Cyanobacterial diversity in geographically related and distant host plants of the genus Gunnera.
The diversity among 45 cyanobacterial isolates from 11 different Gunnera species originating from different geographical areas was examined. By means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprinting with short tandemly repeated repetitive (STRR) sequences as primers, ten groups of symbiotic cyanobacteria and five unique isolates not belonging to a particular group were identified. Most groups were restricted to one geographical area, indicating a limited distribution of related cyanobacterial strains. An extensive cyanobacterial diversity was found both within and between the 11 different Gunnera species. Within a particular plant and even within the same stem gland, more than one cyanobacterial strain at a time could be present. These results indicate a low specificity in Gunnera-Nostoc symbiosis.
Nilsson
M
M
Department of Botany, Stockholm University, Sweden. carlsson@botan.su.se
Bergman
B
B
Rasmussen
U
U
D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D014644:Genetic Variation; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013559:Symbiosis; D020080:Tandem Repeat Sequences
D004269:DNA, Bacterial