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Freshwater foraminiferans revealed by analysis of environmental DNA samples.
Journal article

Freshwater foraminiferans revealed by analysis of environmental DNA samples.

  • 2003-05-15
Published in:
  • The Journal of eukaryotic microbiology. - 2003
Animals
DNA, Protozoan
DNA, Ribosomal
Eukaryota
Fresh Water
Geologic Sediments
Molecular Sequence Data
Phylogeny
Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Species Specificity
English Sediment-dwelling protists are among the most abundant meiobenthic organisms, ubiquitous in all types of aquatic ecosystems. Yet, because their isolation and identification are difficult, their diversity remains largely unknown. In the present work, we applied molecular methods to examine the diversity of freshwater Foraminifera, a group of granuloreticulosan protists largely neglected until now. By using specific PCR primers, we detected the presence of Foraminifera in all sediment samples examined. Phylogenetic analysis of amplified SSU rDNA sequences revealed two distinct groups of freshwater foraminiferans. All obtained sequences branched within monothalamous (single-chambered), marine Foraminifera, suggesting a repeated colonization of freshwater environments. The results of our study challenge the traditional view of Foraminifera as essentially marine organisms, and provide a conceptual framework for charting the molecular diversity of freshwater granuloreticulosan protists.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/230422
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