Metagenomics of bolidophyceae in plankton and ice of the White Sea

The molecular diversity of poorly studied algae of Bolidophyceae class was first estimated by Illumina sequencing of V4 region of 18S rRNA gene in ice, under-ice water and summer water of the subarctic White Sea. We used two clustering thresholds–93 and 97%–and revealed 31 phylotypes of Bolidophyceae. Triparma pacifica and Т. strigata were identified to species level. The association of individual phylotypes to certain biotopes (ice or plankton) and stages of seasonal succession (under ice or summer plankton) has been established. Some phylotypes are found in different biotopes and over a wide temperature range. Due to changing their genetic composition, Bolidophyceae are a constant component of the photoautotrophic plankton and ice communities.