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TAXONOMIC RESOLUTION OF LEPTOLYNGBYA (CYANOPHYTA) UTILIZING THE 16S rRNA GENE SEQUENCE
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2001.jpy37303-104.x
Subject(s) - biology , genbank , phylogenetic tree , 16s ribosomal rna , maximum parsimony , ribosomal rna , phylogenetics , clade , genetics , evolutionary biology , gene
Payne, M. C., Johansen, J. R., & Boyer, S. L. Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH 44118 USA Partial 16SrRNA sequence data were obtained from 17 strains of desert soil Leptolyngbya from three sites in the western United States to determine phylogenetic relationships. The resulting sequence data was aligned and analyzed with currently published sequence data from other cyanobacteria within the genus Microcoleus (outgroup) and other Leptolyngbya. Phylogenetic analysis using the optimality criteria of parsimony, distance, and maximum likelihood all gave trees with nearly identical topology that were well supported by their respective boot‐strap analyses. A large well‐supported clade contained 11 of our Leptolyngbya strains and the two Leptolyngbya sequences on GenBank. One unusual, calyptrate Leptolyngbya was molecularly similar to Microcoleus. One strain, with the classic sheath morphology of Schizothrix, was distinct in its 16S rRNA sequence from both Leptolyngbya and Microcoleus. Two other strains were distinct from all strains in our tree. We suspect that Leptolyngbya as currently delineated contains multiple genera and many cryptic genospecies with highly similar morphology. Additional phenotypic characterization using other character sets is warranted. There was some evidence for limited operon‐specific variability in the 16S rRNA gene in our strains.