Cyanobacterial diversity in extreme environments in Baja California, Mexico: A polyphasic study

Cyanobacterial diversity from two geographical areas of Baja California Sur, Mexico, were studied: Bahia Concepcion, and Ensenada de Aripez. The sites included hypersaline ecosystems, sea bottom, hydrothermal springs, and a shrimp farm. In this report we describe four new morphotypes, two are marine epilithic from Bahia Concepcion, Dennocarpa sp. and Hyella sp. The third, Geitlerineitia sp., occurs in thermal springs and in shrimp ponds, and the fourth, Tychonema sp., is from a shrimp pond. The partial sequences of the 16S rRNA genes and the phylogenetic relationship of four Cyanobacterial strains (Synechococciis cf. elongatiis, Leptolyngbya cf. tlicrnialis, Leptolyngbya sp., and Geitlerincina sp.) are also presented. Polyphasic studies that include the combination of light microscopy, cultures and the comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences provide the most powerful approach currently available to establish the diversity of these oxygenic photosynthetic microorganisms in culture and in nature.