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Song X, Yao J, Roleda MY, Liang Y, Xu R, Lin Y, Gonzaga SMC, Du Y, Duan D. Genetic Diversity and Connectivity of Reef-Building Halimeda macroloba in the Indo-Pacific Region. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2025; 14:1497. [PMID: 40431065 DOI: 10.3390/plants14101497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2025] [Revised: 05/04/2025] [Accepted: 05/14/2025] [Indexed: 05/29/2025]
Abstract
Understanding population genetic connectivity is crucial for the sustainability and persistence of marine biodiversity. As a fundamental reef-building macroalga of the coastal ecosystem, Halimeda macroloba Decaisne is one of the dominant intertidal seaweeds in the Indo-Pacific region. However, its genetic structure and population connectivity have been poorly recognized. Here, we explored the population genetic structure and genetic connectivity of H. macroloba using chloroplast tufA, rps3-rpl14, and rbcL. Our results indicated low genetic diversity and shallow population genetic structure at the intraspecific level, uncovering five genetic groups with six subdivided lineages in tufA and two genetic clusters in rps3-rpl14. We detected demographic expansion in the last glacial period of the Pleistocene and significantly asymmetric gene flow among different geographical units. We suggest that the southwestward ocean currents under the influence of northeast monsoon in the Indo-Pacific region are the main factor in shaping the present genetic structure, and the asexual reproduction of H. macroloba also plays an important role of the low genetic diversity pattern; in addition, the divergence between genetic clusters might be related to the historical isolation led by the paleoclimate oscillation in the Pleistocene. The Xisha Islands in the northern South China Sea might serve as a potential refugium of H. macroloba, which needs extra attention to conservation management. Given the limitation of sample size, we need to conduct more field work and carry out further research at a larger scale in the future. Our study provided new insights into the theory of population connectivity in the Indo-Pacific region and provided scientific basis for tropical costal seaweed conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266000, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266200, China
| | - Jianting Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266000, China
| | - Michael Y Roleda
- Algal Ecophysiology (AlgaE) Laboratory, Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
| | - Yanshuo Liang
- Laboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Qingdao Key Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Rui Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266000, China
| | - Yude Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266000, China
| | - Shienna Mae C Gonzaga
- Algal Ecophysiology (AlgaE) Laboratory, Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
| | - Yuqun Du
- Melbourne Integrative Genomics, School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Delin Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266000, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266200, China
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Nguyen ML, Kim MS, Nguyen NTN, Nguyen XT, Cao VL, Nguyen XV, Vieira C. Marine Floral Biodiversity, Threats, and Conservation in Vietnam: An Updated Review. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:plants12091862. [PMID: 37176920 PMCID: PMC10181403 DOI: 10.3390/plants12091862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Part of the Indo-Chinese peninsula and located on the northwest edge of the Coral Triangle in the South China Sea, the Vietnamese coastal zone is home to a wealthy marine biodiversity associated with the regional geological setting and history, which supports a large number of marine ecosystems along a subtropical to tropical gradient. The diversity of coastal benthic marine primary producers is also a key biological factor supporting marine biological diversity. The present review provides: (1) an updated checklist of the Vietnamese marine flora, (2) a review of molecular-assisted alpha taxonomic efforts, (3) an analysis of marine floral biodiversity spatial distribution nationally and regionally (South China Sea), (4) a review of the impact of anthropogenic and environmental stressors on the Vietnamese marine flora, and (5) the efforts developed in the last decade for its conservation. Based on the studies conducted since 2013 and the nomenclatural changes that occurred during this period, an updated checklist of benthic marine algae and seagrasses consisted in a new total of 878 species, including 439 Rhodophyta, 156 Ochrophyta, 196 Chlorophyta, 87 Cyanobacteria, and 15 phanerogam seagrasses. This update contains 54 new records and 5 new species of macroalgae. The fairly poor number of new records and new species identified in the last 10 years in a "mega-diverse" country can be largely attributed to the limited efforts in exploring algal biodiversity and the limited use of genetic tools, with only 25.4% (15 species) of these new records and species made based on molecular-assisted alpha taxonomy. The South Central Coast supports the highest species diversity of marine algae, which coincides with the largest density of coral reefs along the Vietnamese coast. Vietnam holds in the South China Sea one of the richest marine floras, imputable to the country's geographical, geological, and climatic settings. However, Vietnam marine floral biodiversity is under critical threats examined here, and current efforts are insufficient for its conservation. A methodical molecular-assisted re-examination of Vietnam marine floral biodiversity is urgently needed, complemented with in-depth investigations of the main threats targeting marine flora and vulnerable taxa, and finally, conservation measures should be urgently implemented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manh-Linh Nguyen
- Institute of Marine Environment and Resources, VAST, Hai Phong 180000, Vietnam
- Faculty of Ecology and Biological Resources, Graduate University of Science and Technology, VAST, Ha Noi 100000, Vietnam
| | - Myung-Sook Kim
- Research Institute for Basic Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju 63000, Republic of Korea
| | | | | | - Van-Luong Cao
- Institute of Marine Environment and Resources, VAST, Hai Phong 180000, Vietnam
| | - Xuan-Vy Nguyen
- Faculty of Ecology and Biological Resources, Graduate University of Science and Technology, VAST, Ha Noi 100000, Vietnam
- Institute of Oceanography, VAST, Nha Trang 650000, Vietnam
| | - Christophe Vieira
- Research Institute for Basic Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju 63000, Republic of Korea
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Boo GH, Bottalico A, Le Gall L, Yoon HS. Genetic Diversity and Phylogeography of a Turf-Forming Cosmopolitan Marine Alga, Gelidium crinale (Gelidiales, Rhodo-Phyta). Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065263. [PMID: 36982334 PMCID: PMC10049384 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Cosmopolitan species are rare in red algae, which have a low-dispersal capacity unless they are dispersed by human-mediated introductions. Gelidium crinale, a turf-forming red alga, has a widespread distribution in tropical and temperate waters. To decipher the genetic diversity and phylogeography of G. crinale, we analyzed mitochondrial COI-5P and plastid rbcL sequences from collections in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Phylogenies of both markers statistically supported the monophyly of G. crinale, with a close relationship to G. americanum and G. calidum from the Western Atlantic. Based on the molecular analysis from these materials, Pterocladia heteroplatos from India is here merged with G. crinale. 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 G. crinale 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 G. crinale has been shaped by Pleistocene relicts. The survival of the turf species under environmental stresses is briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ga Hun Boo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Antonella Bottalico
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari “A. Moro”, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
| | - Line Le Gall
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Hwan Su Yoon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
- Correspondence:
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Rancel-Rodríguez NM, Afonso-Carrillo J, Tronholm A, Sansón M. A New Species from the Canary Islands Increases the Diversity of the Red Algal Genus Pterocladiella in the Northeastern Atlantic. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:416. [PMID: 36679129 PMCID: PMC9866342 DOI: 10.3390/plants12020416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Environmental and human factors are inducing a drastic decline in many marine algae in regions with a high floristic richness as in the Canary Islands. Simultaneously, undescribed algal species continue to be discovered, suggesting a probable loss in diversity, before being properly identified and catalogued. Turf-forming Gelidiales occur in marine littoral communities from tropical to warm temperate regions and are challenging to identify correctly because of their small size and simple morphology. In the present study, we combined morphological and molecular phylogenetics methods to study a turf-forming species of the genus Pterocladiella from the Canary Islands (NE Atlantic). Both cox1 and rbcL gene analyses revealed a novel species described here, Pterocladiella canariensis sp. nov. The new species has no single unique morphological feature, but it is different by a distinctive combination of attributes, namely, minute size less than 18 mm in height, ribbon-like erect axes, small polygonal cortical cells, cystocarp circular in outline with placental tissue attached to the floor, spermatangial sori with sterile margins with spermatangia simultaneously formed on both sides of the blade, and tetrasporangia arranged in V-shaped rows. Phylogenies inferred from cox1 and concatenated genes (cox1 + rbcL) suggest a link to only two Pterocladiella species endemic to South Africa and Madagascar; nevertheless, the rbcL gene establishes P. canariensis as the earliest divergent lineage of the genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nereida M. Rancel-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias, Sección Biología, Universidad de La Laguna, Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, 38206 La Laguna, Spain
| | - Julio Afonso-Carrillo
- Departamento de Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias, Sección Biología, Universidad de La Laguna, Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, 38206 La Laguna, Spain
| | - Ana Tronholm
- Departamento de Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias, Sección Biología, Universidad de La Laguna, Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, 38206 La Laguna, Spain
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, P.O. Box 461, 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, P.O. Box 461, 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Marta Sansón
- Departamento de Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias, Sección Biología, Universidad de La Laguna, Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, 38206 La Laguna, Spain
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Species Diversity of Gelidium from Southern Madagascar Evaluated by an Integrative Taxonomic Approach. DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/d14100826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The diversity of red algae is significantly increasing; in the recent interest of climate changes, taxonomic and biogeographic studies are needed in untouched regions such as ecological important islands. We examined a collection of Gelidium specimens gathered during the 2010 Atimo Vatae expedition based on the morphology and DNA sequencing of mitochondrial cox1 and plastid rbcL. Both morphological and molecular datasets demonstrated the presence of three species in Madagascar; G. leptum G.H.Boo, L.Le Gall and H.S.Yoon, sp. nov., described here, and G. sclerophyllum W.R.Taylor and G. usmanghanii Afaq-Husain and Shameel. Gelidium leptum is distinguished by thin, slender, flattened thalli with irregular branches, compactly arranged thick-walled cells in medulla, sparse rhizoidal filaments at both sides of branches, and elongate sori of tetrasporangia. Gelidium sclerophyllum, previously considered as endemic to the Tropical Eastern Pacific, is first reported in the Indian Ocean and Hawai’i; G. usmanghanii, previously reported to occur in Pakistan and Oman, also presents a first record in the Southern Hemisphere. Phylogenies inferred from cox1 and rbcL sequences suggests that each of the three species likely diverged from different ancestors. The Madagascan Gelidium comprises two geographical elements; Madagascan endemic (G. leptum) and widespread species (G. sclerophyllum and G. usmanghanii).
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