Kim Young-Saeng, Yun Hyun-Sik, Lee Jae-Hak, Lee Kyung-Lak, Choi Jae-Sin, Won Doo Hee, Kim Yong Jae, Kim Han-Soon, Yoon Ho-Sung
Research Institute of Ulleung-do & Dok-do, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea.
Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea.
Microb Ecol. 2024 Jul 17;87(1):95. doi: 10.1007/s00248-024-02396-x.
The study of microalgal communities is critical for understanding aquatic ecosystems. These communities primarily comprise diatoms (Heterokontophyta), with two methods commonly used to study them: Microscopy and metabarcoding. However, these two methods often deliver different results; thus, their suitability for analyzing diatom communities is frequently debated and evaluated. This study used these two methods to analyze the diatom communities in identical water samples and compare the results. The taxonomy of the species constituting the diatom communities was confirmed, and both methods showed that species belonging to the orders Bacillariales and Naviculales (class Bacillariophyceae) are the most diverse. In the lower taxonomic levels (family, genus, and species), microscopy tended to show a bias toward detecting diatom species (Nitzschia frustulum, Nitzschia inconspicua, Nitzschia intermedia, Navicula gregaria, Navicula perminuta, Navicula recens, Navicula sp.) belonging to the Bacillariaceae and Naviculaceae families. The results of the two methods differed in identifying diatom species in the communities and analyzing their structural characteristics. These results are consistent with the fact that diatoms belonging to the genera Nitzschia and Navicula are abundant in the communities; furthermore, only the Illumina MiSeq data showed the abundance of the Melosira and Entomoneis genera. The results obtained from microscopy were superior to those of Illumina MiSeq regarding species-level identification. Based on the results obtained via microscopy and Illumina MiSeq, it was revealed that neither method is perfect and that each has clear strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, to analyze diatom communities effectively and accurately, these two methods should be combined.
微藻群落的研究对于理解水生生态系统至关重要。这些群落主要由硅藻（不等鞭毛藻门）组成，通常使用两种方法来研究它们：显微镜检查和宏条形码技术。然而，这两种方法常常得出不同的结果；因此，它们在分析硅藻群落方面的适用性经常受到争论和评估。本研究使用这两种方法分析相同水样中的硅藻群落并比较结果。构成硅藻群落的物种分类得以确认，两种方法均表明，属于杆状藻目和舟形藻目（硅藻纲）的物种最为多样。在较低的分类级别（科、属和种），显微镜检查往往倾向于检测到属于杆状藻科和舟形藻科的硅藻物种（微小菱形藻、隐匿菱形藻、中间菱形藻、群居舟形藻、微小舟形藻、新舟形藻、舟形藻属）。两种方法在识别群落中的硅藻物种及其结构特征分析方面结果不同。这些结果与群落中属于菱形藻属和舟形藻属的硅藻丰富这一事实相符；此外，只有Illumina MiSeq数据显示了小环藻属和内丝藻属的丰富度。在物种水平鉴定方面，显微镜检查获得的结果优于Illumina MiSeq的结果。基于通过显微镜检查和Illumina MiSeq获得的结果，发现这两种方法都不完美，且各有明显的优缺点。因此，为了有效且准确地分析硅藻群落，应将这两种方法结合起来。
