Open AccessBiodiversity of cultivable psychrotrophic marine bacteria isolated from Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)
Author(s) -
Michaud Luigi,
Cello Francescopaolo,
Brilli Matteo,
Fani Renato,
Giudice Angelina,
Bruni Vivia
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1016/s0378-1097(03)00857-7
Subject(s) - biology , intraspecific competition , interspecific competition , amplified ribosomal dna restriction analysis , rapd , marine bacteriophage , 16s ribosomal rna , bay , phylogenetic tree , zoology , genetic variability , biodiversity , ribosomal dna , bacteria , ecology , genetic diversity , genetics , gene , population , geography , genotype , demography , archaeology , sociology
A set of 146 Antarctic marine isolates from the Ross Sea was characterized by a combination of molecular techniques in order to determine the degree of inter‐ and intraspecific variability. Isolates were analyzed by amplified rDNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) using the tetrameric enzyme Alu I, resulting in 52 different groups, corresponding to at least 52 different bacterial species, indicating a high degree of interspecific variability. The phylogenetic position of bacteria belonging to some ARDRA groups was obtained by sequencing of 16S rDNA. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, carried out on the largest ARDRA groups, revealed a high intraspecific genetic variability, too. The analysis of plasmid content revealed the existence of horizontal gene transfer between strains belonging to the same and to different species. A comparison of the whole body of morphological, physiological and biochemical data was finally carried out.