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Phylogenetic relationships between geographically separate Phormidium cyanobacteria: is there a link between north and south polar regions?

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Abstract

We present a phytogeographical comparison between polar (Arctic and Antarctic) and non-polar strains of the cyanobacterial genus Phormidium, which plays a key role in Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems as primary producer. A total of 26 Phormidium strains were studied using a polyphasic approach, 18 from Arctic (Svalbard, Ellesmere Island and Scandinavian Arctic—Abisko) and Antarctic (Antarctic Peninsula—King George and James Ross Island) regions, and 8 from temperate sites (mostly situated in Central Europe). A phylogenetic tree was constructed and compared with similar 16S rRNA sequences retrieved from Genbank. Within the Phormidium autumnale cluster, genetic similarity of 16S rDNA was more related to geographical proximity of strain origin than to morphological similarity. No genetic identity of Phormidium strains from north and south polar regions was found. The cluster Phormidium autumnale apparently belongs to generic entities in which geographical limitation plays a prominent role. However, the cyanobacterial strains found in Europe suggest that the distribution areas of some Phormidium cyanobacteria overlap. The Phormidium autumnale cluster is evidently a very characteristic type and represents an isolated clade within the traditional genus Phormidium. According to morphological features and the structure of trichomes, it is most similar and thus probably belongs to the genus Microcoleus.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic (Kontakt ME 934, ME 945, INGO LA 341 and MEB 080822) for funding our research. We are very grateful to Mrs. Jana Šnokhousová for her technical assistance. Finally, we highly acknowledge the insightful comments of the reviewers that have significantly improved our paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Třeboň, Czech Republic

    Otakar Strunecký, Josef Elster & Jiří Komárek

  2. Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Otakar Strunecký, Josef Elster & Jiří Komárek

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  1. Otakar Strunecký
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  2. Josef Elster
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  3. Jiří Komárek
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Correspondence to Otakar Strunecký or Josef Elster.

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Strunecký, O., Elster, J. & Komárek, J. Phylogenetic relationships between geographically separate Phormidium cyanobacteria: is there a link between north and south polar regions?. Polar Biol 33, 1419–1428 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0834-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0834-8

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