Ploidy levels in diverse picocyanobacteria from the Baltic Sea

Abstract

In nature, the number of genome or chromosome copies within cells (ploidy) can vary between species and environmental conditions, potentially influencing how organisms adapt to changing environments. Although ploidy levels cannot be easily determined by standard genome sequencing, understanding ploidy is crucial for the quantitative interpretation of molecular data. Cyanobacteria are known to contain haploid, oligoploid, and polyploid species. The smallest cyanobacteria, picocyanobacteria (less than 2 mu m in diameter), have a widespread distribution ranging from marine to freshwater environments, contributing significantly to global primary production. In this study, we determined the ploidy level of genetically and physiologically diverse brackish picocyanobacteria isolated from the Baltic Sea using a qPCR assay targeting the rbcL gene. The strains contained one to four genome copies per cell. The ploidy level was not linked with phylogeny based on the identity of the 16S rRNA gene. The variation of ploidy among the brackish strains was lower compared to what has been reported for freshwater strains and was more similar to what has been reported for marine strains. The potential ecological advantage of polyploidy among picocyanobacteria has yet to be described. Our study highlights the importance of considering ploidy to interpret the abundance and adaptation of brackish picocyanobacteria.

Published in

Environmental Microbiology Reports
2024, Volume: 16, number: 5, article number: e70005Publisher: WILEY

SLU Authors

• Aguilera, Anabella

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Linnaeus University

UKÄ Subject classification

Microbiology
Environmental Sciences


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70005

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/132622