Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS14 Microbial Diversity (Disciplinary Connections)

Date: Monday, February 12, 2001, Time: 3:45:00 PM

Location: Brazos

Fuller, N, J, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom, nfuller@bio.warwick.ac.uk

West, N, J, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom, nwest@bio.warwick.ac.uk

Howarth, R, , University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom, rhowarth@bio.warwick.ac.uk

Post, A, F, H. Steinitz Marine Biology Lab. Interuniversity Institute for Marine Science, Eilat, Israel, post@mit.edu

Scanlan, D, J, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom, dscanlan@bio.warwick.ac.uk

A GENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF A PHOTOSYNTHETIC PICOPLANKTON COMMUNITY

Genotype-specific oligonucleotide probes based on 16S rDNA have been designed which target several of the major marine Synechococcus lineages. These probes, and ones previously developed which recognise the major Prochlorococcus clades, are being used to determine the spatial and temporal dynamics of these picophytoplankton at Station A in the Gulf of Aqaba in the northern Red Sea over a calendar year. Dot blot hybridisation analysis, clone library construction and FISH data of genotype distributions are being correlated with physical and nutritional properties of the water column to identify the niches of specific ecotypes. Initial FISH analysis of Prochlorococcus genotypes shows a remarkable dominance of HLII genotypes in a water column sampled during October 1999. Despite stratification, the HLII genotype was dominant throughout the water column down to 100 m and was about five times as abundant as the LL genotype which was also only observed in significant numbers at 100 m.

This Session Listing

Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

Quicklinks