• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.275-283
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• 2010

Many freshwater snail taxa are difficult to identify using morphological traits due to phenotypic plasticity. However, using of molecular DNA marker in combination with morphological traits can provide a reliable means for discriminating among freshwater snail taxa including cryptic species. To discriminate among Korean freshwater snail taxa and resolve their systematic relationships, wesequenced a fragment of mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene from 82 specimens collected from ten different sites distributed along the Korean peninsula. We identified more than seven freshwater snail taxa including cryptic species in Korea. Whereas traditional shell morphology of freshwater snails offers only weak discriminatory power for recognizing 'good' taxa, DNA sequence data provided positive and reliable identification. In addition, a major Semisulcospira clade was clearly separated from the remaining lineages observed including cryptic species. However, a phylogenetic tree inferred from the COI gene data did not fully resolve systematic relationships among pleurocerid taxa in Korea. Establishing more robust shell characteristics for identifying taxa unambiguously and hence improving traditional key shell morphology characters for freshwater snail species is an urgent requirement and will require more rigorous examination of all nominal taxa. While molecular data generated here will be useful for species identification and for describing the systematic relationships among Korean freshwater snails, further analysis will be required.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.219-230
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• 2016

The Euglena deses group are common freshwater species composed of E. adhaerens, E. carterae, E. deses, E. mutabilis, and E. satelles. These species are characterized by elongated cylindrical worm-like cell bodies and numerous discoid chloroplasts with a naked pyrenoid. To understand the cryptic diversity, species delimitation and phylogenetic relationships among members of the group, we analyzed morphological data (light and scanning electron microscopy) and molecular data (nuclear small subunit [SSU] and large subunit [LSU] rDNAs and plastid SSU and LSU rDNAs). Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses based on the combined four-gene dataset resulted in a tree consisting of two major clades within the group. The first clade was composed of two subclades: the E. mutabilis subclade, and the E. satelles, E. carterae, and E. adhaerens subclade. The E. mutabilis subclade was characterized by a lateral canal opening at the anterior end and a single pellicular stria, whereas the E. satelles, E. carterae, and E. adhaerens subclade was characterized by an apical canal opening at the anterior end of the cell and double pellicular striae. The second clade consisted of 20 strains of E. deses, characterizing by a subapical canal opening at the anterior end and double pellicular striae, but they showed cell size variation and high genetic diversity. Species boundaries were tested using a Bayesian multi-locus species delimitation method, resulting in the recognition of five cryptic species within E. deses clade.

• Mycobiology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 2011

The phylogenetic relationships of the most dominant and morphologically cryptic endophytic fungal isolates from each of five selected medicinal plants, namely Potentilla fulgens, Osbeckia stellata, Osbeckia chinensis, Camellia caduca, and Schima khasiana of the biodiversity rich state of Meghalaya, were assessed with random amplification of polymorphic DNA and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism profiles. Sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 1, small subunit rRNA and partial ${\beta}$-tubulin gene fragments was also conducted to determine the phylogenetic relationships of these isolates with fungal sequences available in Genbank, NCBI. The identity of the fungal isolates is suggested based on the molecular phylogenetic data.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.29-29
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• 2014

Since Darwin and Wallace introduced the concept on the evolution of species, scientists have been furiously debating what species are, and how to define them. This basic yet intriguing question has bothered us ever since, as communicating to fellow biologists about fungal species is the very cornerstone of mycology. For the species presently known, this has largely been accomplished via Latin binomials linked to morphology in the absence of DNA barcodes. In recent years mycologists have embraced the ribosomal ITS as official barcode region for Fungi, and this locus is also mainly used in environmental pyrosequencing studies. Furthermore, DNA data can now also be used to describe sterile species in the absence or lack of distinct morphological structures. Recent developments such as the registration of names in MycoBank, and linking the phenotype to the genotype, have significantly changed the face of fungal systematics. By employing the Consolidated Species Concept, incorporating genealogical concordance, ecology and morphology, robust species recognition is now possible. Several international initiatives have since built on these developments, such as the DNA barcoding of holdings of Biological Resource Centres, followed by the Genera of Fungi Project, aiming to recollect, and epitypify all type species of all genera. What these data have revealed, is that most genera are poly- and paraphyletic, and that morphological species normally encompass several genetic entities, which may be cryptic species. Once we provide a stable genetic backbone capturing our existing knowledge of the past 250 years, we will be able to accommodate novelties obtained via environmental sequencing platforms. Being able to communicate these species to other biologists in a clear manner that is DNA-based, will enable scientists to elucidate the importance, role and ecological interactions that these fungi have on our planet.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.385-393
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• 2019

Chironomid communities are indicators of water pollution because of their ability to thrive under freshwater conditions. However, it is difficult to distinguish between chironomid larvae based on morphology. DNA barcoding, based on nucleotide sequences of marker genes, can be used to identify chironomid larvae. Samples of chironomid larvae were collected from Gwangju Stream and Pungyeongjeong Stream, tributaries of the Yeongsan River in South Korea. We identified 3 subfamilies, 13 genera, 16 species, and 1 cryptic species. There were 7 genera and 10 species from the subfamily Chironominae, 5 genera and 5 species from subfamily Orthocladiinae, 1 genus and 1 species from subfamily Tanipodinae, and the cryptic chironomid species of the family Chironomidae. There were 21 individuals from, 7 species and 1 cryptic species from the Gwangju Stream and 24 individuals, belonging to 10 species from the Pungyeongjeong Stream. The only species detected in both streams was Cricotopus bicinctus. The relationship between water quality and the species detected was difficult to explain, but the number of species showed a tendency to increase at sites where water quality was poor. Additional investigations and studies are needed to understand the relationship between water quality and the chironomid species occurring in these two streams.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.225-228
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• 2021

Eleven Gonioctena species have been recorded in the Korean Peninsula. Most species in the genus have very similar coloration and morphology. The male genitalia is generally used as the only reliable diagnostic character differentiating closely related species, but it is still difficult to identify females to species accurately. Here, we determined the COI barcodes of two Gonioctena species described from Korea and give morphological descriptions. The interspecific genetic divergence (Kimura 2-parameter) among the Gonioctena ranged from 0.073 to 0.138 and averaged 0.108. The pairwise genetic distance between the two Korean species(0.102) is similar to the average interspecific divergence. We predict that these analyses will help to resolve taxonomic issues and find cryptic species.

• ALGAE
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.275-280
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• 2015

Coolia santacroce is a newly described epibenthic dinoflagellate species collected from the U.S. Virgin Islands. The original description indicates this species is unique from others in the Coolia monotis complex due to the relative size of the apical pore complex, broad range of pore sizes, and ribosomal DNA. The original description was done based on the isolation and cultivation of one isolate of the organism. In this study, we report three more isolates of Coolia santacroce collected from the Bahamas. Morphological observations were made using scanning electron microscopy that do not correspond to those from the original description, indicating the variability of the morphological features. However, analysis of the D1 / D2 regions of the large subunit rDNA places the three strains in a strongly supported monophyletic clade with the type specimen.

• ALGAE
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.69-84
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• 2018

We examined the species diversity of Herposiphonia on Korean coasts, based on a combination of morphology and molecular analyses of the mitochondrial COI-5P DNA barcode marker and plastid rbcL gene. We report the presence of eight species including three novel species: H. donghaensis sp. nov., H. jejuinsula sp. nov., H. sparsa sp. nov., H. caespitosa, H. fissidentoides, H. insidiosa, H. parca, and H. subdisticha. Specimens were separated into eight clades in both the COI-5P and rbcL gene analyses, with 1.3-19.6 and 6.6-15% interspecific sequence divergence, respectively. These eight species are also distinguishable by several morphological characteristics such as: branching pattern (d/i pattern in H. donghaensis sp. nov. and H. sparsa sp. nov.; d/d/d/i pattern in others), shape of determinate branch (ligulate in H. fissidentoides; terete in others), number of vegetative trichoblasts (1-2 in H. insidiosa and H. sparsa sp. nov.; 3-4 in H. caespitosa; absent in others), and number of segments and pericentral cells in determinate branches. About three novel species revealed by our analyses, H. donghaensis sp. nov. is newly discovered, and H. jejuinsula sp. nov. and H. sparsa sp. nov. were previously reported in Korea as H. nuda and H. secunda, respectively. Our results show that DNA barcoding and rbcL analyses are useful for delimiting species boundaries and discovering cryptic species diversity in the genus Herposiphonia.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 2002

Phylogenetic relationships of Korean Acidiella species were tested using mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences. We used 16 published sequences as outgroup, and 10 new sequences for nine Korean Acidiella species as ingroup. The number of aligned sites was 1,281 bp, but 1,135 bp were used for the analysis after excluding sites with missing data or gaps. Among these 1,135 sites, 464 sites were variable and 340 were informative for parsimony analysis. Phylogenetic information was extracted from this data set using neighbor-joining, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony methods and compared to a morphology-based phylogenetic hypothesis. Our molecular data suggest that: (1) the tribe Trypetini appears to be monophyletic even when the nine additional Acidiella species are added to our previous phylogenetic analysis; (2) all the Korean Acidiella species belong to the Trypeta group, but the genus Acidiella is not supported as monophyletic; (3) the close relationship of A. circumvaga, A. issikii, and A. sapporensis is supported; (4) the close relationship of A. pachypogon and two additional new Acidiella species is strongly supported; and (5) the possible presence of two or more cryptic species among the specimens previously identified as A. obscuripennis is suggested. Sequence data from the mitochondrial 16S rDNA allowed us to better understand the systematic status of Korean Acidiella species. They indicated that the current concept about the genus Acidiella is insufficient and needs to be refined further. This study also showed a few interesting relationships, that had not been recognized by morphological study alone. Based on this study, we were able to plan further experiments to analyze relationships within the Trypeta Group.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.155-165
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• 2016

Green microalgae from the class Chlorophyceae represent a major biodiversity component of eukaryotic algae in continental water. Identification and classification of this group through morphology is a hard task, since it may present cryptic species and phenotypic plasticity. Despite the increasing use of molecular methods for identification of microorganisms, no single standard barcode marker is yet established for this important group of green microalgae. Some available studies present results with a limited number of chlorophycean genera or using markers that require many different primers for different groups within the class. Thus, we aimed to find a single marker easily amplified and with wide coverage within Chlorophyceae using only one pair of primers. Here, we tested the universality of primers for different genes (tufA, ITS, rbcL, and UCP4) in 22 strains, comprising 18 different species from different orders of Chlorophyceae. The ITS primers sequenced only 3 strains and the UCP primer failed to amplify any strain. We tested two pairs of primers for rbcL and the best pair provided sequences for 10 strains whereas the second one provided sequences for only 7 strains. The pair of primers for the tufA gene presented good results for Chlorophyceae, successfully sequencing 21 strains and recovering the expected phylogeny relationships within the class. Thus, the tufA marker stands out as a good choice to be used as molecular marker for the class.