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Molecular Systematics, Microbial Ecology and Single Cell Analysis

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Particle Analysis in Oceanography

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIG,volume 27))

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Abstract

Molecular approaches in taxonomy and systematics are providing a unifying framework for understanding the phylogenetic relationships of diverse biological species. The methods rely on comparison of nucleic acid or amino acid sequences, which can serve as yardsticks for measuring evolutionary divergence. Direct sequence analysis can largely circumvent problems inherent in phenotypic comparisons of widely divergent taxa. Macromolecular sequence information is particularly useful in situations where directly comparable phenotypic properties are scarce or difficult to assess. Additionally, macromolecular sequence data bases are valuable resources for determining the phylogenetic affiliations of previously unstudied or uncharacterized organisms. In particular, current understanding of the evolutionary relationships of microbial species has been greatly advanced through molecular phylogenetic comparisons of small subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences.

The molecular data employed in systematic and evolutionary studies are also proving useful for ecological studies. By directly retrieving phylogenetically informative gene sequences from mixed microbial populations, it is possible to infer phylogenetic affiliations of individual population constituents. This allows identification of community members without requiring their cultivation, and so avoids some selective biases associated with pure culture methods. In addition, short segments of sequence, such as those found in small subunit rRNA, can be taxa-specific. These sequences may therefore serve as diagnostic markers for particular groups. In conjunction with epifluorescence microscopy, fluor-labeled, rRNA-targeted probes that bind to these diagnostic sequences may be used to determine the phylogenetic identity of individual cells. Thus, macromolecular sequence information can be employed to detect the presence of particular species, and to study their spatial and temporal variability. Recent applications, including molecular phylogenetic analyses of mixed bac terioplankton populations, demonstrate the utility of this approach.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA

    E. F. DeLong

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  1. E. F. DeLong
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Ministère des Pêches et des Ocèans Canada, 850 Route de la Mer, Mont-Joli, Québec, G5H 3Z4, Canada

    Serge Demers

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© 1991 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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DeLong, E.F. (1991). Molecular Systematics, Microbial Ecology and Single Cell Analysis. In: Demers, S. (eds) Particle Analysis in Oceanography. NATO ASI Series, vol 27. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75121-9_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75121-9_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-75123-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-75121-9

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