Phylogenetic relationships of the Bangiales (Rhodophyta) from King George Island, Antarctica : Investigating the evolutionary nature of the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Bangiales

Abstract

Members of the Bangiales (Rhodophyta) are distributed worldwide from tropic to Antarctic and Arctic waters. Three species of the Bangiales

Bangia sp. (as B. atropurpurea), Pyropia endiviifolia (as Porphyra endiviifolium) and Wildemania plocamiestris (as Porphyra plocamiestris), have been reported in the Antarctic. Morphological and molecular data were investigated for the Bangiales from the Antarctic and its adjacent waters. Molecular data from over 150 taxa of the Bangiales worldwide including previously published sequences, indicated that the genera Bangia, Dione, Porphyra, Pyropia, Wildemania and other related genera be recognized in the Bangiales as in the previous molecular study. The Bangia sp. from the Antarctic was strongly allied to B. sp. from Atlantic Canada, interestingly. Pyropia endiviifolia is olive green in color and it allied to a clade with at least three Pyropia species from Falkland Islands, Navarino Island, Rio Seco and Punta Arenas, Chile. Wildemania plocamiestris growing on other macroalgae in sub-tidal zone grouped into the genus Wildemania with the species having one or two cell layers in molecular data. The diversity, taxonomic issues, phylogenetic relationships, distribution and the divergence times of the Antarctic members of the Bangiales were discussed.