Screening of cyanobacterial and microalgal biodiversity in the North Adriatic area (Italy) based on microscopy and the DNA barcoding method

Microalgae are a wide group of photoxygenic microorganisms, spanning different taxa and living in various environments. Commonly speaking, under this term also cyanobacteria are often included, even if, contrarily to all the rest of microalgae, they are prokaryotes. To face the conditions of their habitats, cyanobacteria and microalgae show a vast range of adaptations, including the production of bioactive compounds that can be also exploited in several human fields. With this background, a project was started aiming at isolating different cyanobacterial and microalgal strains from natural environments (with a particular focus on water habitats) and at characterizing these strains to understand their biotechnological potentials. Here we present the first results obtained after samplings carried out in the North Adriatic Italian area, which were followed by the isolation and preliminary characterization of seven photoxygenic strains. The isolated strains encompass five phyla: Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta, Ochrophyta, Rhodophyta and Cyanobacteria.