Morphology and phylogenetic relationships of the Bangiales (Rhodophyta) from King George Island, the Antarctic and its adjacent waters

Abstract

Members of the Bangiales (Rhodophyta) are distributed worldwide from tropic to the Antarctic and the Arctic. Three species of the Bangiales; Bangia fuscopurpurea (as B. atropurpurea), Porphyra plocamiestris and Pyropia endiviifolia (as Porphyra endiviifolium), have been reported in the Antarctic. Morphological and molecular data were investigated for the Bangiales from the Antarctic and its adjacent waters. Each several tens of sequences for SSU rDNA, plastid rbcL and mitochondrial cox1 gene were newly determined in this study. Molecular data from about 200 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. Bangia fuscopurpurea from the Antarctic was different from B. fuscopurpurea from north Pacific (Korea and Japan) by 11-12 bp in cox1 gene sequence. Porphyra plocamiestris growing on other macroalgae in subtidal zone grouped into the genus Wildemania with the species having one or two cell layers in molecular data. Pyropia endiviifolia is olive green in color and it allied to a clade with Pyropia sp. from Chile, P. aeodis from South Africa and P. cinnamomea and P. virididentata from New Zealand. The taxonomic issues and phylogenetic relationships of the Antarctic members of the Bangiales will be discus Porphyra endiviifolium), have been reported in the Antarctic. Morphological and molecular data were investigated for the Bangiales from the Antarctic and its adjacent waters. Each several tens of sequences for SSU rDNA, plastid rbcL and mitochondrial cox1 gene were newly determined in this study. Molecular data from about 200 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 previou