Picocyanobacteria diversity in ultraoligotrophic Andean lakes: comparison of fingerprinting patterns between conservative and functional genes

CARAVATI, E.; LEMBO, F.; CALLIERI, C.; MODENUTTI, B.E.; CORNO, G.; BALSEIRO, E.G; BERTONI, R.

Bolzano, Italia

Congreso; SITE 2009; 2009

AIOL

The study of picocyanobacteria (Pcy) diversity in freshwater has received far less attention than in marine waters mainly focusing on culture dependent methods. In this research we selected seven ultraoligotrophic Andean North Patagonian lakes where more than 95% of autotrophic picoplankton community is composed by Pcy. In these lakes we characterized the community structure composition among Pcy with the Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) using both 16S rRNA gene and psbA gene, involved in the photosynthetic process. The results showed two different similarity trees of the picocianobacterial communities. The conservative 16S rRNA grouped the lakes on a regional scale, dividing the lakes of the Atlantic from those of the Pacific hydrographic basin. The DGGE on the funcional gene psbA, grouped the OTUs (Operational Taxonomic Units) within lakes, therefore more on a local scale.