Major
Biological Sciences
Advisor
Dr. Christopher Lane
Advisor Department
Biological Sciences
Advisor
Dr. Christopher Lane
Advisor Department
Biological Sciences
Date
5-2013
Keywords
algae, Bermuda; biodiversity; phylogenetics; DNA barcode; cox1; rbcL
Abstract
For nearly 60 years there has been very little investigation of the marine algal flora in Bermuda, which is an ideal location for a biodiversity assessment due to its size and location. Residing approximately 1000km off the coast of North Carolina, Bermuda is influenced by the cool water from the north during winter and by the warm water eddies that spin off the Gulf Stream for the much of the other seasons. The Bermuda Seaweed Project aims to extensively survey the marine algal flora in Bermuda and generate morphological and molecular data for all three major groups of macroalgae present. Whereas the focus of the project has thus far been on red algae, data presented here demonstrate similar trends for the brown algae of Bermuda. DNA barcode data were produced for the brown algal samples from the cox1 and rbcL genes of the mitochondrion and plastid, respectively. Phylogenetic trees were produced from the molecular data produced thus far in order to assess the algal diversity, with emphasis on Padina, Dictyota, and Lobophora. Based on initial analyses, it appears that species diversity is considerable, with four separate clades of Padina and eight separate clades of Dictyota. Interestingly, two clades of Lobophora are resolved in our analysis despite a single species (L. variegata) being reported for Bermuda. Additional molecular studies as well as morphological examination of preserved samples will be undertaken to clarify the relationships between these and other genera within the brown algae in Bermuda and assign proper taxonomic names where necessary.