Molecular identification of the ubiquitous green algae Ulva reveals high biodiversity, crypticity, and invasive species in the Atlantic-Baltic Sea region

Steinhagen, Sophie; Hoffmann, S. K.; Pavia, Henrik; Toth, Gunilla B.

doi:10.1016/j.algal.2023.103132

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…from Algarrobo from the first round of phylogenetic analyses was used to blast against the GenBank database to determine the range of species to which they most closely matched. For further phylogenetic analyses, we included GenBank ITS1 and tuf A sequences of Ulva that had been previously validated and used for the identification of Ulva species on different coasts worldwide (e.g., [32,[34][35][36][37]46,49,50]). Sequences referred to as Ulva sp.…”

Section: Molecular Phylogeneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By using phylogenetic analyses, DNA markers have facilitated species determination within Ulva (e.g., [34][35][36]). For the genus Ulva, sequences of the elongation factor Tu (tuf A) of the chloroplast genome have been shown to exhibit adequate variation for species resolution and are widely used to assess species diversity (e.g., [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46]). Other markers that have proven useful for species identification and often complement data from tuf A or other chloroplast sequences are the Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene encoded in the mitochondrial genome (e.g., [47]) and sequences of internal transcribed spacer ITS from the nuclear genome [32,[34][35][36][37][38]42].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Morphological and Molecular Identification of Ulva spp. (Ulvophyceae; Chlorophyta) from Algarrobo Bay, Chile: Understanding the Composition of Green Tides

Mutizabal-Aros,

Ramírez,

Haye

et al. 2024

Plants

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Green algae blooms of the genus Ulva are occurring globally and are primarily attributed to anthropogenic factors. At Los Tubos beach in Algarrobo Bay along the central Chilean coast, there have been blooms of these algae that persist almost year-round over the past 20 years, leading to environmental, economic, and social issues that affect the local government and communities. The objective of this study was to characterize the species that form these green tides based on a combination of ecological, morpho-anatomical, and molecular information. For this purpose, seasonal surveys of beached algal fronds were conducted between 2021 and 2022. Subsequently, the sampled algae were analyzed morphologically and phylogenetically using the molecular markers ITS1 and tufA, allowing for the identification of at least five taxa. Of these five taxa, three (U. stenophylloides, U. uncialis, U. australis) have laminar, foliose, and distromatic morphology, while the other two (U. compressa, U. aragoensis) have tubular, filamentous, and monostromatic fronds. Intertidal surveys showed that U. stenophylloides showed the highest relative coverage throughout the seasons and all intertidal levels, followed by U. uncialis. Therefore, we can establish that the green tides on the coast of Algarrobo in Chile are multispecific, with differences in relative abundance during different seasons and across the intertidal zone, opening opportunities for diverse future studies, ranging from ecology to algal biotechnology.

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Section: Molecular Phylogeneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and Molecular Identification of Ulva spp. (Ulvophyceae; Chlorophyta) from Algarrobo Bay, Chile: Understanding the Composition of Green Tides

Mutizabal-Aros,

Ramírez,

Haye

et al. 2024

Plants

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“…Genetic investigations of Ulva spp. in the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic proximities showed that U. rigida was absent from the studied areas while U. lacinulata was relatively frequent [84]. The worldwide distribution of Ulva species needs to be reappraised based on sequences from type material due to the general misuse of species names [85].…”

Section: Ulva Compressa Linnaeusmentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA Barcode-Assisted Inventory of the Marine Macroalgae from the Azores, Including New Records

Gabriel,

Schmidt,

Micael

et al. 2024

Phycology

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Up to the present study, only 8.5% of the 522 macroalgal species reported at the Azores have sequences deposited in GenBank and BOLD public repositories. The sequences of four genetic markers (cox1, rbcL, UPA, tufA) were obtained for recently collected samples from two Azorean islands. DNA barcode-assisted identification was conducted on newly generated and unpublished sequences from public repositories. A literature review of recently published studies, including the molecular identifications of Azorean macroalgae, was also performed. The results confirm the occurrence of 51 species (including subspecific ranks) and provide four new records, namely, three cryptogenic species (Olokunia boudouresquei, Padina gymnospora, and Ulva lacinulata) and one introduced species (Ulva australis). This study contributes 23 DNA barcodes generated for the first time to the Azores, which now has 10.5% of its marine flora represented in public repositories. Additionally, UPA sequences were generated for the first time for the five taxa.

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“…4 gives a complete overview of the presence or absence of KEGG modules in the metagenomic assembled genomes of 26 taxa that are characteristic to a specific salinity 15 region (horohalinicum 5-8 PSU, mesohaline 8-18 PSU, polyhaline 18-30 PSU, or euhaline 30-36 PSU). Pantothenate (vitamin B 5 ), for example, can be produced at low to medium salinity (5-18 PSU) by an unknown Saprospiraceae (MAG591), but at medium to high salinity (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36) this function in the community was taken over by Robiginitomaculum and another unknown Saprospiraceae (MAG149) (Fig. 4).…”

Section: Large Potential For Vitamin B Production By Bacteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ulva species are known for their broad salinity tolerance, thriving in environments ranging from freshwater habitats to highly saline conditions. The Baltic Sea is a particularly interesting area to study Ulva, as it hosts more than 15 species distributed across its distinctive salinity gradient 23 . This relatively stable gradient stretches across more than 2,000 km of distance, transitioning from near freshwater conditions in the innermost parts towards fully marine conditions on the North Sea side 24 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional stability despite high taxonomic turnover characterizes the Ulva microbiome across a 2,000 km salinity gradient

van der Loos,

Steinhagen,

Stock

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The green seaweed Ulva depends on its associated bacteria for morphogenesis and is an important model to study algal-bacterial interactions. Ulva-associated bacteria exhibit high turnover across environmental gradients, leading to the hypothesis that bacteria contribute to the acclimation potential of the host. Yet little is known about the variation in the functional profile of Ulva-associated bacteria in relation to environmental changes. To test which microbial functions shift alongside a strong environmental gradient, we analysed microbial communities of 91 Ulva samples across a 2,000 km Atlantic–Baltic Sea salinity gradient using metagenomic sequencing. Metabolic reconstruction of 639 metagenome-assembled genomes revealed widespread potential for carbon, sulphur, nitrogen, and vitamin metabolism, including amino acid and vitamin B biosynthesis. While salinity explained 70% of taxonomic variation, it only accounted for 17% of functional variation, indicating extensive functional stability. The limited variation was attributed to typical high-salinity bacteria exhibiting enrichment in genes for thiamine, pyridoxal, and betaine biosynthesis. These metabolic modules likely contribute to oxidative stress mitigation, cellular osmotic homeostasis, and membrane stabilization in response to salinity variations. Our results emphasise the importance of functional profiling to understand the seaweed holobiont and its collective response to environmental change.

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Molecular identification of the ubiquitous green algae Ulva reveals high biodiversity, crypticity, and invasive species in the Atlantic-Baltic Sea region

Cited by 10 publications

References 69 publications

Morphological and Molecular Identification of Ulva spp. (Ulvophyceae; Chlorophyta) from Algarrobo Bay, Chile: Understanding the Composition of Green Tides

Morphological and Molecular Identification of Ulva spp. (Ulvophyceae; Chlorophyta) from Algarrobo Bay, Chile: Understanding the Composition of Green Tides

DNA Barcode-Assisted Inventory of the Marine Macroalgae from the Azores, Including New Records

Functional stability despite high taxonomic turnover characterizes the Ulva microbiome across a 2,000 km salinity gradient

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