When Is A Lineage A Species? A Case Study In Myxacorys gen. nov. (Synechococcales: Cyanobacteria) With The Description of Two New Species From The Americas

Soil cyanobacteria are crucial components of biological soil crusts and carry out many functions in dryland ecosystems. Despite this importance, their taxonomy and population genetics remain poorly known. We isolated 42 strains of simple filamentous cyanobacteria previously identified as Pseudophorm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of phycology 2019-10, Vol.55 (5), p.976-996
Main Authors: Pietrasiak, Nicole, Osorio‐Santos, Karina, Shalygin, Sergei, Martin, Michael P., Johansen, Jeffrey R., Collier, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
16S rRNA gene
16S‐23S ITS
Americas
Arid zones
Atacama Desert
biological soil crust
Colorado Desert
Concretions
Crusts
cryptic species
Cyanobacteria
Decision analysis
Detection
Ecosystem
Gene sequencing
Genetics
Mojave Desert
New species
Niches
Nucleotide sequence
Phylogeny
polyphasic approach
Population genetics
Restoration
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
rRNA 16S
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Soil
Soil Microbiology
Soils
South America
Taxonomy
Variability
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Summary:Soil cyanobacteria are crucial components of biological soil crusts and carry out many functions in dryland ecosystems. Despite this importance, their taxonomy and population genetics remain poorly known. We isolated 42 strains of simple filamentous cyanobacteria previously identified as Pseudophormidium hollerbachianum from 26 desert locations in the North and South America and characterized these strains using a total evidence approach, that is, using both morphological and molecular data to arrive at taxonomic decisions. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences, we propose and characterize Myxacorys gen. nov. with two new species Myxacorys chilensis, the generitype, and M. californica. We also found distinct 16S‐23S ITS sequence variability within species in our dataset. Especially interesting was the presence of two distinct lineages of M. californica obtained from locations in close spatial proximity (within a few meters to kilometers from each other) suggesting niche differentiation. The detection of such unrecognized lineage‐level variability in soil cyanobacteria has important implications for biocrust restoration practices and conservation efforts.
ISSN:0022-3646
1529-8817
DOI:10.1111/jpy.12897