Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Brasilonema roberti-lamii (Cyanophyceae, Nostocales, Scytonemataceae), from Central Mexico

Abstract

This paper is a contribution to the morphological and molecular characterization of the cyanobacterium Brasilonema robertilamii from populations found in Central Mexico. The general growth form and the morphological, morphometric and ecological characteristics of the populations studied clearly correspond to those described for Brasilonema roberti-lamii (basionym: Tolypothrix roberti-lamii) from the French Antilles. Based on molecular data from DNA sequencing of the16S rRNA gene and the IGS of the cpcB-cpcA phycocyanin operon (cpcBA-IGS), we propose that the populations that we studied are closely related to those of other Brasilonema species, including B. octagenarum UFV-OR1, UFV-E1 and HA4187-MV1-p1F, Brasilonema sennae CENA 114, B. tolantongensis, B. terrestre CENA 116, B. angustatum HA4187-MV1-B2+p1F and HA4187-MV1-B2+p1H and B. bromeliae SPC951. Our findings support the transference of Tolypothrix roberti-lamii, which was made based exclusively on morphological criteria, to Brasilonema. The use of molecular analyses in addition to traditional morphological and ecological criteria, known as polyphasic approach, is a good alternative to describe taxa of cyanobacteria, mainly at the genus and species levels.

Brasilonema lichenoides sp. nov. and Chroococcidiopsis lichenoides sp. nov. (Cyanobacteria): two novel cyanobacterial constituents isolated from a tripartite lichen of headstones

“…Our strain did exhibit both “C” and “J” shaped trichomes, similar to our closest relative, B. roberti‐lammi (Rodarte et al. ). While Brasilonema is described as nonattenuated, our new taxon did exhibit rare heteropolarity.…”

“…Several aerophytic, epiphytic, and epilithic Brasilonema species have been isolated from Hawaii, central Mexico, and Brazil (Aguiar et al 2008, Vaccarino and 228 2014). Brasilonema lichenoides was most closely related to B. roberti-lamii, and both strains were growing epilithically in warm humid climates (Rodarte et al 2014). One of the defining features of Brasilonema is the presence of vacuole-like structures (actually free spaces within protoplasts surrounded by thylakoids; Fiore et al 2007), but the new strain did not exhibit such vacuolization in natural populations.…”

“…, Rodarte et al. ). Brasilonema lichenoides was most closely related to B. roberti‐lamii , and both strains were growing epilithically in warm humid climates (Rodarte et al.…”

“…Brasilonema lichenoides was most closely related to B. roberti‐lamii , and both strains were growing epilithically in warm humid climates (Rodarte et al. ). One of the defining features of Brasilonema is the presence of vacuole‐like structures (actually free spaces within protoplasts surrounded by thylakoids; Fiore et al.…”

Nunduva, a new marine genus of Rivulariaceae (Nostocales, Cyanobacteria) from marine rocky shores

“…(currently included in Scytonemataceae) by González-Resendiz et al (2015), based on morphological features such as intercalary heterocytes, development of isopolar hormogonia, occasional geminate false branches, and fasciculated filaments. Although, some morphological traits are close to the Brasilonema genus circumscription, distinctive traits such as the peculiar "bead-like" apical cell, heterocyte size and serial disposition, and distribution in supra and intertidal marine biotopes, in contrast to the freshwater and mainly subaerial habitat of typical Brasilonema species (Fiore et al 2007;Santa'anna et al 2011;Vaccarino et al 2012;Rodarte et al 2014), suggested that it belonged to a separate taxon. Even though the environmental populations have morphological traits that differ from typical Rivulariaceae, phylogenetically they clearly belong to this family and are distant from Brasilonema and other members of the Scytonemataceae.…”