Phylogenetic diversity of picocyanobacteria in Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems, p. 317–322

• Main Authors: W F Vincent, J P Bowman, L M Rankin, T A Mcmeekin
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2000
• Subjects: Antarctic; Arctic; Bylot Island; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1075.1498; http://socrates.acadiau.ca/isme/symposium10/vincent.pdf

ABSTRACT Oxyphotobacteria ascribed to the genera Synechococcus and Synechocystis are widely distributed in Arctic and Antarctic lakes, yet they are poorly represented in the marine polar environment. Arctic lakes contain phycoerythrin-rich as well as phycocyanin-rich picoplankton, implying a level of genetic diversity within this group that is poorly resolved by classic taxonomic criteria. Our culture studies of isolates from ponds on Bylot Island in the Canadian Arctic (lat. 6 cells/ml. Analysis of the 16S rDNA of phycoerythrin-rich isolates from lakes in this region show that they form a distinct cluster, most closely related (97% similar) to P. marinus.