IntroductiontotheClassificationof GreenAlgae BrianWysor,Ph.D.

RogerWilliamsUniversity Roger Williams University

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Classification
20+classesofgreenalgaehavebeendescribed sinceLinnaeus i Li Manycriteriahavebeenusedtoestablishclasses
Morphology h l Ultrastructure
+ mitosis cell division cytokinesis flagellar apparatus +mitosis,celldivision,cytokinesis,flagellarapparatus

Lifehistorypatterns Molecular
PrimarilyrRNAgenes,rbcL

Ambiguityremains,butconsensusisemerging

Classification:MorphologicalConcept
Prschold& &Leliaert.2007.
Parenchymatous Siphonocladous

PhotosbyHuangSufang.

Evolutionofstructuralcomplexity p y Premise
Primitiveunicellsevolvedstructuralcomplexityovertime M h l i l di Morphologicaldivergencedistinguishesgroups di ti ih

ProblemswithMorphologicalConcept
Selectiveenvironmentalpressuremaydriveconvergence
Biologically/genetically distinct species appear similar Biologically/geneticallydistinctspeciesappearsimilar

Charophyceae

Chlorophyceae Ulvophyceae

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Fig.16.18Grahametal.2008.

MorphologicalConvergencew/inClass

Class: Ulvophyceae Order: Ulvales Genus: Ulvaria

Ulvophyceae Ulotrichales Monostroma

Chlorophyta:MorphologicalConvergence
Howcangreen algaebeclassifiedif theyexhibitboth divergentand convergent patternsof morphology?
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UltrastructuralConcept
Mattox&Stewart(1984)proposednewClass leveltaxonomyonthebasisofbasalbody l l h b i fb lb d orientation
1st radiation of green algae occurred among radiationofgreenalgaeoccurredamong unicellularflagellates Numerousancientflagellatelineagesdiversifiedinto contemporaryformsalongdifferentevolutionary paths,butmanywithsimilarmorphologicalresults

4 diff 4different b l b d t basalbodypatternsidentified tt id tifi d 7

BasalBodyOrientations
Ancestralcondition

Chlorophyceae

Ulvophyceae, Trebouxiophyceae, Trebouxiophyceae

Chlorophyceae

Charophyceae, DrierGreenAlgae

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CHOROPHYTA STREPTOPHYTA

MolecularConcept
Elucidationofgreenalgalphylogenyinmolecular contextcommencedinearly1990s di l 1990 Earlystudies
confirmeddistinctionbetweenChlorophyta& f dd b hl h Streptophytaalreadysuggestedbycellularand ultrastructuralcharacterselucidatedfromEM recognized5lineages:
Prasinophyceae,Chlorophyceae,Trebouxiophyceae, Ulvophyceae,Streptophyta+Landplants Ulvophyceae Streptophyta + Land plants

Subsequentstudieshaveconfirmedtheselineages,but relationshipsamong&withinthelineagesremains unclear

MolecularConcept
(McCourt&Lewis2004,WorkingClassification) (McCourt&Lewis2004, Working Classification) (McCourt & Lewis 2004,WorkingClassification)
moleculardatasupporttherecognitionoftwophylaandapoorlyresolvegradedofearly divergingflagellatesinformallyknownasPrasinophyceans

Viridoplantaeor rChlorobionta

Chlorophyta

Streptophyta
(Charophyceae+ (Charophyceae + DrierGreenAlgae)

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SSUrDNAMolecularConcept
(Prschold&Leliaert2007)

Chlorophyta+Streptophyta recovered UTCcladerecoveredwithlow BSsupport(noboldlines) Poorlyresolved Prasinophyceangrade

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ClassUlvophyceae
Mostmacroscopicmarinegreenalgaebelongto ClassUlvophyceae Cl Ul h Ulvophyceaeiscircumscribedonthebasisofa suiteofpleisiomorphiccharacters it f l i i hi h t
Closedmitosis,persistentspindle,furrowing,CCW, flagellatecellswithscales flagellate cells with scales

Theabsenceofwelldefined,sharedderived charactershasresultedinuncertainrelations withintheclass 12

ClassUlvophyceae
Generally,5(or6)orders aredistinguished are distinguished
flagellarapparatus zoosporangial&gametangial structures lifehistory
McCourt&Lewis.2004.

Ordersaregenerally g y supportedbymolecular analysis,butrelationships amongordersarelargely among orders are largely uncertain

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Mo olecularC ept Conce

(Lopez autistaetal.2002) (LopezBa

Sub Subordinalclassification
Genericandspecieslevelclassificationis frequentlybasedonmorphologywhichcanbe f l b d h l hi h b problematic
Phenotypic plasticity Phenotypicplasticity Morphologicalconvergence

Integrated approaches are required to resolve Integratedapproachesarerequiredtoresolve theseproblems DNA sequencing (and distance clustering) is a DNAsequencing(anddistanceclustering)isa startthatcanleadtotherecognitionofnovel morphological,physiologicalorbiologicalfeatures

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Zclades &BiologicalSpeciesinferredfromITS22structure &BiologicalSpeciesinferredfromITS22 (seeColeman2009)

AsITS2differences betweenpotentialmates between potential mates increase,sexual compatibilityandzygote productivitydecrease Organismsthatdifferby evenoneCBCinhelixIII even one CBC in helix III arecompletelyunableto cross IdentityfortheentireITS2 correlateswithsignificant interbreedingpotential. gp 16

LiteratureCited
Coleman,A.2009.Isthereamolecularkeytothelevelofbiologicalspecies ineukaryotes?ADNAguide.Mol.Phylogen.Evol.50:197203. Graham,L.E.,Graham,J.M.,&Wilcox,L.W.2008.Algae,2nd Ed.,Benjamin Cummings,SanFrancisco,616p. Mattox,K.R.&Stewart,K.D.1984.Classificationofthegreenalgae:aconcept basedoncomparativecytology.Pp.2972,In Irvine,D.E.G.&John,D.M. (eds.),ThesystematicsofGreenAlgae.TheSystematicsAssociation,Special Vol.27,AcademicPress,London. McCourt,R.&Lewis,L.2004.Greenalgaeandtheoriginoflandplants.Am.J. McCourt R & Lewis L 2004 Green algae and the origin of land plants Am J Bot. 91:15351556. Prschold,T.&Leliaert,F.2007.Systematicsofthegreenalgae:conflictof classicandmondernapproaches.Pp.123153InBrodie,J.&Lewis,J. pp p , , Unravellingthealgae:thepast,presentandfutureofalgalsystematics.CRC press,BocaRaton,376p. vandenHoek,C.,Mann,D.G.,&Jahns,H.M.(1995)Algae.AnIntroductionto Phycology.CambridgeUniversityPress,Cambridge. h l C b id i i C b id

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Thispresentationisacontributionofthe PanAmerican Advanced Studies Institute PanAmericanAdvancedStudiesInstitute

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