Validation of Selected Oscillatoriales from Various Indian Coasts Through Phenetic and 16S Rrna Gene

Eight strains of filamentous, non heterocystous cyanobacteria of order Oscillatoriales from diverse marine habitats belonging to coastal areas of India had been categorized using phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics. The study included observations of morphological features under light microscope and the molecular phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. The phylogenetic relatedness of the investigated strains corroborated well with morphology based taxonomic groupings. The 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed distinct clusters and strengthens the results obtained by traditional morphological methods. A combination of genetic and phenotypic study resolved their taxonomic ambiguities and aids to the precise identification of the chosen filamentous strains.