A molecular survey of freshwater microeukaryotes in an Arctic reservoir (Svalbard, 79A degrees N) in summer by using next-generation sequencing

Abstract

The molecular diversity of freshwater microeukaryotes, particularly phytoplankton, in the Arctic Svalbard, has been relatively unexplored. Freshwater algae are considered biological indicators of environmental change and can be useful in assessing the impact of global climate change and increased environmental pollution. In this study, freshwater microeukaryotes in an Arctic reservoir at Ny-C(0)lesund (Svalbard, Norway) were studied using the hypervariable V1-V3 small subunit rRNA and 454 pyrosequencing. On the basis of 8,956 reads, we revealed high genetic diversity in eukaryotes, representing all known eukaryotic supergroups, except Excavata. "Chromalveolata" (previously supergroup Chromalveolata) and Archaeplastida were the most and least abundant supergroups, respectively. After data mining, 57 phylotypes were detected from 7,398 pyrosequences. They were dominated by stramenopiles (84 %) and Dinoflagellata (13 %), with minor contributions from Cryptophyta, Chlorophyta, and Telonemida. The detection of algae belonging to the orders Mamiellales and Monomastigales provides a window into a fraction of the 'rare biosphere' that had previously been undetected in such environments. Interestingly, no haptophytes were recorded. Stramenopiles and Dinoflagellata mainly comprised taxa belonging to the families Chrysophyceae, Synurophyceae, and Dinophyceae. On the basis of the proportion of operational taxonomic units, the dominant phylotypes were found to include Ochromonas spp., Mallomonas spp., and Uroglena americana. These results demonstrate the significance of a chrysophyte-dominated microeukaryotic community, which is of great potential for future studies in terms of reconstruction of past climate trends and monitoring of environmental change in the Arctic.