ABSTRACT. Alternative phylogenies for the genus Streptococcus have been proposed due to uncertainty about the among-species group relationships. Here, we performed a phylogenetic analysis of the genus Streptococcus, considering all the species groups and also the genomic data accumulated by other studies. Seventy-five species were subjected to a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis using sequences from eight genes (16S rRNA, rpoB, sodA, tuf, rnpB, gyrB, dnaJ, and recN). On the basis of our results, we propose a new Phylogeny for the genus, with special emphasis on the inter-species group level. This new phylogeny differs from those suggested previously. From topological and evolutionary distance criteria, we propose that gordonii, pluranimalium, and sobrinus should be considered as new species groups, in addition to the currently recognized groups of mutans, bovis, pyogenic, suis, mitis, and salivarius.
Monitoring plans using environmental DNA have the potential to offer a standardized and cost-efficient method to survey biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems. Among these ecosystems, coastal wetlands are key elements that serve as transition zones between marine and freshwater ecosystems and are today the target of many conservation and restoration efforts. In this sense, eDNA monitoring could provide a rapid and efficient tool for studying and generating baseline biodiversity information to guide coastal wetland management programs. Here, we test an eDNA metabarcoding assay as a tool to characterize vertebrate biodiversity in one of the largest coastal wetlands of Chile, the Rio Cruces Wetland, a Ramsar designated site since 1981. We sampled surface water from 49 sites along the entire wetland. Our eDNA approach detected 91genera of vertebrates including amphibians, fishes, mammals, and birds, as well as identified several cryptic, exotic, and endangered species. Our results also indicated that the spatial distribution of eDNA from different species is spatially structured despite the complex hydrodynamics inherent in this wetland due to the influence of daily tidal regimes. For amphibians and fishes, the number of taxa detected with eDNA was higher in the periphery of the wetland, and increased with proximity to the ocean, a pattern consistent with small-scale spatial sensitivity for some species and eDNA accumulation downstream for others. Birds and mammals showed somewhat more idiosyncratic distributions. Taken together, our results add to the growing body of evidence showing eDNA can serve as a rapid cost-effective tool
ABSTRACT. Streptococcus is a diverse bacterial lineage. Species of this genus occupy a myriad of environments inside humans and other animals. Despite the elucidation of several of these habitats, many remain to be identified. Here, we explore a methodological approach to reveal unknown bacterial environments. Specifically, we inferred the phylogeny of the Mitis group by analyzing the sequences of eight genes. In addition, information regarding habitat use of species belonging to this group was obtained from the scientific literature. The oral cavity emerged as a potential, previously unknown, environment of Streptococcus massiliensis. This phylogenybased prediction was confirmed by species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. We propose employing a similar approach, i.e., use of bibliographic data and molecular phylogenetics as predictive methods, and species-specific PCR as confirmation, in order to reveal other unknown habitats in further bacterial taxa.
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