Individuals from non-native populations are stronger and bigger than individuals from native populations of a widespread seaweed

Murren, Courtney J.; Krueger‐Hadfield, Stacy A.; Clark, A. J.; Flanagan, Ben A.; Lees, Lauren E.; Sotka, Erik E.

doi:10.1007/s10530-022-02766-x

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Tetrasporophytes dominate many of the non‐native sites, thus we preferentially sampled reproductive tetrasporophytes at all sites to avoid stage‐specific differences. When reproductive, tetrasporophytes are easily identifiable (see figure 3 in Krueger‐Hadfield et al, 2018) and these diagnostic features have been used in previous studies to compare tetrasporophytes between native and non‐native regions (see also Bippus et al, 2018; Bonthond et al, 2020; Murren et al, 2022; Sotka et al, 2018).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When reproductive, tetrasporophytes are easily identifiable (see figure 3 in Krueger-Hadfield et al, 2018) and these diagnostic features have been used in previous studies to compare tetrasporophytes between native and non-native regions (see also Bippus et al, 2018;Bonthond et al, 2020;Murren et al, 2022;Sotka et al, 2018).…”

Section: Study Species Sampling and Common Garden Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, many of the habitats to which this alga has been introduced are composed of soft sediments in which algal spores cannot recruit and as a consequence, there has been a shift from sexual to asexual reproduction and the consistent loss of the haploid gametophytic stage (Krueger-Hadfield et al, 2016. A recent study further revealed that nonnative G. vermiculophylla tetrasporophytes were larger and stronger than their native counterparts (Murren et al, 2022). However, the molecular responses that underlie its successful colonization are still poorly known, but previous work has suggested an underlying genetic component (Sotka et al, 2018).…”

Section: It Was Inadvertently Introduced Throughout Estuaries and Mar...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genome‐scale signatures of adaptive gene expression changes in an invasive seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla

et al. 2022

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Invasive species can successfully and rapidly colonize new niches and expand ranges via founder effects and enhanced tolerance towards environmental stresses. However, the underpinning molecular mechanisms (i.e., gene expression changes) facilitating rapid adaptation to harsh environments are still poorly understood. The red seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla, which is native to the northwest Pacific but invaded North American and European coastal habitats over the last 100 years, provides an excellent model to examine whether enhanced tolerance at the level of gene expression contributed to its invasion success. We collected G. vermiculophylla from its native range in Japan and from two non‐native regions along the Delmarva Peninsula (Eastern United States) and in Germany. Thalli were reared in a common garden for 4 months at which time we performed comparative transcriptome (mRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) sequencing. MRNA‐expression profiling identified 59 genes that were differently expressed between native and non‐native thalli. Of these genes, most were involved in metabolic pathways, including photosynthesis, abiotic stress, and biosynthesis of products and hormones in all four non‐native sites. MiRNA‐based target‐gene correlation analysis in native/non‐native pairs revealed that some target genes are positively or negatively regulated via epigenetic mechanisms. Importantly, these genes are mostly associated with metabolism and defence capability (e.g., metal transporter Nramp5, senescence‐associated protein, cell wall‐associated hydrolase, ycf68 protein and cytochrome P450‐like TBP). Thus, our gene expression results indicate that resource reallocation to metabolic processes is most likely a predominant mechanism contributing to the range‐wide persistence and adaptation of G. vermiculophylla in the invaded range. This study, therefore, provides molecular insight into the speed and nature of invasion‐mediated rapid adaption.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Species Sampling and Common Garden Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: It Was Inadvertently Introduced Throughout Estuaries and Mar...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genome‐scale signatures of adaptive gene expression changes in an invasive seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla

et al. 2022

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“…Images were analyzed by modifying methods of WinRhizo (Regent Instruments), which was developed for plant roots. The methods are useful here as the Gracilaria vermiculophylla thallus resembles terrestrial plant roots (see also Lees et al, 2018; Murren et al, 2022). For each scanned herbarium specimen, we retained the measurements calculated by WinRhizo of total thallus length (cm) and surface area (cm 2 ), which is calculated by length and diameter.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenology and thallus size in a non‐native population of Gracilaria vermiculophylla

Krueger‐Hadfield,

Oetterer,

Lees

et al. 2023

Journal of Phycology

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Phenology, or seasonal variation in life cycle events, is poorly described for many macroalgal species. We describe the phenology of a non‐native population of Gracilaria vermiculophylla whose thalli are free‐living or anchored by decorating polychaetes to tube caps. At a site in South Carolina, USA, we sampled 100 thalli approximately every month from January 2014 to January 2015. We assessed the reproductive state and measured thallus size based on wet weight, thallus length, and thallus surface area from herbarium mounts. Because life cycle stage cannot be assigned using morphology, we implemented a PCR assay to determine the life cycle stage—tetrasporophyte, female gametophyte, or male gametophyte—of each thallus. Tetrasporophytes dominated throughout the year, making up 81%–100% of thalli sampled per month. Reproductive tetrasporophytes varied between 0% and 65% of monthly samples and were most common in warm summer months (July through September) when thalli also tended to be larger. The vast majority of the reproductive thalli were worm‐anchored and not fixed to hard substratum via a holdfast. Thus, free‐living thalli can be reproductive and potentially seed new non‐native populations. Given G. vermiculophylla reproduction seems tied closely to temperature, our work suggests phenology may change with climate‐related changes in seawater temperatures. We also highlight the importance of understanding the natural history of macroalgae to better understand the consequence of range expansions on population dynamics.

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Individuals from non-native populations are stronger and bigger than individuals from native populations of a widespread seaweed

Cited by 2 publications

References 56 publications

Genome‐scale signatures of adaptive gene expression changes in an invasive seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla

Genome‐scale signatures of adaptive gene expression changes in an invasive seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla

Phenology and thallus size in a non‐native population of Gracilaria vermiculophylla

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