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Application of Morphological and Molecular Systematics for Identification of Green Microalgae of the Genus Chlorococcum and Some Closely Related Taxa

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Abstract—

Polyphyletic nature of three genera of green microalgae, Chlorococcum, Deasonia, and Neospongiococcum, was confirmed. Some Chlorococcum species, together with the type species C. infusionum, formed a true clade Chlorococcum within the macroclade Moewusinia. Its members were characterized by extremely long ITS2 regions with unusual secondary structure. Other species were found to belong to the Stephanosphaerinia macroclade, and should be reclassified accordingly. The research of authentic strains resulted in revised and enhanced morphological descriptions of N. gelatinosum, C. diplobionticum, C. isabeliense, and C. sphacosum. Proposals on taxonomic revision are based on morphological similarity, 18S rRNA distances, presence of compensatory base changes in ITS2 conserved regions, differences in the secondary structure of the spacer, and differences of the helix III conserved motif.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are grateful to I.Yu. Kostikov (Department of Botany, Institute of Biology Center, Shevchenko Kiev University) for providing the authentic strains of green microalgae and valuable consultation on analysis of the ITS2 secondary structure, as well as to Yu.M. Bachura (Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Francisk Skorina Gomel State University) for depositing the strain Deasonia granata (ACSSI 152).

The work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project no. 16-34-60020 mol_a_dk.

COMPLIANCE WITH ETHICAL STANDARDS

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. This article does not contain any studies involving animals or human participants performed by any of the authors.

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  1. Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 , Pushchino, Russia

    A. D. Temraleeva & S. V. Moslalenko

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  1. A. D. Temraleeva
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Correspondence to A. D. Temraleeva.

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Translated by P. Sigalevich

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Temraleeva, A.D., Moslalenko, S.V. Application of Morphological and Molecular Systematics for Identification of Green Microalgae of the Genus Chlorococcum and Some Closely Related Taxa. Microbiology 88, 27–38 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261719010077

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