Phylogenetic insights into the diversity of homocytous cyanobacteria from Amazonian rivers

Author(s)

Genuario, Diego Bonaldo ^[1] ; Marcal Vieira Vaz, Marcelo Gomes ^[2] ; de Vielo, Itamar Soares ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Embrapa Environm, Lab Environm Microbiol, BR-13820000 Jaguariuna, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Vicosa, Dept Biol Vegetal, Unidade Crescimento Plarztas, Lab Ficol & Biol Mol, BR-36570900 Vicosa, MG - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution; v. 116, p. 120-135, NOV 2017.
• Web of Science Citations: 5

Abstract

The Amazon Rainforest holds great tropical biodiversity, mainly because of its favourable climatic conditions. The high temperatures, luminosity and humidity coupled with the nutritional simplicity of cyanobacteria allow undiscovered diversity to flourish within this group of microorganisms. Some efforts to reveal this diversity have been attempted; however, most were focused on the microscopic observation of environmental samples without any genetic information. Very few studies focusing on morphological, ecological and molecular criteria have been conducted, and none have been devoted to homocytous cyanobacteria forms in Amazonia region. Therefore, the genetic relationships amongst strains retrieved from this ecosystem with regard to other environments from Brazil and the world have not been tested and, consequently, the Amazonian strains would naturally be assumed as novel to science. To examine these relationships, cultured homocytous cyanobacteria isolated from two Amazonian rivers (Amazonas and Solimfies) were evaluated using a phylogenetic perspective, considering the 16S rRNA gene sequence. A total of eleven homocytous cyanobacterial strains were isolated. Morphologically, they were identified as Pseudanabaena, Leptolyngbya, Planktothrix and Phormidium, but genetically they were included in the typical clusters of Planktothrix, Pseudanabaena, Cephalothrix, Pantanalinema and Alicalinerna. These three latter genera have been detected in other Brazilian ecosystems only (Pantanal, Atlantic Rainforest and Pampa), while those remaining have been extensively found in many parts of the world. The data provided here indicate that Amazonian rivers support a homocytous cyanobacterial diversity previously reported from other geographical and ecological environments. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/26131-7 - Microbiome of Amazon River and its tributaries: biogeography and contribution to N2 cycle
• Grantee: Diego Bonaldo Genuário
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 13/26659-9 - Biodiversity of Trichoderma spp. from the Amazon Forest and bioprospecting of hydrolytic enzymes and bioactive compounds
• Grantee: Itamar Soares de Melo
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants