Thalassiosira sundarbana sp. nov. (Bacillariophyta), an estuarine diatom from Sundarbans mangrove ecoregion based on morphology and molecular phylogeny

Abstract

A new species of diatom, Thalassiosira sundarbana, is described based on light and scanning electron microscopy along with molecular phylogeny. The specimen was collected from Chemaguri creek of the Indian part of Sundarbans mangroves, and subsequently a clonal culture was established. Thalassiosira sundarbana possess variable numbers of occluded processes, and one labiate process on the valve face. Valve margin is ribbed and areolae are fasciculated on the valve face. Two rings of strutted processes are present on valve face. Strutted processes are also scattered on the valve face apart from the presence of two rings. Valvocopula and copula have rows of pore, and pleurae are hyaline. Bayesian analyses of nuclear encoded small subunit (SSU) rDNA and plastid encoded rbcL gene confirmed that T. sundarbana is phylogenetically novel. Salinity tolerance experiment with the clonal culture of T. sundarbana showed that this isolate can grow in salinity ranging from 10-35 psu. The maximum growth rate was observed in 15 psu salinity (0.5 divisions 24 h −1 ). On the basis of morphological features and molecular phylogeny, this clonal isolate is considered as a new estuarine species of Thalassiosira.

Nitrogen driven niche differentiation in bacterioplankton communities of northeast coastal Bay of Bengal

“…On the eastern border of River Hooghly lies the largest island of the Indian Sundarbans, Sagar Island. Two predefined stations, Stn1 and Stn3, lie in Chemaguri creek and Mooriganga estuary respectively, and are part of the Sundarbans Biological Observatory Time Series (SBOTS) (Bhattacharjee et al 2013, Samanta and Bhadury 2015, Choudhury et al 2015. Chemaguri creek originates in the River Hooghly, transverses the island, and opens into the Mooriganga River.…”

Study of diatom assemblages in Sundarbans mangrove water based on light microscopy and rbcL gene sequencing

“…Incidentally, T . sundarbana is a new species of Thalassiosira that has been recently discovered and described from an estuarine environment in Sundarbans ( Samanta and Bhadury, 2015 ). The detection of rbc L signatures of T. sundarbana additionally from SBR suggested that this species may be indigenous to Sundarbans mangrove and also has a broad distribution throughout the ecosystem.…”