Register      Login
Australian Systematic Botany Australian Systematic Botany Society
Taxonomy, biogeography and evolution of plants
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Taxonomic revision of Halimeda (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) in south-western Australia

Ma. Chiela M. Cremen A D , John M. Huisman B C , Vanessa R. Marcelino A and Heroen Verbruggen A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.

B School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.

C Western Australian Herbarium, Science Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, WA 6983, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: chiecremen@gmail.com

Australian Systematic Botany 29(1) 41-54 https://doi.org/10.1071/SB15043
Submitted: 15 October 2015  Accepted: 27 April 2016   Published: 30 June 2016

Abstract

Halimeda J.V.Lamour. is a green algal genus that is an important component of tropical reefs and lagoons. Although it does not generally occur outside the tropics, the range of one putatively widespread species, Halimeda cuneata Hering, in Western Australia extends southward past Cape Leeuwin to its southern extreme at Cape Howe and around to its most easterly record at Middle Island of the Recherche Archipelago. Previous molecular studies have shown that H. cuneata as recorded worldwide encompasses cryptic species diversity, with most of the cryptic entities being geographically isolated from the others. Halimeda cuneata has been the name consistently applied to specimens from the south-western coast of Australia, where it has been regarded as the only representative of its genus in the region. Using a combination of morphological features and assessment of species boundaries based on a plastid gene (tufA) and a nuclear protein-coding gene (HSP90), we have reassessed the supposed presence of H. cuneata in south-western Australia. Our results showed the existence of two species in the region, namely, H. versatilis J.Agardh, to which the name H. cuneata has been misapplied, and H. gigas W.R.Taylor, a central-Pacific species previously recorded only from tropical Australia.

Additional keywords: cryptic species, siphonous algae.


References

Agardh JG (1887) Till algernes systematik. Nya bidrag. (Femte afdelningen.). Acta Universitatis Lundensis 23, 1–174.

Borowitzka MA, Larkum ADW (1977) Calcification in the green alga Halimeda.V. An ultrastructure study of the thallus development. Journal of Phycology 13, 6–16.

Cowan RA (2006) Australian marine algal name index. (Australian Biological Resources Study: Canberra; and Murdoch University: Perth) Available at http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/online-resources/amani/ [Verified 14 October 2015]

De Clerck O, Verbruggen H, Huisman JM, Faye EJ, Leliaert F, Schils T, Coppejans E (2008) Systematics and biogeography of the genus Pseudocodium (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta), including the description of P. natalense sp. nov. from South Africa. Phycologia 47, 225–235.
Systematics and biogeography of the genus Pseudocodium (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta), including the description of P. natalense sp. nov. from South Africa.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Dijoux L, Verbruggen H, Mattio L, Duong N, Payri C (2012) Diversity of Halimeda(Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) in New Caledonia: a combined morphological and molecular study. Journal of Phycology 48, 1465–1481.
Diversity of Halimeda(Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) in New Caledonia: a combined morphological and molecular study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 27009997PubMed |

Doyle JJ, Doyle JL (1987) A rapid DNA isolation procedure for small quantities of fresh leaf tissue. Phytochemical Bulletin 19, 11–15.

Drew EA (1983) Halimeda biomass, growth rates and sediment generation on reefs in the Central Great Barrier Reef Province. Coral Reefs 2, 101–110.
Halimeda biomass, growth rates and sediment generation on reefs in the Central Great Barrier Reef Province.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Fama P, Wysor B, Kooistra WHCF, Zuccarello GC (2002) Molecular phylogeny of the genus Caulerpa (Caulerpales, Chlorophyta) inferred from chloroplast tufA gene. Journal of Phycology 38, 1040–1050.
Molecular phylogeny of the genus Caulerpa (Caulerpales, Chlorophyta) inferred from chloroplast tufA gene.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38XptV2nurg%3D&md5=00780a0c7e6b6dfef66dec55a0d56771CAS |

Harvey WH (1855) Some account of the marine botany of the colony of western Australia. Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy 22, 525–566.

Harvey WH (1857) ‘List of Dr Harvey’s Duplicate Australian Algae.’ (Self-Published)

Harvey WH (1863) ‘Phycologia Australica’, Vol. 5. (Lovell Reeve and Co.: London)

Hillis L (1959) A revision of the genus Halimeda (order Siphonales). University of Texas, Institute of Marine Science, Publication 6, pp. 2–10, 25–26, 124–127, 132–134.

Hillis-Colinvaux L (1980) Ecology and taxonomy of Halimeda: primary producer of coral reefs. Advances in Marine Biology 17, 1–327.
Ecology and taxonomy of Halimeda: primary producer of coral reefs.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Huisman JM, Verbruggen H (2015) Halimedaceae. In ‘Algae of Australia. Marine benthic algae of north-western Australia, 1. Green and Brown Algae.’ (Ed. JM Huisman) pp. 123–139. (ABRS: Canberra; and CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne)

Huisman JM, Dixon RRM, Hart FN, Verbruggen H, Anderson RJ (2015) The South African estuarine specialist Codium tenue (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) discovered in a south-western Australian estuary. Botanica Marina 58, 511–521.
The South African estuarine specialist Codium tenue (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) discovered in a south-western Australian estuary.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Kearse M, Moir R, Wilson A, Stones-Havas S, Cheung M, Sturrock S, Buxton S, Cooper A, Markowitz S, Duran C, Thierer T, Ashton B, Mentjies P, Drummond A (2012) Geneious basic: an integrated and extendable desktop software platform for the organization and analysis of sequence data. Bioinformatics 28, 1647–1649.
Geneious basic: an integrated and extendable desktop software platform for the organization and analysis of sequence data.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 22543367PubMed |

Kraft GT (2000) Marine and estuarine benthic green algae (Chlorophyta) of Lord Howe Island, South-western Pacific. Australian Systematic Botany 13, 509–648.
Marine and estuarine benthic green algae (Chlorophyta) of Lord Howe Island, South-western Pacific.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Kraft GT (2007) ‘Algae of Australia: Marine Benthic Algae of Lord Howe Island and the Southern Great Barrier Reef, 1. Green Algae.’ (Australian Biological Resources Study and CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne)

Littler MM, Littler DS, Lapointe BE (1988) A comparison of nutrient- and light-limiled photosynthesis in psammophytic versus epitithic forms of Halimeda (Caulerpales, Halimedaceae) from the Bahamas. Coral Reefs 6, 219–225.
A comparison of nutrient- and light-limiled photosynthesis in psammophytic versus epitithic forms of Halimeda (Caulerpales, Halimedaceae) from the Bahamas.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

McNeill J, Barrie FR, Buck WR, Demoulin V, Greuter W, Hawksworth DL, Herendeen PS, Knapp S, Marhold K, Prado J, Prud’homme van Reine WF, Smith GF, Wiersema JH, Turland NJ (2012) ‘International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants (Melbourne Code)’, adopted by the Eighteenth International Botanical Congress, July 2011, Melbourne, Australia. Regnum Vegetabile, vol. 154. (Koeltz Scientific Books: Königstein, Germany)

Noble JM, Kraft GT (2007). Halimedaceae Halimeda. In ‘Algae of Australia. Marine benthic algae of Lord Howe Island and the southern Great Barrier Reef, 1. Green Algae. (Ed. GT Kraft) pp. 189–221. (ABRS: Canberra; and CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne)

Parnell JAN, Womersley HBS, Sinkora D, Vaughan A, Huisman JM (2010) W. H. Harvey’s Australian travelling sets of algae in the Herbarium of Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and the National Herbarium of Victoria (MEL), Australia. Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 110B, 119–161.

Pongparadon S, Zuccarello GC, Phang S-M, Kawai H, Hanyuda T, Prathep A (2015) Diversity of Halimeda (Chlorophyta) from the Thai–Malay Peninsula. Phycologia 54, 349–366.
Diversity of Halimeda (Chlorophyta) from the Thai–Malay Peninsula.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Saunders GW, McDevit DC (2012) Methods for DNA barcoding photosynthetic protists emphasizing the macroalgae and diatoms. In ‘DNA Barcodes: Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 858’. (Eds WJ Kress, DL Erickson) pp. 207–222. (Humana Press: New York) 10.1007/978-1-61779-581-6_10

Silva PC, Womersley HBS (1956) The genus Codium (Chlorophyta) in southern Australia. Australian Journal of Botany 4, 261–289.
The genus Codium (Chlorophyta) in southern Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Taylor WR (1950) ‘Plants of Bikini and Other Northern Marshall Islands.’ (University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor, MI, USA)

Verbruggen H, Kooistra WHCF (2004) Morphological characterization of lineages within the calcified tropical seaweed genus Halimeda (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta). European Journal of Phycology 39, 213–228.
Morphological characterization of lineages within the calcified tropical seaweed genus Halimeda (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Verbruggen H, De Clerck O, Schils T, Kooistra WHCF, Coppejans E (2005a) Evolution and phylogeography of Halimeda section Halimeda (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37, 789–803.
Evolution and phylogeography of Halimeda section Halimeda (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2MXht1SrtbjK&md5=7e3a82646cc41bba8f4a16e4698013f6CAS | 16095924PubMed |

Verbruggen H, De Clerck O, Cocquyt E, Kooistra WHCF, Coppejans E (2005b) Morphometric taxonomy of siphonous green algae: a methodological study within the genus Halimeda (Bryopsidales). Journal of Phycology 41, 126–139.
Morphometric taxonomy of siphonous green algae: a methodological study within the genus Halimeda (Bryopsidales).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Womersley HBS (1956) A critical survey of the marine algae of southern Australia, I, Chlorophyta. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 7, 343–383.
A critical survey of the marine algae of southern Australia, I, Chlorophyta.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Womersley HBS (1984), ‘The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia, part I. Introduction; Collection and Preservation; History of Studies; Ecology; Biogeography; Seagrasses (by E.L.Robertson); Chlorophyta and Charophyta.’ (Government Printer: Adelaide, SA, Australia.)