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In microbiology, a phylotype is an environmental DNA sequence or group of sequences sharing more than an arbitrarily chosen level of similarity of a particular gene marker. The most widely used phylogenetic marker is the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene. Two prokaryotic sequences are generally considered as belonging to the same phylotype when they are more than 97–98% identical (for eukaryotes, the values generally used are in the 98–99% nucleotide identity range). In prokaryotic microbiology, phylotypes, often referred to as Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs), are a proxy for species.
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Moreira, D., López-García, P. (2011). Phylotype. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1210
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1210
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-11271-3
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