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Type: Article
Published: 2014-03-31
Page range: 241–261
Abstract views: 35
PDF downloaded: 34

Polyphasic characterization of Trichocoleus desertorum sp. nov. (Pseudanabaenales, Cyanobacteria) from desert soils and phylogenetic placement of the genus Trichocoleus

John Carroll University, USA University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic
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Radka Muhlsteinova

Biology Department, Graduate Student
John Carroll University, USA University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic
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Jeffrey R. Johansen

Department of Biology, Professor
John Carroll University
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Nicole Pietrasiak

Department of Biology, Postdoctoral Fellow
John Carroll University
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Michael P. Martin

Department of Biology, Associate Professor
John Carroll University, USA Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico
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Karina Osorio-Santos

Faculty of Sciences, Graduate Student
USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
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Steven D. Warren

Shrub Sciences Laboratory, Researcher
Cyanobacteria Pseudanabaenales Trichocoleus desert soil biological soil crust

Abstract

Little is known about the taxonomic diversity of cyanobacteria in deserts, despite their important ecological roles in these ecosystems. In this study, cyanobacterial strains from the Atacama, Colorado, and Mojave Deserts were isolated and characterized using molecular, morphological, and ecological information. Phylogenetic placement of these strains was revealed through Bayesian and parsimony-based phylogenetic analyses utilizing sequences of the 16S rRNA gene and the associated 16S–23S ITS region. Based on the combined evidence of this polyphasic approach, a new species from desert soils morphologically corresponding to the genus Trichocoleus was described. Trichocoleus desertorum sp. nov. Mühlsteinová, Johansen et Pietrasiak was used to obtain a phylogenetic reference point for Trichocoleus, a genus so far characterized by morphological description only. Through characterization of this new taxon in desert soils we hope to contribute to the general understanding of cyanobacterial diversity in extreme arid habitats.