Using gigartinine to track the distribution of an alien species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gracilaria</Emphasis> in New Zealand |
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Authors: | Sarah J Wilcox Neill Barr Judy Broom Richard H Furneaux Wendy A Nelson |
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Institution: | (1) Industrial Research Limited, PO Box 31-310, Lower Hutt, New Zealand;(2) University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1020, New Zealand;(3) University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand;(4) National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Private Bag 14901, Wellington, New Zealand |
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Abstract: | The presence of gigartinine has been used previously as a taxonomic marker for the positive identification in Manukau Harbour
(west coast, Auckland) of Gracilaria sp., which has apparently been introduced to New Zealand waters and is easily confused morphologically with the native species,
G. chilensis. Thirty two estuarine/harbour populations of Gracilaria in New Zealand were screened for the presence of gigartinine to further test the utility of gigartinine as a reliable species
marker. DNA fingerprinting was used to confirm the identity of a subset of the specimens surveyed. Using genetic rather than
chemical characterisation, it was discovered that Gracilaria sp. is also present in Orakei Basin (east coast, Auckland). Although a sample from the wild did not have the anticipated
gigartinine content, tank cultivation of thalli from this population in an artificially elevated nitrogen environment allowed
the plant to accumulate nitrogen as gigartinine. This confirmed the unusual ability of this species of Gracilaria to store nitrogen in this form, unlike the widespread, morphologically similar, G. chilensis. |
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Keywords: | free amino acids Gracilaria chilensis |
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