The blood alga: phylogeny of Haematococcus (Chlorophyceae) inferred from ribosomal RNA gene sequence data |
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Authors: | Mark A Buchheim Danica M Sutherland Julie A Buchheim Matthias Wolf |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Biological Science , The University of Tulsa , 800 S. Tucker Dr., Tulsa , OK , 74104 , USA mark-buchheim@utulsa.edu;3. Department of Biological Science , The University of Tulsa , 800 S. Tucker Dr., Tulsa , OK , 74104 , USA;4. Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter , University of Würzburg , Am Hubland , 97074 , Würzburg , Germany |
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Abstract: | The status of the green algal genera Haematococcus and Stephanosphaera has been a source of debate among algal systematists. A phylogenetic alliance between Haematococcus (sensu lato) and the colonial Stephanosphaera was affirmed by earlier molecular phylogenetic investigations. Although the data suggested that the genus Haematococcus may not be a monophyletic group, taxon sampling limited the scope of any potential taxonomic revision. Results from new molecular phylogenetic analyses of data from the 18S and 26S rRNA genes support the establishment of a separate genus, Balticola, as originally proposed by Droop in 1956. Haematococcus remains as a valid genus, with H. pluvialis as its only member. The monotypic status of H. pluvialis is supported both by molecular phylogenetic analyses of the ribosomal RNA genes and assessments of molecular evolution in the ITS2 sequences of H. pluvialis strains. The near-complete absence of compensatory base changes in a sequence-structure analysis of the highly variable ITS2 gene from more than 40 geographically diverse isolates of H. pluvialis corroborates the unity of the species inferred from molecular phylogenetic analyses of 18S and 26S rRNA gene sequence data. |
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Keywords: | Chlorophyceae Chlorophyta green algae Haematococcus ITS2 rDNA LSU rDNA molecular systematics phylogeny rDNA SSU rDNA Stephanosphaera taxonomy |
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