RT Journal Article
T1 DNA barcoding approach to characterize microalgae isolated from freshwater systems in Ecuador
A1 Ballesteros Redondo, María Isabel
A1 Terán, Paulina
A1 Guamán-Burneo, Cristina
A1 González, Nory
A1 Cruz, Alejandra
A1 Castillejo, Pablo
AB The use of suitable DNA barcodes and the generation of databases with reference sequences have been considered a promissory approach for the identification of Chlorophyta and Cyanophyta microalgae. In this study, we carried out a molecular characterization and identification of strains isolated from freshwater systems in Ecuador using a dual barcode method. The target sequences for Chlorophyta were 18S rDNA and rbcL genes, and 16S rDNA and 16S–23S rDNA intergenic spacer (ITS) for Cyanophyta. We reported these DNA barcodes for 20 different Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) for Chlorophyta and 10 for Cyanophyta. Our results show that the 18S V4 hypervariable region (300 bp) is sufficient for differentiating between isolates, but rbcL is a determinant for genus identification in Scenedesmaceae and Chlorellaceae strains. In Cyanophyta, both barcodes enabled the genus-level assignment of 9 out of 10 MOTUs. These results highlight the necessity of a second barcode additional to small ribosomal subunit sequences to improve molecular identification. Furthermore, the present study significantly contributes to the body of Ecuadorian barcode sequences of microalgae that are currently documented, making them available for future comparative diversity studies.
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/102612
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/102612
LA eng
NO "Ballesteros, I., Terán, P., Guamán-Burneo, C., González, N., Cruz, A., & Castillejo, P. (2021). DNA barcoding approach to characterize microalgae isolated from freshwater systems in Ecuador. Neotropical Biodiversity, 7(1), 170–183"
NO Universidad de Las Américas 
DS Docta Complutense
RD 8 abr 2025