Aislamiento Y Caracterizacion De Cianobiontes De Diversas Zamias En Puerto Rico

For the first time in Puerto Rico, the cultivable cianobionts of three species of Zamia have been isolated from sub-tropical forest areas. These cianobionts were morphologically identified and characterized by molecular techniques. Of the three species of Zamia, 25 cyanobionts were isolated, cultured and then grouped by Amplified ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ArDRA) and Hip1-PCR. Results showed that: (1) specificity between the isolated cyanobionts and selected Zamias was not observed, (2) different coralloid roots of the same Zamia plant can host the same cyanobiont as well as different species of Zamia present the same cyanobiont according to the Hip1-PCR (3) the isolated cyanobionts belong to the Sub-Group IV of the Nostocales, which are characterized by filamentous cyanobacteria with nitrogen fixation capacity, (4) six partial sequences may be unknown genera or species, (5) for the first time the Tolypothrix was identified as a cyanobacteria capable of form symbiosis and it was found in three coralloid roots of Z. amblyphyllidia D. W. Stevenson.