The genera Dolichospermum (Ralfs ex Bornet et Flahault) Wacklin, L. Hoffm. et Komárek and Sphaerospermopsis Zapomělová, Jezberová, Hrouzek, Hisem, K. Řeháková et Komárk.-Legn. represent a highly diversified group of planktonic cyanobacteria that have been recently separated from the traditional genus Anabaena Bory ex Bornet et Flahault. In this study, morphological diversity, phylogeny of the 16S rRNA gene, production of fatty acids, and secondary metabolite profiles were evaluated in 33 strains of 14 morphospecies isolated from the Czech Republic. Clustering of the strains based on 16S rRNA gene sequences corresponded to wider groups of species in terms of morphology. The overall secondary metabolite and fatty acid profiles, however, were not correlated to each other and neither were they correlated to the 16S rRNA phylogeny nor the morphology of the strains. Nevertheless, a minor part of the detected secondary metabolites (19% of all compounds) was present only in close relatives and can be thus considered as autapomorphic features.
Keywords: 16S rRNA gene; Anabaena; Dolichospermum; Sphaerospermopsis; cyanobacteria; fatty acids; morphology; phytoplankton; secondary metabolites; taxonomy.
© 2011 Phycological Society of America.