GENOME ANALYSIS OF BACTERIAL SYMBIONTS ASSOCIATED WITH HAPTOPHYTE PRYMNESIUM PARVUM

Abstract

Prymnesium parvum is an ecologically and commercially significant organism due to its propensity to form large toxic algal blooms. However, the combinations of factors that determine whether or not an algal bloom will form are still unknown. The purpose of this thesis was to identify and characterize the bacterial symbionts of Prymnesium parvum, which might help induce the formation of the algal blooms. In this experiment many bacteria were shown to be in or around Prymnesium parvum during an algal bloom. Additionally, after further analysis the majority of the genome of one species was assembled in addition to its associated plasmid. Based on 16s rDNA data this species is related very closely to Erythrobacter longus strain OCh101 and Erythrobacter litoralis HTCC2594, while the proteins in the plasmid relate it to a similar plasmid seen in Dinoroseobacter shibae DFL12. This data provides evidence that some of the bacteria found within the sample could be contributing to the formation of algal blooms. To further understand the bacterial role in Prymnesium parvum more analysis needs to be done with these suspected bacteria.