bacterial strains, after which their 16S rDNA sequences were amplified and analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis was performed to confirm their genetic relationship. The 29 bacterial strains were classified into five groups: phylum Firmicutes (44.8%), Gamma proteobacteria group (27.6%), Alpha proteobacteria group (10.3%), phylum Bacteriodetes (10.3%), and phylum Actinobacteria (6.8%). The most widely distributed genera were Bacillus (phylum Firmicutes), and Marinobacterium, Halomonas, and Vibrio (Gamma proteobacteria group). To confirm the bacterial diversity in rhizospheres of S. japonica, the diversity index was used at the genus level. The results show that bacterial diversity differed at each of the sampling sites. These 29 bacterial strains are thought to play a major role in material cycling at Suncheon Bay, in overcoming the sea/mud flat-specific environmental stress. Furthermore, some strains are assumed to be involved in a positive interaction with the halophyte S. japonica, as rhizospheric flora, with induction of growth promotion and plant defense mechanism.