ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF CHLOROPHYTA MICROALGAE STRAINS FROM CAN GIO MANGROVE USING DNA BARCODING

Chlorophyta microalgae have important applications in environmental treatment, the food industry, and medicine. The Can Gio mangrove biosphere reserve is a region of high biodiversity; however, studies on the diversity of green microalgae in this area remain limited. This study was carried out to isolate and identify green microalgae strains from Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve using a combination of morphological characterization and DNA barcoding based on the 18S rRNA and ITS regions. Three monoclonal green microalgae strains (CG-A, CG-C, and CG-H) were isolated and identified from different locations within the reserve. Among them, two strains were identified at the species level: Desmodesmus intermedius (strain CG-H) and Pseudococcomyxa simplex (Mainx) Fott (strain CG-C), while strain CG-A was identified at the genus level as Desmodesmus. This is the initial result for further research on these microalgae strains for practical applications in the future.