RESUMO
AIMS: This study aims to identify the yeast species and strains which entitled an unstudied area of Spain and evaluate the yeast species diversity richness and the genetic variety. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 702 yeasts were isolated from different environments in a central Spanish region (La Mancha) with diverse sources of origin (food, animals, flowers and environmental sources) during spring season. Thanks to the analysis carried out by the PCR-RFLP technique and sequencing, 35 species were identified. A neighbour-joining phylogenetic tree was created based on D1/D2 sequences. Moreover 330 strains were determined by PCR-RAPD and their profiles were analysed using the bioinformatics programme BioNumerics 7·6. The Simpson's index (D) and the genetic diversity percentage were calculated with the aim of studying the richness of the species in each environment and the genetic variety in each species. CONCLUSIONS: This study has permitted to know that the majority of the species found was Diutina rugosa while the most ubiquitous was Rhodotorula mucilaginosa which expose the dispersion capability of this species. The diversity parameters has revealed that the highest species richness was associated to environmental samples and the highest genetic variety was presented in those species with better dispersion capability or a smaller number of isolates. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study permits to better understand the yeast communities in La Mancha region which gives a value the microbial potential of this region.