Genetic Diversity and Phylogeography of a Turf-Forming Cosmopolitan Marine Alga, <i>Gelidium crinale</i> (Gelidiales, Rhodo-Phyta)
Cosmopolitan species are rare in red algae, which have a low-dispersal capacity unless they are dispersed by human-mediated introductions. <i>Gelidium crinale</i>, a turf-forming red alga, has a widespread distribution in tropical and temperate waters. To decipher the genetic diversity a...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/6/5263 |
| Summary: | Cosmopolitan species are rare in red algae, which have a low-dispersal capacity unless they are dispersed by human-mediated introductions. <i>Gelidium crinale</i>, a turf-forming red alga, has a widespread distribution in tropical and temperate waters. To decipher the genetic diversity and phylogeography of <i>G. crinale</i>, we analyzed mitochondrial COI-5P and plastid <i>rbc</i>L sequences from collections in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Phylogenies of both markers statistically supported the monophyly of <i>G. crinale</i>, with a close relationship to <i>G. americanum</i> and <i>G. calidum</i> from the Western Atlantic. Based on the molecular analysis from these materials, <i>Pterocladia heteroplatos</i> from India is here merged with <i>G. crinale</i>. Phylogeny and TCS networks of COI-5P haplotypes revealed a geographic structure of five groups: (i) Atlantic-Mediterranean, (ii) Ionian, (iii) Asian, (iv) Adriatic-Ionian, and (v) Australasia-India-Tanzania-Easter Island. The most common ancestor of <i>G. crinale</i> likely diverged during the Pleistocene. The Bayesian Skyline Plots suggested the pre-LGM population expansion. Based on geographical structure, lineage-specific private haplotypes, the absence of shared haplotypes between lineages, and AMOVA, we propose that the cosmopolitan distribution of <i>G. crinale</i> has been shaped by Pleistocene relicts. The survival of the turf species under environmental stresses is briefly discussed. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |