Poster: Bioinformatics

Abs # 858: Molecular Diversity of Green Microalgae: The Itasca Example

Presenter:	Veit, Mariah B., mariah-veit@utulsa.edu
Authors	Veit, Mariah B. (A)   Buchheim, Mark A (A)   Buchheim, Julie A (A)   Portman, Richard  (A)
Affiliations:	(A): University Of Tulsa

Given the perception of both an absence of geographic barriers and broad habitat tolerances, the current dogma is that relatively little species-level diversity exists among freshwater eukaryotic microbes. The chlorophycean flagellates are thought to be globally ubiquitous with relatively few genera and species. However, reliance on a "morphospecies" concept may be underestimating actual diversity. A project to begin addressing this problem was initiated in which anatomical and molecular evidence from unknowns isolated from seven different freshwater sites at Itasca State Park (MN, USA). Ultrastructural investigations of comparative pyrenoid architecture from 41 Itasca isolates have been initiated using transmission electron microscopy. Results from these investigations revealed substantial molecular and ultrastructural diversity among the chlorophycean flagellates. From the 80 18S rDNA sequences that have been characterized more than 70 are new to science. This profound molecular diversity is inconsistent with hypotheses of low species counts and raises questions about ubiquitous distribution.