Genetic diversity is what selection acts on, thus shaping the adaptive potential of populations. We studied micro-evolutionary patterns of the key planktonic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata at a long-term sampling site over 2 consecutive years by genotyping isolates with 22 microsatellite markers. We show that both sex and vegetative growth interplay in shaping intraspecific diversity. We document a brief but massive demographic and clonal expansion driven by strains of the same mating type. The analysis of an extended data set (6 years) indicates that the genetic fingerprint of P. multistriata changed over time with a nonlinear pattern, with intermittent periods of weak and strong diversification related to the temporary predominance of clonal expansions over sexual recombination. These dynamics, rarely documented for phytoplankton, contribute to the understanding of bloom formation and of the mechanisms that drive microevolution in diatoms.

The Algal Collection at the University Federico II (ACUF) is a bioresource center where over 800 live microalgal strains are maintained, mainly belonging to Cyanobacteria, Chlorophyta, Rhodophyta, and Bacillariophyceae. The extremophilic algae maintained at ACUF include thermo-acidophilic and acidotolerant strains, mostly belonging to the Cyanidiophyceae isolated from European and extra-European sites, and also terrestrial isolates from bare rocks and monuments. The main target of the ACUF Center is the study and preservation of the diversity of extremophylic microalgae. This collection is used as a resource for studies about biochemical and evolutionary strategies as well as mechanisms involved in cell functioning under harsh environmental conditions. These organisms can be also useful sources for the production of chemical compounds or other biological products with potential biotechnological applications.

Nodularia spumigena is a toxic, filamentous cyanobacterium capable of fixing atmospheric N2, which is often dominating cyanobacterial bloom events in the Baltic Sea and other brackish water systems worldwide. Increasing phosphate limitation has been considered as one environmental factor promoting cyanobacterial mass developments. In the present study, we analyzed the response of N. spumigena strain CCY9414 toward strong phosphate limitation. Growth of the strain was diminished under P-deplete conditions; however, filaments contained more polyphosphate under P-deplete compared to P-replete conditions. Using RNA-seq, gene expression was compared in N. spumigena CCY9414 after 7 and 14 days in P-deplete and P-replete conditions, respectively. After 7 days, 112 genes were significantly up-regulated in P-deplete filaments, among them was a high proportion of genes encoding proteins related to P-homeostasis such as transport systems for different P species. Many of these genes became also up-regulated after 14 days compared to 7 days in filaments grown under P-replete conditions, which was consistent with the almost complete consumption of dissolved P in these cultures after 14 days. In addition to genes directly related to P starvation, genes encoding proteins for bioactive compound synthesis, gas vesicles formation, or sugar catabolism were stimulated under P-deplete conditions. Collectively, our data describe an experimentally validated P-stimulon in N. spumigena CCY9414 and provide the indication that severe P limitation could indeed support bloom formation by this filamentous strain.