00000ntmaa22000003a 4500 UP-8027295163992895662 Buklod 20240926143522.0 t r |||| u| ta 240926s2024 xx a b ||| u eng UPVT-00020032569 UPTC rda eng LG 993.5 2024 B5 Z33 Zabala, Mary Rose V. author. Taxonomic positioning of phytoplankton species isolated from selected bays in Eastern Visayas, Philippines Mary Rose V. Zabala; Leni G. Yap-Dejeto, adviser. 2024 xii, 79 leaves illustrations. text rdacontent unmediated rdamedia volume rdacarrier Undergraduate thesis (B.S. Biology) -- University of the Philippines, Tacloban. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are becoming a recurrent event in Eastern Visayas, but despite their increasing frequency, there is a scarcity of studies providing species-level identification of HABs-causing phytoplankton in the region. Determining the taxonomic identity of harmful microalgae is crucial in any HAB monitoring program, given the species-specific nature of algal toxins. This study aimed to isolate phytoplankton species from selected bays in Eastern Visayas and identify them using morphological and molecular data. A total of four diatom and four dinoflagellate strains were isolated and cultured. DNA material was extracted from unialgal cultures, and sequences were generated from the small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA regions, respectively. Light microscopy allowed for the morphological identification of the isolates down to the genus level, and species level for the diatom Coscinodiscus granii. Molecular data placed the identity of the other isolates as Thalassiosira eccentrica, Pseudo-nitzschia cf. decipiens, P. brasiliana, C. granii, Alexandrium pacificum, and A. andersonii. Phylogenetic analyses inferred from the SSU and LSU rDNA sequences further confirmed the taxonomic position of the isolates. Among the strains identified, P. brasiliana, A. pacificum, and A. andersonii are known to produce toxins. This study provides the first molecular data on these phytoplankton strains isolated in the locality. This study also provides the first record of A. pacificum and A. andersonii in Eastern Visayas. Information from this study can be utilized for future monitoring programs. Yap-Dejeto, Leni G. adviser. Thesis FI UP UPTAC UPTAC LG 993.5 2024 B5 Z33 Thesis