First record of Dysmorphococcus globosus H.C. Bold & Starr (Kınık su yosunu) in Türkiye

Abstract

There are approximately 50000 species of algae. Algae contain economically valuable molecules, such as astaxanthin and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and are used in food, cosmetics and animal feed industries. Green microalga Haematococcus pluvialis was considered to contain the highest amount of astaxanthin for many years. Recent research suggests that another green microalga, Dysmorphococcus globosus, contains more astaxanthin than H. pluvialis. D. globosus hasn’t been studied extensively in the literature. In this study, approximately 1600 bp of the DNA barcoding gene 18S rRNA was sequenced for identification of a new green alga from the Kaş district. Molecular identification and microscopy analysis show this new isolate belongs to genus Dysmorphococcus. This is the first record of genus Dysmorphococcus H. Takeda and Dysmorphococcus globosus H.C. Bold & Starr in freshwater algal flora in Türkiye.

Keywords

• Dysmorphococcus globosus
• Kınık su yosunu
• New record
• Molecular identification
• 18S rRNA gene

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