Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Pilot survey of cyanobacterial diversity from the neighborhood of San Gerardo de Rivas, Costa Rica with a brief summary of current knowledge of terrestrial cyanobacteria in Central America

  • Published:
Brazilian Journal of Botany Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Costa Rica is considered to be a biodiversity hotspot but little is known of its cyanobacterial flora and only a few studies dealing with aeroterrestrial algae have been published from this region so far. Our work focuses on the diversity of terrestrial cyanobacteria from Costa Rican cloud forest and compares our findings to knowledge from surrounding regions. In March 2010 samples of macroscopic cyanobacterial mats were collected from rocks, soils and a bromeliad leaf pool near the town of San Gerardo de Rivas, Costa Rica. The composition of the mats was investigated using light microscopy of fresh samples and acquired cultures. Among the 52 morphotypes revealed, heterocytous cyanobacteria with colored sheaths dominated, even though the most common species was Aphanocapsa cf. muscicola. The majority of morphotypes were determined to species level, and the rest was classified only to genus. Interestingly, nearly half of the species are considered to be cosmopolitan according to current knowledge and only four of the species present in our samples were known previously from Costa Rica (Stigonema minutum, Scytonema ocellatum, Sc. javanicum, and Sc. hofmannii). These results emphasize the need for phycological research in this understudied tropical area. We believe that our study will help not only to uncover further biodiversity in Costa Rican cloud forest but also to understand the distribution of cyanobacterial species among different biogeographical and climatic regions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2–14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bischoff HW, BOLD HC (1963) Phycological Studies. IV. Some soil algae from Enchanted Rock and related algal species. Univ Tex Publ 6318:1–95

  • Bourrelly P, Manguin E (1952) Algues d’eau douce de la Guadeloupe et dépendances recueillies par la Mission P. Allorge em 1936. Societé D’Edition d’Enseignement Supérieur, Paris.

  • Büdel B (1999) Ecology and diversity of rock-inhabiting cyanobacteria in tropical regions. Eur J Phycol 34:361–370

    Google Scholar 

  • Büdel B, Lüttge U, Stelzer R, Huber O, Medina E (1994) Cyanobacteria of rocks and soils of the Orinoco Lowlands and the Guayana Uplands. Venezuela. Bot. Acta 107:422–431

    Google Scholar 

  • Caneva G, Salvadori O, Ricci S, Ceschin S (2005) Ecological analysis and biodeterioration processes over time at the Hieroglyphic Stairway in the Copan (Honduras) archaeological site. Plant Biosyst 139:295–310

    Google Scholar 

  • Castenholz RW (2001) Phylum BX. cyanobacteria. Oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria. In: Garrity G, Boone DR, Castenholz RW (eds) Bergey’s manual of systematic bacteriology: the Archaea and the deeply branching and phototrophic bacteria, vol 1. Springer, New York

  • Crispim CA, Gaylarde CC (2005) Cyanobacteria and biodeterioration of cultural heritage: a review. Microb Ecol 49:1–9

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dojani S, Lakatos M, Rascher U, Wanek W, Lüttge U, Büdel B (2007) Nitrogen input by cyanobacterial biofilms of an inselberg into a tropical rainforest in French Guiana. Flora 202:521–529. doi:10.1016/j.flora.2006.12.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drouet F (1938) Notes non Myxophyceae I–IV. Bull Torrey Bot Club 65:285–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drouet F (1942) The filamentous Myxophyceae of Jamaica. Bot Ser Field Mus Nat Hist 20:107–122

    Google Scholar 

  • Freiberg E (1998) Microclimatic parameters influencing nitrogen fixation in the phyllosphere in a Costa Rican premontane rain forest. Oecologia 117:9–18. doi:10.1007/s004420050625

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freiberg E (1999) Influence of microclimate on the occurrence of cyanobacteria in the phyllosphere in a premontane rain forest of Costa Rica. Plant Biol 1:244–252. doi:10.1111/j.1438-8677.1999.tb00250.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furnkranz M, Wanek W, Richter A, Abell G, Rasche F, Sessitsch A (2008) Nitrogen fixation by phyllosphere bacteria associated with higher plants and their colonizing epiphytes of a tropical lowland rainforest of Costa Rica. ISME J 2:561–570. doi:10.1038/ismej.2008.14

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner NL (1927) New Myxophyceae from Puerto Rico. Mem N Y Bot Garden 7:1–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaylarde CC, Gaylarde PM (2005) A comparative study of the major microbial biomass of biofilms on exteriors of buildings in Europe and Latin America. Int Biodeterior Biodegrad 55:131–139. doi:10.1016/j.ibiod.2004.10.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaylarde CC, Ortega-Morales BO, Bartolo-Perez P (2007) Biogenic black crusts on buildings in unpolluted environments. Curr Microbiol 54:162–166. doi:10.1007/s00284-006-0432-8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Geitler L (1932) Cyanophyceae. In: Rabenhorst L (ed) Kryptogamenflora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig

    Google Scholar 

  • Golubić S (1967) Die Algenvegetation an Sandsteinfelsen Ost-Venezuelas (Cumaná). Int Rev gesamten Hydrobiol Hydrogr 52:693–699

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gorbushina AA (2007) Life on the rocks. Environ Microbiol 9:1613–1631

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hauer T (2010) Phototrophic biofilms on the interior walls of concrete Iterson-type cooling towers. J Appl Phycol 22:733–736. doi:10.1007/s10811-010-9513-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hauer T, Bohunická M, Mühlsteinová R (2013) Calochaete gen. nov. (cyanobacteria, Nostocales)—a new cyanobacterial type from „páramo“zone in Costa Rica. Phytotaxa 109:36–44. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.109.1.4

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann L (1989) Algae of terrestrial habitats. Bot Rev 55:77–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johansen JR, Casamatta DA (2005) Recognizing cyanobacterial diversity through adoption of a new species paradigm. Algol Stud 117:71–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaštovský J, Fučíková K, Hauer T, Bohunická M (2011) Microvegetation on the top of Mt Roraima, Venezuela. Fottea 11:171–186

    Google Scholar 

  • Komárek J (2003) Problem of the taxonomic category “species” in cyanobacteria. Algol Stud 109:281–297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Komárek J, Anagnostidis K (1998) Cyanoprokaryota I. In: Ettl H, Gärtner G, Heynig H, Mollenhauer D (eds) Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa 19/1. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart

  • Komárek J, Anagnostidis K (2005) Cyanoprokaryota II. In: Büdel B, Krienitz L, Gärtner G, Schagerl M (eds) Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa 19/2. Elsevier/Spektrum, München

    Google Scholar 

  • Komárek J, Hauer T (2013) CyanoDB.cz—on-line database of cyanobacterial genera. University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic. http://www.cyanodb.cz. Accessed 7 June 2013

  • Kufferath H (1929) Algues et Protistes muscicoles, corticoles et terrestres récoltés sur la montagne de Barba (Costa-Rica). Ann Cryptogam Exot 2:23–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Lakatos M, Bilger W, Büdel B (2001) Carotenoid composition of terrestrial cyanobacteria: response to natural light conditions in open rock habitats in Venezuela. Eur J Phycol 36:367–375

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewin RA (2006) Black algae. J Appl Phycol 18:699–702. doi:10.1007/s10811-005-9018-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mataloni G, Komárek J (2004) Gloeocapsopsis aurea, a new subaerophytic cyanobacterium from maritime Antarctica. Polar Biol 27:623–628. doi:10.1007/s00300-004-0620-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, da Fonseca DAB, Kent J (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403:853–858

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ortega-Morales BO, Guezennec J, Hernandez-Duque G, Gaylarde CC, Gaylarde PM (2000) Phototrophic biofilms on ancient Mayan buildings in Yucatan, Mexico. Curr Microbiol 40:81–85

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ortega-Morales BO, Gaylarde CC, Englert GE, Gaylarde PM (2005) Analysis of salt-containing biofilms on limestone buildings of the Mayan culture at Edzna, Mexico. Geomicrobiol J 22:261–268. doi:10.1080/01490450500182524

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ramirez M, Hernández-Mariné M, Novelo E, Roldán M (2010) Cyanobacteria-containing biofilms from a Mayan monument in Palenque, Mexico. Biofouling 26:399–409. doi:10.1080/08927011003660404

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rascher U, Lakatos M, Büdel B, Lüttge U (2003) Photosynthetic field capacity of cyanobacteria of a tropical inselberg of the Guiana Highlands. Eur J Phycol 38:247–256. doi:10.1080/0967026031000121679

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Řeháková K, Chlumská Z, Doležal J (2011) Soil cyanobacterial and microalgal diversity in dry mountains of Ladakh, NW Himalaya, as related to site, altitude, and vegetation. Microb Ecol 62:337–346. doi:10.1007/s00248-011-9878-8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rivera-Aguilar V, Montejano G, Rodriguez-Zaragoza S, Duran-Diaz A (2006) Distribution and composition of cyanobacteria, mosses and lichens of the biological soil crusts of the Tehuacan Valley, Puebla, Mexico. J Arid Environ 67:208–225. doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2006.02.013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sant’Anna CL, Azevedo MTP, Fiore MF, Lorenzi AS, Kaštovský J, Komárek J (2011) Subgeneric diversity of Brasilonema (cyanobacteria, scytonemataceae). Rev Bras Bot 34:51–62. doi:10.1590/S0100-84042011000100006

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarthou C, Therezien Y, Couté A (1995) Cyanophycées de l’inselberg des Nouragues (Guyane française). Nova Hedwig 61:85–109

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The research was supported by Grant MŠMT/AMVIS LH12100. The authors would like to thank to anonymous reviewers for valuable comments to the manuscript, and to Markéta Bohunická and Jan Mareš for help with samples collection.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Radka Mühlsteinová & Tomáš Hauer

  2. Institute of Botany AS CR, Dukelská 135, 37982, Třeboň, Czech Republic

    Tomáš Hauer

Authors
  1. Radka Mühlsteinová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tomáš Hauer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tomáš Hauer.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mühlsteinová, R., Hauer, T. Pilot survey of cyanobacterial diversity from the neighborhood of San Gerardo de Rivas, Costa Rica with a brief summary of current knowledge of terrestrial cyanobacteria in Central America. Braz. J. Bot 36, 299–307 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-013-0030-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-013-0030-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation