Morphological and genetic evidence that the cyanobacterium Lyngbya wollei (Farlow ex Gomont) Speziale and Dyck encompasses at least two species.

ABSTRACT: Dense blooms of the cyanobacterium Lyngbya wollei are increasingly responsible for declining water quality and habitat degradation in numerous springs, rivers, and reservoirs. This research represents the first molecular phylogenetic analysis of L. wollei in comparison with the traditional morphological characterization of this species. Specimens were collected from several springs in Florida and a reservoir in North Carolina. Segments of the small-subunit (SSU) rRNA and nifH genes were PCR amplified, cloned, and sequenced. The phylogenetic analysis of the SSU rRNA gene revealed sequences that fell into three distinct subclusters, each with >97% sequence similarity. These were designated operational taxonomic unit 1 (OTU1), OTU2, and OTU3. Similarly, the nifH sequences fell into three dist

SUBMITTER: Joyner JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2446555 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature