16S and 23S plastid rDNA phylogenies of Prototheca species and their auxanographic phenotypes

Abstract

Because algae have become more accepted as sources of human nutrition, phylogenetic analysis can help resolve the taxonomy of taxa that have not been well studied. This can help establish algal evolutionary relationships. Here, we compare Auxenochlorella protothecoides and 23 strains of Prototheca based on their complete 16S and partial 23S plastid rDNA sequences along with nutrient utilization (auxanographic) profiles. These data demonstrate that some of the species groupings are not in agreement with the molecular phylogenetic analyses and that auxanographic profiles are poor predictors of phylogenetic relationships. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Phycology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Phycological Society of America.