Utility of Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLP) to analyse genetic structures within the Alexandrium tamarense species complex


Contact
ujohn [ at ] awi-bremerhaven.de

Abstract

Phylogenetic analyses of the Alexandrium tamarense species complex using ribosomal RNA sequences show a differentiation of ribotypes/clades into geographic areas and not into the three morphotypes/species A. tamarense, A. fundyense, and A. catenella. These geographic clades seem to be meaningful in terms of the cell's ability to produce paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins: some clades are capable of toxin production whereas others are not. Whereas different parts of the rRNA operon have proven informative in revealing the existence and the relationships of these clades, even internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions lack the resolution required to gain a deeper insight into the population structure of the species complex. Here the utility of the DNA fingerprinting technique Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) as a possible tool for such purposes was tested. A mixed sampling strategy was used in order to assess the amount of variation of AFLP banding patterns on the level of populations and geographic clades. Our results suggest that AFLPs can provide useful information at the population level using thorough sampling, whereas the amount of variation found is too high to allow for meaningful comparisons of strains collected from isolated different localities at different time points even though they belong to one geographic clade.



Item Type
Article
Authors
Divisions
Programs
Publication Status
Published
Eprint ID
5452
DOI 10.1078/143446104774199574

Cite as
John, U. , Groben, R. , Beszteri, B. and Medlin, L. (2004): Utility of Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLP) to analyse genetic structures within the Alexandrium tamarense species complex , Protist, 155 (2), pp. 169-179 . doi: 10.1078/143446104774199574


Share
Add to AnyAdd to TwitterAdd to FacebookAdd to LinkedinAdd to PinterestAdd to Email


Citation

Research Platforms
N/A

Campaigns
N/A


Actions
Edit Item Edit Item