Biological Science Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Toxicon. 2010 Oct;56(5):836-41. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2009.07.023. Epub 2009 Jul 29.
Toxic cyanobacterial blooms have been a primary concern predominantly in the plankton of freshwater bodies. Recently, however, the toxicity of benthic cyanobacteria is increasingly attracting attention of the scientific community and environmental agencies. The occurrence of toxic strains in benthic cyanobacteria is intimately linked to our understanding of the diversity and ecological responses of these organisms under field conditions. To that effect, we are engaged in combined morphotypic and genotypic characterization (polyphasic) of benthic natural populations of cyanobacteria in tropical lagoons and coral reefs, with the objective to provide a reliable reference for further comparative work. The methods of identification based on phenotypic properties and those based on molecular tools for genotypic identification are correlated. The approach is based on identifying the occurrences of cyanobacterial benthic blooms, tested for purity and analyzed by application of molecular tools. The questions addressed include the distinction between marine and freshwater taxa, between populations in geographically separate regions as well as between their potential vs. expressed toxicity.
有毒蓝藻水华一直是主要关注的问题，主要存在于淡水体的浮游生物中。然而，最近，底栖蓝藻的毒性越来越引起科学界和环境机构的关注。底栖蓝藻中有毒菌株的出现与我们在野外条件下对这些生物多样性和生态响应的理解密切相关。为此，我们正在从事热带泻湖和珊瑚礁中底栖蓝藻天然种群的综合形态和基因型特征（多相）研究，目的是为进一步的比较工作提供可靠的参考。基于表型特性的鉴定方法和基于基因型鉴定的分子工具方法是相互关联的。该方法基于识别蓝藻底栖水华的发生，通过应用分子工具进行纯度测试和分析。所涉及的问题包括海洋和淡水分类群之间的区别，地理上分离的区域之间的种群区别，以及它们的潜在毒性与表达毒性之间的区别。
