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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #105431
Title: THE PHYLOGENY OF RHIZOBIACEAE

Author
item Van Berkum, Peter
item FUHRMANN, J. - UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
item EARDLY, B. - PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Nitrogen Fixation International Congress
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Bacterial classification schemes are based upon variation in phenotypic and genetic traits. Bacterial evolutionary history or phylogeny is reconstructed from sequence variation of the 16S rRNA genes, which traditionally is diagramed as a hierarchical tree. The assumptions are that each bacterial species is monophyletic, meaning that the DNA was derived from a single common ancestor, and that the hierarchy across 16S rRNA genes approximates that across the species. The separation of bacteria into separate genera is almost exclusively based upon their reconstructed phylogeny. The aim of this contribution is to address some issues that have arisen in our research which may be useful to evaluate common criteria for estimating phylogeny among rhizobia. The focus will be on our analysis of the bacterial symbionts of Medicago and Glycine.