Estimating genetic structure and diversity of cyanobacterial communities in Atlantic forest phyllosphere

Cyanobacterial communities on the phyllosphere of 4 plant species inhabiting the endangered Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome were evaluated using cultivation-independent molecular approaches. Total genomic DNA was extracted from cells detached from the surface of leaves of Euterpe edulis, Guapira opposita, Garcinia gardneriana, and Merostachys neesii sampled in 2 Brazilian Atlantic Forest locations along an elevational gradient, i.e., lowland and montane forest. The DNA fingerprinting method PCR-DGGE revealed that the cyanobacterial phyllosphere community structures were mainly influenced by the plant species; geographical location of the plant had little effect. The 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained by clone libraries showed a predominance of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria of the order Nostocales, even though the majority of retrieved operational taxonomic units (∼60% of the sequences) showed similarity only to uncultured cyanobacteria phylotypes. The leaf surface of Guapira opposita had the highest richness and diversity of cyanobacteria, whereas the M. neesii (bamboo) had the largest number of copies of cyanobacterial 16S rRNA gene per cm² of leaf. This study investigated cyanobacteria diversity and its distribution pattern in Atlantic forest phyllosphere. The results indicated that plant species is the main driver of cyanobacteria community assemblage in the phyllosphere and that these communities are made up of a high diversity of cyanobacterial taxa that need to be discovered.