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JPR Advance Access published online on March 8, 2008
Journal of Plankton Research, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbn035
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Heterogeneity of LSU rDNA sequences and morphology of Gymnodinium catenatum dinoflagellate strains in Bahía Concepción, Gulf of California, Mexico

Christine J. Band-Schmidt1,*, Delia I. Rojas-Posadas2, Lourdes Morquecho2 and Norma Y. HernáNdez-Saavedra2

1 Depto. de Plancton y Ecología Marina, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas-IPN, A.P. 592, La Paz, B.C.S. 23000, Mexico 2 Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, A.P. 128, La Paz, B.C.S. 23000, Mexico

* corresponding author: cbands{at}ipn.mx

Received on November 12, 2008; revised on March 3, 2008; accepted on March 4, 2008


  Abstract

We report the LSU rDNA sequences and morphology of several Gymnodinium catenatum dinoflagellate strains isolated from Bahía Concepción, Mexico. PCR amplifications of the D1-D2 fragment of the nuclear large subunit rDNA gene resulted in a single product of approximately 889 bp. A phylogenetic tree was constructed from the partial LSU rDNA (350 bp) sequences from six strains of G. catenatum isolated from the bay and 12 isolates from around the world. Strains from the bay grouped within the G. catenatum clade, however a constant characteristic of G. catenatum strains from the bay is that, at position {approx}453, a single nucleotide polymorphism was observed, presenting cytosine instead of guanine. This single base polymorphism could indicate a mutation or genetic isolation from other G. catenum populations. It is suggested that the Western Pacific could be the ancestral population of this species. Significant differences were found between cell length (CL), cell width (CW), and cell width/cell length ratios in laboratory cultures in the late exponential growth phase. Average cell length varied between 41 and 53.69 µm, with a range between 26.94 and 69.99 µm; average cell width varied between 33.75 and 40.68 µm, with a range between 25.04 and 54.73 µm; the average CW/CL varied between 0.76 and 0.97 µm, with a range between 0.49 and 1.27 µm. Cingulum thickness was between 3 and 4.11 µm, with a range between 1.97 and 6.74 µm. Cell size varied with the length of the chain, and position in the chain.

Key Words: Gulf of California • Gymnodinium catenatum • LSU rDNA • morphology

Communicating Editor: Dr Roger Harris


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