The whole classification of cyanobacteria (species, genera, families, orders) has undergone extensive restructuring and revision in recent years with the advent of phylogenetic analyses based on molecular sequence data. Several recent revisionary and monographic works initiated a revision and it is anticipated there will be further changes in the future. However, with the completion of the monographic series on the Cyanobacteria in Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa, and the recent flurry of taxonomic papers describing new genera, it seems expedient that a summary of the modern taxonomic system for cyanobacteria should be published. In this review, we present the status of all currently used families of cyanobacteria, review the results of molecular taxonomic studies, descriptions and characteristics of new orders and new families and the elevation of a few subfamilies to family level. All recently defined cyanobacterial genera (some still invalid) are listed in the family to which they are likely to belong and an indication is given of their taxonomic validity and level of polyphasic characterization of each genus.

Taxonomic classification of cyanoprokaryotes (cyanobacterial genera) 2014, using a polyphasic approach

The cyanobacteria are the most important prokaryotic primary producers on Earth, inhabiting a great diversity of aquatic and terrestrial environments exposed to light. However, the evolutionary forces leading to their divergence and speciation remain largely enigmatic compared to macroorganisms due to their prokaryotic nature, including vast population sizes, and largely asexual reproduction. The advent of modern molecular techniques has facilitated an understanding of the important factors shaping cyanobacterial evolution, including horizontal gene transfer and homologous recombination. We review the forces shaping the evolution of cyanobacteria and discuss the role of cohesive forces on speciation. Further, while myriad species concepts and definitions are currently used, only a limited subset might be applied to cyanobacteria due to their asexual reproduction. Additionally, concepts based solely on phenotypes provide insufficient resolution. A monophyletic species concept which is universal may be ideal for cyanobacteria. Actual identification of the cyanobacteria is difficult due to cryptic diversity, lack of morphological variability, and frequent convergent evolutionary events. Thus, applied molecular techniques such as DNA barcoding will be useful for identifications of environmental samples. Lastly, we show that the real biodiversity of the cyanobacteria is widely underestimated, due in part to low sampling efforts, sensitivity to the molecular markers employed, and the species definitions employed by researchers. In conclusion, we anticipate a rapid increase in cyanobacterial taxa described and large revisions of the system in the future as scientists adopt a common approach to cyanobacterial systematics.

/pdf/species-concepts-and-speciation-factors-in-cyanobacteria-4z7s8czhj7.pdf

Species concepts and speciation factors in cyanobacteria, with connection to the problems of diversity and classification

The Atacama Desert of northern Chile is the oldest and most arid nonpolar environment on Earth. It is a coastal desert covering approximately 180,000 km2, and together with the greater Atacama region it comprises a dramatically wide range of ecological niches. Long known and exploited for its mineral resources, the Atacama Desert harbors a rich microbial diversity that has only recently been discovered; the great majority of it has not yet been recovered in culture or even taxonomically identified. This review traces the progress of microbiology research in the Atacama and dispels the popular view that this region is virtually devoid of life. We examine reasons for such research activity and demonstrate that microbial life is the latest recognized and least explored resource in this inspiring biome.

The Atacama Desert: Technical Resources and the Growing Importance of Novel Microbial Diversity

Cyanobacterial taxonomy is facing a period of rapid changes thanks to the ease of 16S rRNA gene sequencing and established workflows for description of new taxa. Since the last comprehensive review of the cyanobacterial system in 2014 until 2021, at least 273 species in 140 genera were newly described. These taxa were mainly placed into previously defined orders and families although several new families were proposed. However, the classification of most taxa still relied on hierarchical relationships inherited from the classical morphological taxonomy. Similarly, the obviously polyphyletic orders such as Synechococcales and Oscillatoriales were left unchanged. In this study, the rising number of genomic sequences of cyanobacteria and well‐described reference strains allowed us to reconstruct a robust phylogenomic tree for taxonomic purposes. A less robust but better sampled 16S rRNA gene phylogeny was mapped to the phylogenomic backbone. Based on both these phylogenies, a polyphasic classification throughout the whole phylum of Cyanobacteria was created, with ten new orders and fifteen new families. The proposed system of cyanobacterial orders and families relied on a phylogenomic tree but still employed phenotypic apomorphies where possible to make it useful for professionals in the field. It was, however, confirmed that morphological convergence of phylogenetically distant taxa was a frequent phenomenon in cyanobacteria. Moreover, the limited phylogenetic informativeness of the 16S rRNA gene, resulting in ambiguous phylogenies above the genus level, emphasized the integration of genomic data as a prerequisite for the conclusive taxonomic placement of a vast number of cyanobacterial genera in the future.

An updated classification of cyanobacterial orders and families based on phylogenomic and polyphasic analysis

A total of 48 strains of thin, filamentous cyanobacteria in Synechococcales were studied by sequencing 16S rRNA and rpoC1 sequence fragments. We also carefully characterized a subset of these by morphology. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene data using Bayesian inference of a large Synechococcales alignment (345 OTU’s) was in agreement with the phylogeny based on the rpoC1 gene for 59 OTU’s. Both indicated that the large family-level grouping formerly classified as the Leptolyngbyaceae could be further divided into four family-level clades. Two of these family-level clades have been recognized previously as Leptolyngbyaceae and Prochlorotrichaceae. Oculatellaceae fam. nov. and Trichocoleaceae fam. nov. are proposed for the other two families. The Oculatellaceae was studied in greater detail, and six new genera containing 14 species were characterized and named. These new taxa are: Pegethrix botrychoides, P. olivacea, P. convoluta, P. indistincta, Drouetiella lurida, D. hepatica, D. fasciculata, Cartusia fontana, Tildeniella torsiva, T. nuda, Komarkovaea angustata, Kaiparowitsia implicata, Timaviella obliquedivisa, and T. radians.

/pdf/revision-of-the-synechococcales-cyanobacteria-through-2loc0ourgu.pdf

Revision of the Synechococcales (Cyanobacteria) through recognition of four families including Oculatellaceae fam. nov . and Trichocoleaceae fam. nov . and six new genera containing 14 species

A total of 27 strains of Oculatella were isolated, characterized and sequenced, and analysed phylogenetically with an additional environmental clone from the Atacama Desert and 10 strains isolated and sequenced by others. The strains were clearly separated based upon phylogenetic analyses conducted with a concatenated alignment of the 16S rRNA and 16S-23S ITS region of the ribosomal operons in the genus Oculatella. Differences in secondary structure of the conserved domains of the ITS region, as well as comparative analysis of P-distance among ITS regions, served to separate the strains into distinct taxonomic units. Seven new species of Oculatella were described, including four from arid to semi-arid soils (O. atacamensis, O. mojaviensis, O. coburnii, O. neakameniensis) and three from more mesic habitats, including a temperate lake (O. hafneriensis), a desert waterfall (O. cataractarum) and a Hawaiian sea cave (O. kauaiensis). The soil forms show statistically significant morphological differences, but t...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09670262.2014.976843

Seven new species of Oculatella (Pseudanabaenales, Cyanobacteria): taxonomically recognizing cryptic diversification

A new species was isolated and characterized from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This taxon shares morphological characteristics with five different genera, Ammatoidea, Homoeothrix, Leptolyngbya, Phormidiochaete, and Tapinothrix. An argument could be made to place it in any of these genera, however, we consider the most taxonomically correct genus for our pseudanabaenalean species to be Tapinothrix, and we accordingly describe it as T. clintonii sp. nov. Phylogenetically, the taxon is closest to Leptolyngbya sensu stricto, but it has very distinctive morphology and 16S-23S ITS sequence and secondary structure that support our conclusion to recognize Tapinothrix as a genus separate from Leptolyngbya.

/pdf/tapinothrix-clintonii-sp-nov-pseudanabaenaceae-cyanobacteria-90w372rwh8.pdf

Tapinothrix clintonii sp. nov. (Pseudanabaenaceae, Cyanobacteria), a new species at the nexus of five genera.

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Seven new species of Oculatella (Pseudanabaenales, Cyanobacteria): taxonomically recognizing cryptic diversification

Tapinothrix clintonii sp. nov. (Pseudanabaenaceae, Cyanobacteria), a new species at the nexus of five genera.