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16 S rRNA; psbA; cyanobacteria; Fuliya; Lake Kinneret
Abstract:
Cyanobacterial community composition was studied along a salinity gradient from the saline Spring
Fuliya towards the water column of Lake Kinneret. The samples included a gradient of salinities ranging from
4270 mg Cl L–1 (Saline Spring) to 239 mg Cl L–1 (Lake Kinneret). Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)
and cloning of the 16 S rRNA gene, as well as cloning and sequencing of the psbA gene, were used to characterize
cyanobacterial community composition. Despite the differences in salinity, similar cyanobacterial communities
were observed in the lake and the saline spring, the only exception being the highest salinity sample (4270 mg Cl
L–1). Both, DGGE patterns and results of the clone libraries revealed the dominance of cyanobacteria with colonial
Gloeocapsa and unicellular Synechococcus as the closest known cultured relatives, independently of the salinity.
These results suggest that cyanobacterial populations inhabiting this freshwater lake and its saline sources can adapt
to a wide range of salinities.