Open AccessCyanobacterial diversity in the phyllosphere of a mangrove forest
Author(s) -
Rigonato Janaina,
Alvarenga Danillo Oliveira,
Andreote Fernando Dini,
Dias Armando Cavalcante Franco,
Melo Itamar Soares,
Kent Angela,
Fiore Marli Fátima
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01299.x
Subject(s) - biology , mangrove , rhizophora mangle , transect , phyllosphere , species richness , ecology , rhizophoraceae , avicennia marina , botany , genetics , bacteria
The cyanobacterial community colonizing phyllosphere in a well‐preserved B razilian mangrove ecosystem was assessed using cultivation‐independent molecular approaches. Leaves of trees that occupy this environment ( R hizophora mangle , A vicennia schaueriana and L aguncularia racemosa ) were collected along a transect beginning at the margin of the bay and extending upland. The results demonstrated that the phyllosphere of R . mangle and L . racemosa harbor similar assemblages of cyanobacteria at each point along the transect. A . schaueriana , found only in the coastal portions of the transect, was colonized by assemblages with lower richness than the other trees. However, the results indicated that spatial location was a stronger driver of cyanobacterial community composition than plant species. Distinct cyanobacterial communities were observed at each location along the coast‐to‐upland transect. Clone library analysis allowed identification of 19 genera of cyanobacteria and demonstrated the presence of several uncultivated taxa. A predominance of sequences affiliated with the orders N ostocales and O scillatoriales was observed, with a remarkable number of sequences similar to genera S ymphyonemopsis / B rasilonema (order N ostocales ). The results demonstrated that phyllosphere cyanobacteria in this mangrove forest ecosystem are influenced by environmental conditions as the primary driver at the ecosystem scale, with tree species exerting some effect on community structure at the local scale.