BIOGEOGRAPHYOF BATRACHOSPERMUM GELATINOSUM (BATRACHOSPERMALES, RHODOPHYTA) IN NORTH AMERICA BASED ON MOLECULAR AND MORPHOLOGICAL DATA¹

Abstract

Fifteen populations of the widespread fieshwater red alga Batrachospermum gelatinosum (L.) De Candolle were sampled throughout the geographic range in North America from central Alabama, U.S.A. (33" N), to Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada (80" N).Analysis of ribosomal DNA internal transm'bed spacer (ITS) 1 and 2 sequences yielded a parsimony tree with a large polytomy consisting of most populations plus a branch with one Nova Scotia and two hWT populations.The nucleotide variation, both within the polytomy and within the branch, was small (<I %). The sequence divergence between the branch and polytomy was 3%. The lengths of the ITS 1 and 2 sequences of B. gelatinosum, 21 6-229 and 448-458 base pairs, respectively, fall within the very broad ranges reported for other red algae. The cluster analysis of I 1 morphometric characteristics revealed three groufiings of populations, partly based on geographic distribution. All tundra, eastern boreal forest, and midwestern hemlock-hardwood populations were in one grouping, whereas the deciduous forest, coastal plain, and eastern hemlock-hardwood populations were in a second. How ever, one deciduous forest population from Rhode Island, U.S.A. was unassociated. There was considerable overlap in morphometric charactm'stics among the three groupings. Based on this fact and the relatively small nucleotade variation in ITS sequences, we conclude that B. gelatinosum is a morphologzcally variable and geographically widespread species that is a valid taxonomic entity.

Photosynthetic performance of two freshwater red algal species

“…Batrachospermum gelatinosum, like red algae in general, occurs in cold, clean running waters (7-14 °C), Kremer (1983), Vis et al (1996), Vis and Sheath (1997), Drerup and Vis (2014) and we also found under such conditions (Tab. 1).…”

“…Populations, as red algae usually, occur at cold temperatures (0-22 °C) in circumneutral (pH 6-8.5) waters with low conductivity (10-490 µS cm -1 ) (Kremer 1983, Vis et al 1996, Vis and Sheath 1997, Carmona et al 2011, Chiasson et al 2014, Drerup and Vis 2014. B. gelatinosum was also described in Central and South America, Australia and in the Middle East under similar conditions (Vis and Entwisle 2000, Jiménez et al 2004, Vis et al 2008, Barinova 2013.…”

Ribosomal DNA phylogeny of the Bangiophycidae (Rhodophyta) and the origin of secondary plastids

“…These taxa are listed in Table 1. Thalli were ground in liquid nitrogen, and the DNA was extracted according to the protocol outlined by Saunders (1993) with modifications given in Vis and Sheath (1997). Thalli were ground in liquid nitrogen, and the DNA was extracted according to the protocol outlined by Saunders (1993) with modifications given in Vis and Sheath (1997).…”

New records of microalgae from the New Zealand alpine zone, and their distribution and dispersal

“…Although taxon sampling is limited in our study, others have found no biogeographic structure at the molecular level in major, wellsampled distributional studies. examples are Batrachospermum gelatinosum (vis & Sheath 1997), Compsopogon (Rintoul et al 1999), cyanidiaceans (Gross et al 2001), freshwater Cladophora (Marks & cummings 1996), and Phormidium retzii (casamatta et al 2003). Presumably, these studies reflect frequent dispersal.…”