A DNA barcode survey of Schizymenia (Nemastomatales, Rhodophyta) in Australia and British Columbia reveals overlooked diversity including S. tenuis sp. nov. and Predaea borealis sp. nov.

This project explored species diversity for the red algal genus Schizymenia in Australia and British Columbia, Canada, for which the only recorded representatives are S. dubyi (Chauvin ex Duby) J. Agardh and S. pacifica (Kylin) Kylin, respectively. Through a combination of CO1-5P, ITS, and rbcL sequence data, we uncovered overlooked diversity in both regions. Australian populations attributed to S. dubyi were actually a mix of an entity from the S. dubyi complex (closest matches for individuals from Argentina and Italy), a second species from the S. apoda (J. Agardh) J. Agardh complex (thus far known from Australia only), and finally individuals of the same S. dubyi mito/ITS-type introgressed with a different S. apoda rbcL type (plastid; closest matches China, Korea, and New Zealand). We resolved a complex of three closely related species for Schizymenia pacifica: Schizymenia pacifica sensu stricto, which is widely distributed in the Northeast Pacific; S. tenuis sp. nov., which is distributed throughout British Columbia with a predominantly northern distribution; and Schizymenia sp._1Cal, which is distributed from California to Oregon. As part of ongoing surveys of crustose red algae, we uncovered crustose sporophytes for three of the six Schizymenia genetic groups resolved here, and the sporophytic phase of a new species of Predaea from northern British Columbia, Predaea borealis sp. nov., for a single crustose (sporophyte) specimen from Haida Gwaii. This last result is particularly surprising, as species of Predaea are typically confined to lower latitudes in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

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A DNA barcode survey of the red algal genus Mazzaella in British Columbia reveals overlooked diversity and new distributional records: descriptions of M. dewreedei sp. nov. and M. macrocarpa sp. nov.

Botany ◽

10.1139/cjb-2013-0283 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 92 (3) ◽

pp. 223-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Gary W. Saunders ◽

Kyle R. Millar

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Phenotypic Plasticity ◽

North America ◽

Convergent Evolution ◽

Species Complex ◽

Dna Barcode ◽

The West ◽

Red Algal ◽

Taxonomic Changes ◽

Algal Genus

Species of the red algal genus Mazzaella are widely distributed along the west coast of North America with 11 reported in British Columbia (BC). Like many red algal genera, however, accurate species identification is complicated by phenotypic plasticity and convergent evolution, and considerable taxonomic changes have taken place in recent years. To better understand the diversity of this genus in the BC flora, we variously compared COI-5P, rbcL, and ITS data for 407 collections predominantly from BC (n = 347) and California (n = 59) with other accessions in GenBank. We report the first records of Mazzaella phyllocarpa (Postels & Ruprecht) Perestenko in the BC flora whereas Mazzaella linearis (Setchell & N.L. Gardner) Fredericq is excluded — individuals previously assigned to this name referred to Mazzaella dewreedei sp. nov. Verified records and the distributional range for the poorly documented Mazzaella minima (G.J. Hollenberg) P.W. Gabrielson are greatly extended whereas northern records of Mazzaella rosea (Kylin) Fredericq are established. The presence of Mazzaella flaccida (Setchell & N.L. Gardner) Fredericq and Mazzaella japonica (Mikami) Hommersand (likely introduced) in BC are confirmed whereas resolution of the Mazzaella oregona (Doty) J.R. Hughey, P.C. Silva & Hommersand species complex necessitates description of Mazzaella macrocarpa sp. nov. Two additional cryptic complexes involving M. flaccida and M. oregona were discovered in the Californian flora, but are outside the scope of this study and are in need of further investigation.

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A molecular survey of Ralfsia sensu stricto (Ralfsiales, Phaeophyceae) in Canada uncovers three new species: R. robertii sp. nov., R. tenebris sp. nov., and R. unimaculata sp. nov.

Botany ◽

10.1139/cjb-2018-0138 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (2) ◽

pp. 135-147

Author(s):

Manuela I. Parente ◽

Gary W. Saunders

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Life Histories ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Dna Barcode ◽

Sensu Stricto ◽

Haida Gwaii ◽

Genetic Groups ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Family ◽

Three New Species

Currently there are three species (i.e., traditional morphospecies) in Canada assigned to the genus Ralfsia sensu lato, which we establish is not monophyletic even after excluding “species” now known to apply to alternate stages in the life histories of non-ralfsialean species. These species include R. fungiformis (Gunnerus) Setchell & N.L.Gardner and R. pacifica Hollenberg in the Pacific, and R. fungiformis and R. verrucosa (J.E.Areschoug) J.E.Areschoug in the Atlantic. However, a DNA barcode survey of Ralfsiales in Canada using the markers COI-5P and rbcL-3P revealed five genetic groups assignable to Ralfsia sensu stricto (i.e., includes only species assigned to this genus based on phylogenetic analyses). Further complicating matters, of the three species listed previously as occurring in Canada only the type species R. fungiformis is assignable to Ralfsia sensu stricto. Ralfsia pacifica and R. verrucosa did not group with the generitype and thus are not assignable to Ralfsia sensu stricto; further, they did not group with the family Ralfsiaceae. They will be presented in a subsequent manuscript. The four other genetic groups in Canada assignable to Ralfsia sensu stricto are new species of which three are described here: Ralfsia robertii sp. nov., Ralfsia tenebris sp. nov., and Ralfsia unimaculata sp. nov. The fourth consisted of a single sterile specimen from Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, and was not characterized.

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DNA barcoding reveals multiple overlooked Australian species of the red algal order Rhodymeniales (Florideophyceae), with resurrection of Halopeltis J. Agardh and description of Pseudohalopeltis gen. nov.

Botany ◽

10.1139/b10-038 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 88 (7) ◽

pp. 639-667 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Gary W. Saunders ◽

Brian McDonald

Keyword(s):

Dna Barcode ◽

South Australia ◽

Sensu Stricto ◽

Cryptic Diversity ◽

Additional Species ◽

Australian Species ◽

Lord Howe Island ◽

Red Algal ◽

Species Groups ◽

Genetic Species

The DNA barcode (COI-5P) was used to investigate cryptic diversity among Rhodymenia spp. in southern Australia. Whereas eight species are currently recognized, we uncovered ca. 20 genetic species groups, phylogenetically assigned to four genera in two families. Procumbent specimens with molecular and anatomical signatures of the Fryeellaceae are assigned to Pseudohalopeltis tasmanensis gen. et sp. nov. Collections from Lord Howe Island recorded in the field as Rhodymenia / Fauchea sp. are assigned to the poorly known genus Microphyllum as Microphyllum robustum sp. nov. A cluster of species with distinct molecular and anatomical attributes is included in a resurrected Halopeltis J.G. Agardh, including Halopeltis australis (J. Agardh) comb. nov. (type species); Halopeltis austrina (Womersley) comb. nov.; Halopeltis cuneata (Harvey) comb. nov. [including Rhodymenia halymenioides (J. Agardh) Womersley]; Halopeltis gracilis sp. nov.; Halopeltis prostrata sp. nov.; and Halopeltis verrucosa (Womersley) comb. nov. Four additional species of Halopeltis from Lord Howe Island (LH1, LH2), Tasmania (TAS), and Western Australia are not characterized further. For Rhodymenia sensu stricto, similar levels of cryptic diversity were noted. Samples tentatively field-identified as “ Rhodymenia sonderi ,” but having affiliations to Rhodymenia rather than Halopeltis, are referred to Rhodymenia novahollandica sp. nov. Collections field-identified as R. obtusa are genetically distinct from that species and are assigned to Rhodymenia wilsonis (Sonder) comb. nov. Two highly divergent species currently identified as Rhodymenia leptophylla (LH from Lord Howe Island; TAS from Tasmania), as well as two additional cryptic previously unnamed taxa from South Australia (SA) and Victoria (VIC), are not characterized further.

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A molecular phylogenetic and DNA barcode assessment of the tribe Pterosiphonieae (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta) emphasizing the Northeast Pacific

Botany ◽

10.1139/cjb-2016-0083 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 94 (10) ◽

pp. 917-939 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Amanda M. Savoie ◽

Gary W. Saunders

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

North American ◽

New Genus ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Dna Barcode ◽

Sensu Stricto ◽

North American Species ◽

African Species ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic

Sequence data (COI-5P and rbcL) for North American members of the tribe Pterosiphonieae were compared with collections from around the world. Phylogenetic analyses resolved Pterosiphonia as polyphyletic and many species required transfer to other genera. In our analyses Pterosiphonia sensu stricto included only the type species P. cloiophylla (C. Agardh) Falkenberg and P. complanata (Clemente) Falkenberg, as well as the South African species P. stegengae sp. nov. A new genus, Xiphosiphonia gen. nov., was described for X. ardreana (Maggs & Hommersand) comb. nov., X. pennata (C. Agardh) comb. nov., and X. pinnulata (Kützing) comb. nov. Some Asian, European and North American species previously attributed to Pterosiphonia were transferred to Symphyocladia including S. baileyi (Harvey) comb. nov., S. dendroidea (Montagne) comb. nov., S. plumosa nom. nov. (for P. gracilis Kylin), and S. tanakae (S. Uwai & M. Masuda) comb. nov. We also described two new North American species, Symphyocladia brevicaulis sp. nov. and S. rosea sp. nov. Other species formed a well-supported clade for which the genus name Polyostea Ruprecht was resurrected. Included in Polyostea were P. arctica (J. Agardh) comb. nov., P. bipinnata (Postels & Ruprecht) Ruprecht, P. hamata (E.S. Sinova) comb. nov., and P. robusta (N.L. Gardner) comb. nov.

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A DNA barcode survey of Haida Gwaii kelp (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae) reveals novel ecological and distributional observations and Saccharina druehlii sp. nov.

Botany ◽

10.1139/cjb-2014-0119 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 92 (11) ◽

pp. 821-826 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Gary W. Saunders ◽

Daniel C. McDevit

Keyword(s):

Internal Transcribed Spacer ◽

Dna Barcode ◽

Single Species ◽

Haida Gwaii ◽

Mitochondrial Coi ◽

Genetic Groups ◽

Eisenia Arborea ◽

Distinctive Morphology ◽

Nuclear Its ◽

Bona Fide

A DNA barcode survey using mitochondrial COI-5P and nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) markers of kelp from Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, has uncovered 18 genetic groups encompassing 17 morphospecies. The discrepancy derived from collections identified in the field as Saccharina sessilis (C.Agardh) Kuntze, which formed two distinct clusters in molecular (both mitochondrial COI-5P and nuclear ITS) analyses leading to the proposal of Saccharina druehlii sp. nov. The morphospecies listed in the literature for this region (∼25), but not found during our survey (8) were accounted for in previous molecular studies that have synonymized taxa, viz., from six to a single species of Alaria, or involve uncertain reports for two Laminaria spp. We did not collect Eisenia arborea Areschoug, which with its distinctive morphology would represent bona fide records for this region. This species was previously reported at only two locations in Haida Gwaii, suggesting that it is rare and restricted in distribution in this flora yielding a total of 19 species of Laminariales. In addition, novel distributional and ecological observations are discussed for the kelp in Haida Gwaii.

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Hypnea wynnei and Hypnea yokoyana (Cystocloniaceae, Rhodophyta), two new species revealed by a DNA barcoding survey on the Brazilian coast

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.268.2.3 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 268 (2) ◽

pp. 123 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

FABIO NAUER ◽

VALÉRIA CASSANO ◽

MARIANA C. OLIVEIRA

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Morphological Analysis ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Brazilian Coast ◽

Closely Related Species ◽

Two New Species ◽

Red Algal ◽

Basal Portion ◽

Algal Genus ◽

Lateral Branches

Two new species of the red algal genus Hypnea (Gigartinales) are described for the southeastern coast of Brazil based on three molecular markers (COI-5P, rbcL and UPA), detailed morphological analysis, and comparison with closely related species. These species were named H. wynnei Nauer, Cassano & M.C. Oliveira and H. yokoyana Nauer, Cassano & M.C. Oliveira. Hypnea wynnei is characterized primarily by its reduced size, sub-erect tufts with few lateral branches and entangled basal portion, a thallus that is flattened only at the apical portions, and tetrasporangial sori developed only at apical portions of the branchlets. Hypnea yokoyana is characterized by its larger thallus, profuse branching, entirely terete axes, larger diameter of the main axes, and lack of entangling at its base. The molecular data support the conclusion that H. wynnei and H. yokoyana are distinct from other Hypnea species and are distantly related to Hypnea from the Brazilian coast.

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Molecular Verification of the UK National Collection of Cultivated Liriope and Ophiopogon Plants

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants9050558 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 558

Author(s):

Eva Masiero ◽

Dipanwita Banik ◽

John Abson ◽

Paul Greene ◽

Adrian Slater ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sequence Data ◽

Large Subunit ◽

Dna Barcode ◽

Individual Species ◽

Dna Barcodes ◽

Subunit Gene ◽

Closely Related Species ◽

Bisphosphate Carboxylase ◽

Reference Sequences ◽

The Uk

A collection of cultivated Liriope and Ophiopogon plants was established in 1996–1998 and subsequently hosted at a horticultural college. Uncertainties about the identification of the accessions, compounded by potential errors in propagation and labelling have led to waning confidence in the identities of the plants in the collection. The potential for using DNA barcoding to determine the species identities of the accessions was investigated. The DNA barcode regions of the plastid ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit gene (rbcL) and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) were amplified. DNA sequence analysis allowed the sequences of the accessions to be compared to reference sequences in public databases. A simple haplotype map of the characteristic polymorphic positions in the rbcL regions was used to clearly distinguish between the two genera and assign Ophiopogon accessions to individual species or sub-groups of species. The ITS sequence data confirmed these genus and species assignations and provided greater resolution to distinguish between closely related species. The combination of two DNA barcodes allowed most of the accessions to be assigned to individual species. This molecular verification confirmed the identity of about 70% of the accessions, with the remaining 30% demonstrating a range of mistaken identities at the species and genus levels.

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Acquiring DNA sequence data from dried archival red algae (Florideophyceae) for the purpose of applying available names to contemporary genetic species: a critical assessment

Botany ◽

10.1139/b11-079 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 90 (3) ◽

pp. 191-203 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Gary W. Saunders ◽

Daniel C. McDevit

Keyword(s):

Red Algae ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Algal Species ◽

Extraction Procedure ◽

Dna Barcode ◽

Resolving Power ◽

Universal Primers ◽

Success Rates ◽

Mitochondrial Coi ◽

Red Algal

Two DNA extraction protocols and nine variations of advocated DNA barcode markers (nuclear LSU D2/D3, ITS1, ITS2, mitochondrial COI-5P, plastid rbcL, UPA) were assessed for their abilities to yield species-level resolution from archival collections of red algae. With the exception of LSU D2/D3, all markers trialed displayed the potential to resolve red algal species. However, shortened COI-5P (COIms) and ITS (ITS2r) markers displayed four to five times the intrageneric divergence of shortened plastid markers and are preferred for their resolving power. For recent archival samples (4–11 years), COIms, ITS2r, and UPA displayed >90% amplification success. However, success rates declined rapidly as samples ranging in age from ca. 45–180 years old were tested. Further, contamination was a serious concern in reamplifications (partially nested PCR), especially for markers using universal primers (e.g., UPA) and for trials that employed the best extraction procedure, i.e., the better an extraction protocol is at isolating small DNA fragments from archival material, the better it is at acquiring small contaminating fragments from the laboratory — an intuitive and unfortunate reality. The ramifications of our results for ongoing attempts to extract DNA from archival red algal collections using PCR-based protocols is discussed along with recommendations to improve the likelihood of authentic outcomes.

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