| “Atama complex” consists of Alexandrium tamarense, A.fundyense, andA.catenella, and is one of the most important groups within the dinoflagellate genusAlexandrium.“Atama complex” has been divided into five Groups based on the LSUsequence Information of distribution and diffusion characteristics of Group Ⅰislimited in China. In the present study, we established192strains of the Atamacomplex by incubating ellipsoidal cysts collected from the China sea. The vegetativecells were examined under light microscope and Large subunit (LSU) and/or internaltranscribed spacer (ITS) region sequences of these strains were determined.Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Chinese strains were nested within Atamacomplex (GroupⅠ and Group Ⅳ). The Atama complex (Group I) appears to bedistributed only in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, whereas Group IV was restricted tothe East and South China Seas. Growth of strains from the Chukchi Sea, Yellow Sea,Bohai Sea, East and South China Seas at different temperatures are examined. All ofthe results support that Group I and Group IV might represent two ecologicallydifferent species, with the latter tending to inhabit warmer waters. |
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