Detection and identification of cyanobacteria associated with toxic blooms: DNA amplification protocols

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Abstract
The cyanobacteria include the oldest dated life forms on Earth. Previously, and still commonly, known as blue-green algae, the cyanobacterial division is immensely diverse, with respect to form and habitat. This has made taxonomic evaluation particularly difficult. Classification is currently based on differences in morphological characters. Greater certainty in identification of separate taxa may be achieved by direct analysis of the genome. The study of microbial ecology and evolution has been greatly facilitated by the introduction of rapid methods for DNA amplification and sequence analysis. We have applied several traditional and novel molecular methods to the study of cyanobacterial systematics and phylogeny. The presented methods have been investigated with respect to their applicability for both inter- and intrageneric classification. The utility of each protocol is reviewed, and an integrated approach to the detection and identification of cyanobacterial taxa is suggested. The polymerase chain reaction–based analyses were also compared to morphological criteria and other recently described molecular tools for studying cyanobacterial diversity.

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