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Diversity and distribution of fusiform microchlorophyte algae from itasca state park, minnesota, and arrowwood national wildlife refuge, north dakota

Abstract

Several types of fusiform microchlorophyte algae (Monoraphidium, Ankistrodesmus, and related genera) have been characterized from lakes and ponds of Itasca State Park, Minnesota, and Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota. PCR‐RFLP analysis of 18s ribosomal RNA genes was used to categorize 29 different isolates from Itasca State Park into 9 different types, and 15 isolates from the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge samples into 8 different types. 18S ribosomal DNA sequences were determined for at least one isolate from each type for phylogenetic analysis. All of these sequences were different than any sequence published in GenBank. None of the types were found in both Itasca State Park and Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge. These results suggest that fusiform green algae are highly diverse, with little species overlap in different habitats.