PhytoREF: a reference database of the plastidial 16S rRNA gene of photosynthetic eukaryotes with curated taxonomy

Photosynthetic eukaryotes have a critical role as the main producers in most ecosystems of the biosphere. The ongoing environmental metabarcoding revolution opens the perspective for holistic ecosystems biological studies of these organisms, in particular the unicellular microalgae that often lack distinctive morphological characters and have complex life cycles. To interpret environmental sequences, metabarcoding necessarily relies on taxonomically curated databases containing reference sequences of the targeted gene (or barcode) from identified organisms. To date, no such reference framework exists for photosynthetic eukaryotes. In this study, we built the PhytoREF database that contains 6490 plastidial 16S rDNA reference sequences that originate from a large diversity of eukaryotes representing all known major photosynthetic lineages. We compiled 3333 amplicon sequences available from public databases and 879 sequences extracted from plastidial genomes, and generated 411 novel sequences from cultured marine microalgal strains belonging to different eukaryotic lineages. A total of 1867 environmental Sanger 16S rDNA sequences were also included in the database. Stringent quality filtering and a phylogeny-based taxonomic classification were applied for each 16S rDNA sequence. The database mainly focuses on marine microalgae, but sequences from land plants (representing half of the PhytoREF sequences) and freshwater taxa were also included to broaden the applicability of PhytoREF to different aquatic and terrestrial habitats. PhytoREF, accessible via a web interface (http://phytoref.fr), is a new resource in molecular ecology to foster the discovery, assessment and monitoring of the diversity of photosynthetic eukaryotes using high-throughput sequencing.

Molecular identification and localization of filamentous symbiotic bacteria associated with the hydrothermal vent annelid Alvinella pompejana

Alvinella pompejana is a polychaetous annelid that inhabits high temperature environments associated with active deep-sea hydrothermal vents along the East Pacific Rise. A unique and diverse epibiotic microflora with a prominent filamentous morphotype is found associated with the worm's dorsal integument. A previous study established the taxonomic positions of two epsilon proteobacterial phylotypes, 13B and 5A, which dominated a clone library of 16S rRNA genes amplified by PCR from the epibiotic microbial community of an A. pompejana specimen. In the present study deoxyoligonucleotide PCR primers specific for phylotypes 13B and 5A were used to demonstrate that these phylotypes are regular features of the bacterial community associated with A. pompejana. Assaying of other surfaces around colonies of A. pompejana revealed that phylotypes 13B and 5A are not restricted to A. pompejana. Phylotype 13B occurs on the exterior surfaces of other invertebrate genera and rock surfaces, and phylotype 5A occurs on a congener, Alvinella caudata. The 13B and 5A phylotypes were identified and localized on A. pompejana by in situ hybridization, demonstrating that these two phylotypes are, in fact, the prominent filamentous bacteria on the dorsal integument of A. pompejana. These findings indicate that the filamentous bacterial symbionts of A. pompejana are epsilon Proteobacteria which do not have an obligate requirement for A. pompejana.

Metabolic and ecological study of environmental pentose utilizing bacteria (E-PUB)

Lignocellulosic materials, such as sugar cane bagasse, a waste product of the sugarcane processing industry, agricultural residues and herbaceous crops, may serve as an abundant and comparatively cheap feedstock for largescale industrial fermentation, resulting in the production of marketable end-products. However, the complex structure of lignocellulosic materials, the presence of various hexose and pentose sugars in the hemicellulose component, and the presence of various compounds that inhibit the organisms selected for the fermentation process, all constitute barriers that add to the production costs and make full scale industrial production economically less feasible. The work presented in this thesis was conducted in order to screen microorganisms for ability to utilize pentose sugars derived from the sugar mill industrial waste. A large number of individual bacterial strains were investigated from hemi-cellulose rich material collected at the Proserpine and Maryborough sugar mills, notably soil samples from the mill sites. The research conducted to isolation of six pentose-capable Gram-positive organisms from the actinomycetes group by using pentose as a sole carbon source in the cultivation process. The isolates were identified as Corynebacterium glutamicum, Actinomyces odontolyticus, Nocardia elegans, and Propionibacterium freudenreichii all of which were isolated from the hemicellulose-enriched soil. Pentose degrading microbes are very rare in the environment, so this was a significant discovery. Previous research indicated that microbes could degrade pentose after genetic modification but the microbes discovered in this research were able to naturally utilize pentose. Six isolates, identified as four different genera, were investigated for their ability to utilize single sugars as substrates (glucose, xylose, arabinose or ribose), and also dual sugars as substrates (a hexose plus a pentose). The results demonstrated that C. glutamicum, A. odontolyticus, N. elegans, and P. freudenreichii were pentose-capable (able to grow using xylose or other pentose sugar), and also showed diauxie growth characteristics during the dual-sugar (glucose, in combination with xylose, arabinose or ribose) carbon source tests. In addition, it was shown that the isolates displayed very small differences in growth rates when grown on dual sugars as compared to single sugars, whether pentose or hexose in nature. The anabolic characteristics of C. glutamicum, A. odontolyticus, N. elegans and P. freudenreichii were subsequently investigated by qualitative analysis of their end-products, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). All of the organisms produced arginine and cysteine after utilization of the pentose substrates alone. In addition, P. freudenreichii produced alanine and glycine. The end-product profile arising from culture with dual carbon sources was also tested. Interestingly, this time the product was different. All of them produced the amino acid glycine, when grown on a combination substrate-mix of glucose with xylose, and also glucose with arabinose. Only N. elegans was able to break down ribose, either singly or in combination with glucose, and the end-product of metabolism of the glucose plus ribose substrate combination was glutamic acid. The ecological analysis of microbial abundance in sugar mill waste was performed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and also the metagenomic microarray PhyloChip method. Eleven solid samples and seven liquid samples were investigated. A very complex bacterial ecosystem was demonstrated in the seven liquid samples after testing with the PhyloChip method. It was also shown that bagasse leachate was the most different, compared to all of the other samples, by virtue of its richness in variety of taxa and the complexity of its bacterial community. The bacterial community in solid samples from Proserpine, Mackay and Maryborough sugar mills showed huge diversity. The information found from 16S rDNA sequencing results was that the bacterial genera Brevibacillus, Rhodospirillaceae, Bacillus, Vibrio and Pseudomonas were present in greatest abundance. In addition, Corynebacterium was also found in the soil samples. The metagenomic studies of the sugar mill samples demonstrate two important outcomes: firstly that the bagasse leachate, as potentially the most pentose-rich sample tested, had the most complex and diverse bacterial community; and secondly that the pentose-capable isolates that were initially discovered at the beginning of this study, were not amongst the most abundant taxonomic groups discovered in the sugar mill samples, and in fact were, as suspected, very rare. As a bioprospecting exercise, therefore, the study has discovered organisms that are naturally present, but in very small numbers, in the appropriate natural environment. This has implications for the industrial application of E-PUB, in that a seeding process using a starter culture will be necessary for industrial purposes, rather than simply assuming that natural fermentation might occur.

Identification of bacterial community composition in freshwater aquaculture system farming of Litopenaeus vannamei reveals distinct temperature-driven patterns

Change in temperature is often a major environmental factor in triggering waterborne disease outbreaks. Previous research has revealed temporal and spatial patterns of bacterial population in several aquatic ecosystems. To date, very little information is available on aquaculture environment. Here, we assessed environmental temperature effects on bacterial community composition in freshwater aquaculture system farming of Litopenaeus vannamei (FASFL). Water samples were collected over a one-year period, and aquatic bacteria were characterized by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and 16S rDNA pyrosequencing. Resulting DGGE fingerprints revealed a specific and dynamic bacterial population structure with considerable variation over the seasonal change, suggesting that environmental temperature was a key driver of bacterial population in the FASFL. Pyrosequencing data further demonstrated substantial difference in bacterial community composition between the water at higher (WHT) and at lower (WLT) temperatures in the FASFL. Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the highest abundant phyla in the FASFL, however, a large number of unclassified bacteria contributed the most to the observed variation in phylogenetic diversity. The WHT harbored remarkably higher diversity and richness in bacterial composition at genus and species levels when compared to the WLT. Some potential pathogenenic species were identified in both WHT and WLT, providing data in support of aquatic animal health management in the aquaculture industry.

A universal test to determine the integrity of RNA, and its suitability for reverse transcription, in animal tissue laboratory specimens

Degradation of RNA in diagnostic specimens can cause false-negative test results and potential misdiagnosis when tests rely on the detection of specific RNA sequence. Current molecular methods of checking RNA integrity tend to be host species or group specific, necessitating libraries of primers and reaction conditions. The objective here was to develop a universal (multi-species) quality assurance tool for determining the integrity of RNA in animal tissues submitted to a laboratory for analyses. Ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) transcribed from the mitochondrial 16S rDNA was used as template material for reverse transcription to cDNA and was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). As mitochondrial DNA has a high level of conservation, the primers used were shown to reverse transcribe and amplify RNA from every animal species tested. Deliberate degradation of rRNA template through temperature abuse of samples resulted in no reverse transcription and amplification. Samples spiked with viruses showed that single-stranded viral RNA and rRNA in the same sample degraded at similar rates, hence reverse transcription and PCR amplification of 16S rRNA could be used as a test of sample integrity and suitability for analysis that required the sample's RNA, including viral RNA. This test will be an invaluable quality assurance tool for determination of RNA integrity from tissue samples, thus avoiding erroneous test results that might occur if degraded target RNA is used unknowingly as template material for reverse transcription and subsequent PCR amplification.

Detection of Arcobacter spp. in piggery effluent and effluent-irrigated soils in southeast Queensland

Aims: To investigate the occurrence and levels of Arcobacter spp. in pig effluent ponds and effluent-treated soil. Methods and Results: A Most Probable Number (MPN) method was developed to assess the levels of Arcobacter spp. in seven pig effluent ponds and six effluent-treated soils, immediately after effluent irrigation. Arcobacter spp. levels in the effluent ponds varied from 6.5 × 105 to 1.1 × 108 MPN 100 ml-1 and in freshly irrigated soils from 9.5 × 102 to 2.8 × 104 MPN g-1 in all piggery environments tested. Eighty-three Arcobacter isolates were subjected to an abbreviated phenotypic test scheme and examined using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR identified 35% of these isolates as Arcobacter butzleri, 49% as Arcobacter cryaerophilus while 16% gave no band. All 13 nonreactive isolates were subjected to partial 16S rDNA sequencing and showed a high similarity (>99%) to Arcobacter cibarius. Conclusions: A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus and A. cibarius were isolated from both piggery effluent and effluent-irrigated soil, at levels suggestive of good survival in the effluent pond. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first study to provide quantitative information on Arcobacter spp. levels in piggery effluent and to associate A. cibarius with pigs and piggery effluent environments.

Characterisation of antibiotic-resistant psychrotrophic bacteria in raw milk

Dynamics of raw milk associated bacteria during cold storage of raw milk and their antibiotic resistance was reviewed, with focus on psychrotrophic bacteria. This study aimed to investigate the significance of cold storage of raw milk on antibiotic-resistant bacterial population and analyse the antibiotic resistance of the Gram-negative antibiotic-resistant psychrotrophic bacteria isolated from the cold-stored raw milk samples. Twenty-four raw milk samples, six at a time, were obtained from lorries that collected milk from Finnish farms and were stored at 4°C/4 d, 6°C/3 d and 6°C/4 d. Antibiotics representing four classes of antibiotics (gentamicin, ceftazidime, levofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) were used to determine the antibiotic resistance of mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria during the storage period. A representative number of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative isolates retrieved from the cold-stored raw milk samples were identified by the phenotypic API 20 NE system and a few isolates by the 16S rDNA gene sequencing. Some of the isolates were further evaluated for their antibiotic resistance by the ATB PSE 5 and HiComb system. The initial average mesophilic counts were found below 105 CFU/mL, suggesting that the raw milk samples were of good quality. However, the mesophilic and psychrotrophic population increased when stored at 4°C/4 d, 6°C/3 d and 6°C/4 d. Gentamicin- and levofloxacin-resistant bacteria increased moderately (P < 0.05) while there was a considerable rise (P < 0.05) of ceftazidime- and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole-resistant population during the cold storage. Of the 50.9 % (28) of resistant isolates (total 55) identified by API 20 NE, the majority were Sphingomonas paucimobilis (8), Pseudomonas putida (5), Sphingobacterium spiritivorum (3) and Acinetobacter baumanii (2). The analysis by ATB PSE 5 system suggested that 57.1% of the isolates (total 49) were multiresistant. This study showed that the dairy environment harbours multidrug-resistant Gramnegative psychrotrophic bacteria and the cold chain of raw milk storage amplifies the antibioticresistant psychrotrophic bacterial population.

The Biocontrol Agent Phlebiopsis gigantea: Efficacy and Impacts on the Stump Bacterial Biota and Conifer tree Defences

Phlebiopsis gigantea has been for a long time known as a strong competitor against Heterobasidion annosum and intensively applied as a biological control agent on stump surfaces of Picea abies in Fennoscandia. However, the mechanism underlying its antagonistic activity is still unknown. A primary concern is the possible impact of P. gigantea treatment on resident non-target microbial biota of conifer stumps. Additional risk factor is the potential of P. gigantea to acquire a necrotrophic habit through adaptation to living wood tissues. This study focused on the differential screening of several P. gigantea isolates from diverse geographical sources as well as the use of breeding approach to enhance the biocontrol efficacy against H. annosum infection. The results showed a significant positive correlation between growth rate in wood and high biocontrol efficacy. Furthermore, with aid of breeding approach, several progeny strains were obtained that had better growth rate and control efficacy than parental isolates. To address the issue of the potential of P. gigantea to acquire necrotrophic capability, a combination of histochemical, molecular and transcript profiling (454 sequencing) were used to investigate the interactions between these two fungi and ten year old P. sylvestris seedlings. The results revealed that both P. gigantea and H. annosum provoked strong necrotic lesions, but after prolonged incubation, P. gigantea lesions shrank and ceased to expand further. Tree seedlings pre-treated with P. gigantea further restricted H. annosum-induced necrosis and had elevated transcript levels of genes important for lignification, cell death regulation and jasmonic acid signalling. These suggest that induced localized resistance is a contributory factor for the biocontrol efficacy of P.gigantea, and it has a comparatively limited necrotrophic capability than H. annosum. Finally, to investigate the potential impact of P. gigantea on the stump bacterial biota, 16S rDNA isolated from tissue samples from stumps of P. abies after 1-, 6- and 13-year post treatment was sequenced using bar-coded 454 Titanium pyrosequencing. Proteobacteria were found to be the most abundant at the initial stages of stump decay but were selectively replaced by Acidobacteria at advanced stages of the decay. Moreover, P. gigantea treatment significantly decreased the bacterial richness at initial decay stage in the stumps. Over time, the bacterial community in the stumps gradually recovered and the negative effects of P. gigantea was attenuated.

Environmental monitoring of bacterial contamination and antibiotic resistance patterns of the fecal coliforms isolated from Cauvery River, a major drinking water source in Karnataka, India

The present study focuses prudent elucidation of microbial pollution and antibiotic sensitivity profiling of the fecal coliforms isolated from River Cauvery, a major drinking water source in Karnataka, India. Water samples were collected from ten hotspots during the year 2011-2012. The physiochemical characteristics and microbial count of water samples collected from most of the hotspots exhibited greater biological oxygen demand and bacterial count especially coliforms in comparison with control samples (p <= 0.01). The antibiotic sensitivity testing was performed using 48 antibiotics against the bacterial isolates by disk-diffusion assay. The current study showed that out of 848 bacterial isolates, 93.51 % (n=793) of the isolates were found to be multidrug-resistant to most of the current generation antibiotics. Among the major isolates, 96.46 % (n=273) of the isolates were found to be multidrug-resistant to 30 antibiotics and they were identified to be Escherichia coli by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. Similarly, 93.85 % (n=107), 94.49 % (n=103), and 90.22 % (n=157) of the isolates exhibited multiple drug resistance to 32, 40, and 37 antibiotics, and they were identified to be Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas trivialis, and Shigella sonnei, respectively. The molecular studies suggested the prevalence of blaTEM genes in all the four isolates and dhfr gene in Escherichia coli and Sh. sonnei. Analogously, most of the other Gram-negative bacteria were found to be multidrug-resistant and the Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus spp. isolated from the water samples were found to be methicillin and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This is probably the first study elucidating the bacterial pollution and antibiotic sensitivity profiling of fecal coliforms isolated from River Cauvery, Karnataka, India.

Mitochondrial gene sequences useful for species identification of western North Atlantic Ocean sharks

Molecular-based approaches for shark species identification have been driven largely by issues specific to the fishery. In an effort to establish a more comprehensive identification data set, we investigated DNA sequence variation of a 1.4-kb region from the mitochondrial genome covering partial sequences from the 12S rDNA, 16S rDNA, and the complete valine tRNA from 35 shark species from the Atlantic fishery. Generally, within-species variability was low in relation to interspecific divergence because species haloptypes formed monophyletic groups. Phylogenetic analyses resolved ordinal relationships among Carcharhiniformes and Lamniformes, and revealed support for the families Sphyrnidae and Triakidae (within Carcharhiniformes) and Lamnidae and Alopidae (within Lamniformes). The combination of limited intraspecific variability and sufficient between-species divergence indicates that this locus is suitable for species identification.

PCR-based assay for detection of four coral pathogens

Several microorganisms have been identified as pathogenic agents responsible for various outbreaks of coral disease. Little has been learned about the exclusivity of a pathogen to given disease signs. Most pathogens have only been implicated within a subset of corals, leaving gaps in our knowledge of the host range and geographic extent of a given pathogen. PCR-based assays provide a rapid and inexpensive route for detection of pathogens. Pathogen-specific 16S rDNA primer sets were designed to target four identified coral pathogens: Aurantimonas coralicida, Serratia marcescens, Vibrio shilonii, and Vibrio coralliilyticus. Assays detected the presence of targets at concentrations of less than one cell per microliter. The assay was applied to 142 coral samples from the Florida Keys, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands as an in situ specificity test. Assays displayed a high-level of specificity, seemingly limited only by the resolution of the 16S rDNA.

毛乌素沙地中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌遗传多样性对柠条生态系统功能的影响

生物多样性科学（BiodiversityScience）的国际规划提出生物多样性对生态系统功能的影响是整个研究计划五大核心的核心.生物多样性包括遗传、物种和生态系统三个水平,其中遗传多样性是其它两个水平多样性的基础和最终来源.该文在实验室多年研究毛乌素沙地柠条遗传多样性的基础上,分别从表型（生理生化）、蛋白质、同工酶以及遗传型（rDNA）水平探讨中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌的遗传多样性,并模拟沙地生境,建立人工共生体系,以期发现最有效的共生伙伴关系,这不仅有得提高毛乌素地区农牧业产量,更重要的是在当今沙尘暴肆虐的情况下,发挥柠条防风固沙的能力具有现实意义. 1.毛乌素沙地中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌遗传多样性(1)全细胞可溶性蛋白质谱将供试中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌菌株分为两大类群，其中硬梁覆沙地菌株GH72不同于来自沙丘顶部和底部的菌株，而且中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌独立于参比菌株。酯酶同工酶谱分析表明，中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌与参比菌株仅存在一个等位酶位点差异，其余等位点与参菌株共享，因此，酯酶同工酶反映出中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌的异质性。(2)16SrDNA部分序列与16S-23S rDNA IGS结果表明，所有供试菌株扩增产物均较前人报道的分子量偏高。经16S rDNA PCR-RFLP分析，中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌共形成12种基因型，表现出丰富的遗传多样性，其中属于基因型2的菌株占42.4%。代表菌株GH33 16S rDNA全序列结果显示，与已知的快生型根瘤菌同源性在95%以上。(3）中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌生理生化反应特性B．T．B实验证明所有中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌均产酸，符合快生型根瘤菌的特征．唯一碳源测试显示，95%中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌不利用淀粉，33%菌株不利用乳糖，对其他测试碳源不具有选择性。检洲在不同盐离子浓度、不同酸性梯度以及不同温度条件下菌株生长状况，发现毛乌素沙地中间锦鸡儿根瘤菌具极强的耐盐性．53.8%的菌株可以在9%NaCl的YMA培养基生长．75%的菌株在pH4．O和pHl0,0 环境中仍能生长，66.7%菌株在60℃处理1 0min后仍具有生活力。体现出对于干旱沙地的适应。 2．不同实验共生系统中植物和根瘤菌对生态系统功能的影响14株根瘤菌分与三个柠条种（小叶锦鸡儿，中间锦鸡儿和柠条锦鸡儿）回接，用土壤上覆沙模拟毛乌索沙地景观生态条件，以多石砾贫瘠土壤为对照，比较不同基因型柠条与根瘤菌人工共生体的长和结瘤与生境的关系，初步证明根瘤菌很可能是该生态系统的关键种。寄主植物与共生根瘤菌的遗传多样性对生态系统功能的影响与生态环境有关。实验还表明，选择适当的共生组合对于防治沙漠化有很大潜力。3．银染变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳检测RAPD遗传模式以85株小钻杨F2代为材料，用本实验室改良的银染变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳法检测RAPD遗传模式。结果表明，仅用9个引物共扩增到399个位点，其中98个位点表现为多态性，卡方测验显示，79个多态位点符合经典的孟德尔遗传(3：1)，占多态位点80.6%。这种改良的检测RAPD标记的方法必将推动RAPD标汜构建连锁图谱的进程。

生物安全信息建设和转基因棉花根际土壤微生物的分子生态学初探

第一部分：生物安全信息的建设 生物安全( biosafety)是指经过遗传修饰的生物释放到自然界以后对人类健康和生态环境的影响。随着生物技术的发展，转基因生物的大量涌现，其安全性问题越来越引起人们的关注。本文主要介绍了作者在生物安全信息建设的一些工作，建立了生物安全主页和生物安全文献数据库。对主页和数据库的结构和主要内容进行了详细介绍，生物安全主页介绍了全球转基因生物的发展情况，由此带来的一些潜在风险，国内外对生物安全管理的法规和管理机制，以及对风险评估的技术准则和风险的评价指标体系。生物安全文献数据库收录了600多篇有关的文献。 第二部分：转基因棉花根际土壤微生物分子生态学初探 应用分子生物学方法对转基因棉花和对照非转基因棉花根际土壤微生物的多样性进行了一个生长季的跟踪研究，直接从土壤中提取微生物的总DNA，用PCR方法扩增出原核生物核糖体小亚基16S基因和真核生物ITS片段，并对它们进行了克隆和序列测定，共获得80条16S基因全序列和50条ITS段序列，经过分析它们分别属于7个大类的原核微生物和5个大类的真核生物共计33个属。其中，有44个克隆是传统方法所不能分析的不能被培养的微生物种类。应用邻近法分别绘制了系统关系树状图。 这是首次应用全序列分析的方法研究棉花根际土壤微生物的种类组成。为国际核酸序列数据库贡献130条核酸序列，其中有50条是16S rDNA的全序列。在最后对分子生物学方法在微生物生态学中的应用进行了简短讨论。

南海北部区域表层水微生物多样性及其分布特点研究

海洋中的微生物多样性是十分丰富的。南海北部区域表层水的微生物群落结构及物种多样性情况仍不十分清楚。本研究，采用构建基因克隆文库的方法，对该区域内表层水中的微生物多样性及分布特点进行研究。获得了8000多个细菌16S rDNA基因、真核微生物ITS 区基因及光合微型生物 psbA 基因单克隆。本研究结果表明：在南海北部区域表层水中存在两种不同微生物类群，即近海岸带海洋微生物类群和开阔海域海洋微生物类群。 16S rDNA基因克隆文库中，确定了507个OTUs。93.7% 的16S rDNA 序列定义在同一种水平上，1.4 %的16S rDNA序列定义在同一属的水平上，2.7%的16S rDNA序列定义在同一纲的水平上，1.2%的16S rDNA序列定义在同一门的水平上。值得一提的是有0.7%的南海表层水样品的16S rDNA 序列，属于目前数据库中的未知序列。系统育树分析表明这类序列可归属于4个不同的分枝群。与Venter’s Sorcerer II 海洋科考（马尾岛海域）的结果不同，南海北部区域表层水中，并没有发现SAR11分支细菌、丝状杆菌（Fibrobacter）和Rheinheimera细菌序列，但南海北部区域却发现了马尾岛海域未检测到的物种，如酸杆菌门、恐球菌-栖热菌门、厚壁菌门，硝化螺旋菌门，浮霉菌门以及疣微菌类细菌。除疣微菌外，其他5种细菌都是海洋环境样品中较为常见的细菌。变形菌门、蓝细菌及厚壁菌门细菌序列是南海北部表层样品16S rDNA基因克隆文库中的主要类群。 真核生物如浮游植物和海洋真菌是海洋表面生物质的主要组成部分之一。现有的研究多集中在环境样品的原核微生物的群落结构研究上，很少关注海洋微型真核生物的多样性及群落结构分布。本研究通过构建ITS基因克隆文库的方法，得到了3044条ITS序列，最终定义了1288个OTUs。其中，329个OTUs序列定义在同一种水平上，310个OTUs序列定义在同一属或纲的水平上，123个OTUs序列定义在同一门的水平上。值得注意的是有339个OTUs的序列，属于目前数据库中的未知序列。系统发育树分析表明它们分别归属于4个不同的分枝群。这表明以往对海洋真核微型生物的多样性仍知之甚少。盘菌亚门、体腔动物门和担子菌纲是南海北部表层样品ITS基因克隆文库中的主要类群。此外，在南海北部区域还发现了少数归属于绿藻、链形植物、定鞭金藻类、放射虫类、Stramenopiles、Typhlocoela、壶菌类、多孢囊霉目、子囊菌门、地位未定的物种、 酵母、领鞭毛虫门、不可培养的后生动物和海绵动物的ITS序列。 海洋初级生产力主要是依靠光合微型浮游生物进行光合作用完成的。利用新设计的psbA通用引物，对南海北部33个表层水样滤膜进行基因克隆文库建库分析，最终获得了南海北部区域表层水微生物多样性及其分布特点研究3062条部分psbA基因序列，并将其划分为957个 OTUs。其中蓝细菌和未培养的病毒序列在psbA基因库中的数量最多。本研究还发现了南海北部区域存在11个独立分支的新型psbA类群。研究证实psbA基因可以作为一种研究海洋光合微型浮游生物群落结构的指示基因。 克隆文库相似性分析发现，在所有的16S rDNA克隆文库中没有任意两个站点的克隆文库相似性超过50%。虽然N401和N420站点的16S rDNA克隆文库相似性最大，但它们在地理位置上并不接近。一些地理位置接近的站点，其16S rDNA克隆文库之间相似性比较接近。比如，海南岛区域的克隆文库之间就比较相似，且在同一分支。大多数地理环境相似的站点的16S rDNA克隆文库都聚在同一大分支上。例如，来自于珠江口区域站点的克隆文库之间的相似性比较接近，而且分布在一个大分支中；开阔海洋区域的16S rDNA克隆文库，也大多聚类在同一分支中。但也有例外的情况：比如 N107 和N400 站点的16S rDNA克隆文库，就聚类到一起，分析发现这两个文库中所处的环境都是甲烷产生区，其中都含有相似的与甲烷代谢相关的菌群。不过从整体来看，整个南海北部的细菌群落，大致分为两大类：中国大陆近海岸微生物群落和开阔海域微生物群落。33个ITS克隆文库的相似性分析发现：相似性在10%以下的类群，可以分成两大分支，而且该分类，比细菌群落的分布情况更接近南海北部的地理环境特征。对psbA基因克隆文库的相似性分析也验证了在南海北部区域表层水中存在两种不同微生物生态系统。 此外，本研究针对分子生态专业软件DOTUR程序在处理大量克隆文库数据时所遇到的

A survey on relation of morphological, molecular and phylogenetic structure of zoanthids of the islands located in the Hormoz Strait (Hormoz, Qeshm, Larak, Hengam)

The order Zoantharia (Zoanthids) is one of the most neglected orders of cnidarians in the Persian Gulf. The present study aims to investigate the biodiversity of this order with morphological and molecular examination in the Persian Gulf. For this purpose, 123 colonies of zoanthids with variety of shape and colors have been collected from intertidal and shallow water zone of four islands, i. e. Hengam, Qeshm, Larak and Hormoz. After sampling, morphological characteristics of each specimen were recorded based on in situ photographs. Then DNA was extracted using the cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) method. Both mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA (mt 16S rDNA) and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene fragments were amplified and sequenced. The results of preliminary morphological identification integrated with two mitochondrial markers sequencing demonstrated the presence of five different species in this region; Zoanthus sansibaricus, Palythoa mutuki, Palythoa cf. mutuki, Palythoa tuberculosa and Neozoanthus persicus?. Although at first sight, morphological properties were not successful to delineate zoanthid species, they become reliable criteria to identify and delineate species in field studies after molecular identification.