First report of Halopeltis (Rhodophyta, Rhodymeniaceae) from the non-tropical Northern Hemisphere: H. adnata (Okamura) comb. nov. from Korea, and H. pellucida sp. nov. and H. willisii sp. nov. from the North Atlantic

Using genetic sequencing (COI-5P, LSU, rbcL) to elucidate their phylogenetic positions and then morphological characters to distinguish each from existing species, three procumbent species, including two novel species, from warm temperate Northern Hemisphere waters are added to the recently resurrected genus Halopeltis J. Agardh: H. adnata (Okamura) comb. nov. from Korea, H. pellucida sp. nov. from Bermuda and H. willisii sp. nov. from North Carolina, USA. Prior to these reports, the genus was confined to the Southern Hemisphere and tropical equatorial waters of the Northern Hemisphere although the latter records lack molecular confirmation. These three additional species join the six known species presently residing in Halopelti

Phylogenetic analyses of North Carolina Rhodymeniales. I. The genus Asteromenia.

There are 16 species of the red algal order Rhodymeniales reported from North Carolina waters. One, Asteromenia peltata, is the only described species in its genus and is reported from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Sequences of the 18S rRNA gene from North Carolina and Bermuda specimens of A. peltata were different at five sites and differed from a sequence attributed to A. peltata from Western Australia at 74 and 73 sites respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of 18S rRNA gene sequences from 25 Rhodymeniales species resolved the North Carolina and Bermuda taxa in a monophyletic clade that was distinctly separated from the clade containing the Western Australian taxon. The type specimen of A. peltata is from Venezuela so the Atlantic taxon is retained within Asteromenia, but the large sequence divergence and separation of the Atlantic and Western Australia taxa in phylogenetic analyses indicates that a new genus name is required for the latter taxon. The number of differences between the North Carolina and Bermuda specimens is within the reported range of between species differences, and suggests that they represent separate Asteromenia species

First Report of Halopeltis (Rhodophyta, rohodymeniaceae) from the non-tropical Northern Hemisphere: H. adnata (Okamura) comb. nov. from Korea, and H. pellucida sp. nov. and H. willisii sp. nov. from the North Atlantic

Using genetic sequencing (COI-5P, LSU, rbcL) to elucidate their phylogenetic positions and then morphological characters to distinguish each from existing species, three procumbent species, including two novel species, from warm temperate Northern Hemisphere waters are added to the recently resurrected genus Halopeltis J. Agardh: H. adnata (Okamura) comb. nov. from Korea, H. pellucida sp. nov. from Bermuda and H. willisii sp. nov. from North Carolina, USA. Prior to these reports, the genus was confined to the Southern Hemisphere and tropical equatorial waters of the Northern Hemisphere although the latter records lack molecular confirmation. These three additional species join the six known species presently residing in Halopeltis

Seasonality of the invasive seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla along the southeastern coast of North Carolina.

Gracilaria vermiculophylla is a red alga that has recently invaded the coastal waters of North Carolina. It has become abundant in the sounds and estuaries of southeastern North Carolina and is a nuisance for commercial fishing operations and industries drawing water from the lower Cape Fear River. Seasonal growth and abundance of G. vermiculophylla was studied along transects on an intertidal flat in Masonboro Sound, New Hanover County, using a modified Braun-Blanquet scale. Percentage of potential substrates with attached thalli was also recorded at this site. Highest Braun-Blanquet scores were found during May thru July when both water and air temperatures were warming, and were lowest during January thru April, when temperatures were coldest and the majority of thalli were observed to dieback to their bases. The percentage of potential substrates with attached thalli showed no seasonal variation and was high (.94%) throughout the year indicating that the Braun-Blanquet measured changes in cover/ abundance of G. vermiculophylla were because of changes in the size of thalli

Characteristics and utility of plastid-encoded 16S rRNA gene sequence data in phylogenetic studies of red algae

A set of oligonucleotide primers was designed for amplifying and sequencing the plastid-encoded 16S rRNA gene from red algae. Gene sequences (16S rRNA) were generated from 28 species representing 11 red algal orders. Alignment of sequences from a wide taxonomic sampling required only a small number of gapped sites and revealed distinct variable and conserved regions in the gene. Likewise, a more narrow taxonomic sampling of 15 sequences from Gelidiales species was analyzed and compared with complementary sequence data sets for the nuclear-encoded 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA genes and plastid-encoded rbcL. Alignment of the Gelidiales 16S rRNA gene sequences also required only a small number of gapped sites and the resulting data set contained both highly conserved and variable regions. The amount of variation in 16S rRNA gene sequences was similar to that found in the 28S rRNA gene, and intermediate between the level of variation in rbcL and the 18S rRNA gene when complementary data sets were compared. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences should be a useful tool for researchers studying the evolution, systematics and taxonomy of red algae

A gene phylogeny of the red algae (Rhodophyta) based on plastid-encoded rbcL

A phylogeny for the Rhodophyta has been inferred by parsimony analysis of plastid rbcL sequences representing 81 species, 68 genera, 38 families, and 17 orders of red algae; rbcL encodes the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. Levels of sequence divergence among species, genera, and families are high in red algae, typically much greater than those reported for flowering plants. The Rhodophyta traditionally consists of one class, Rhodophyceae, and two subclasses, Bangiophycidae and Florideophycidae. The Bangiophycidae with three orders (Porphyridiales, Compsopogonales, and Bangiales) appears to be polyphyletic, and the Florideophycidae with 17 orders is monophyletic in this study. The current classification of the Florideophycidae based on ultrastructure of pit connections is supported. With the exception of the Rhodogorgonales, which appears to be misplaced, orders with one or two pit-plug cap layers (Hildenbrandiales, Corallinales, Acrochaetiales, Palmariales, Batrachospermales, and Nemaliales) terminate long branches of basal position within Florideophycidae in the most parsimonious rbcL tree. Orders that lack typical cap layers but possess a cap membrane are resolved as a monophyletic clade sister to the Ahnfeltiales. The large order Gigartinales, which is distributed among five rbcL clades, is polyphyletic. Families that possess typical carrageenan in their cell walls are resolved as a terminal clade containing two family complexes centered around the Solieriaceae and Gigartinaceae

Morphological, ecological and genetic variation among populations of the endemic seagrass Halophila hawaiiana (Hydrocharitaceae) in the Hawaiian Archipelago

The endemic seagrass Halophila hawaiiana Doty & Stone is found in discrete populations throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago. Morphological characteristics of plants from Midway Atoll, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, and Maui were measured and compared. Striking variation in leaf length, leaf width, leaf length to width ratio, and internode length was evident among the 18 collection sites sampled at depths ranging from 0.32 to 18 m. DNA sequence analyses of a chloroplast-genome, single-base repeat locus in ramets from nine different collections found only two repeat haplotypes. Repeat haplotypes were fixed at all collection sites and for all islands except O‘ahu

Bringing molecular tools into environmental resource management: Untangling the molecules to policy pathway

Increasingly, scientists are drawn to public debates on environmental policy, yet find themselves ill-equipped to influence the outcome. While many scientists have collected data (for example, on species being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act) or developed technologies (for example, to detect unregulated waterborne pollutants) relevant to current policy debates, communicating these results to policy makers is no guarantee that a rational policy response will follow. Biologists continually overemphasize the technical aspects of their work and almost completely ignore the social-political environment in which their work is meant to inform. Specifically, most biologists seem to believe that if they work out the technical hurdles and then effectively communicate their science to policy makers, their work will affect and change policy. This is a grievous mistake and one that has continued to reinforce the science/policy divide, rather than anneal it. Scientists who do receive training (RS was 2002–2003 Congressional Science Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, under the sponsorship of the Geological Society of America) quickly learn about the “three Ps”—policy, politics, and process—that govern lawmaking. Scientists tend to focus overwhelmingly on the first “P,” because policy is the one area where data and scientific expertise may be brought to bear. But policy does not move forward without attention to the often complex politics behind the policy, or the bureaucratic processes that must be navigated. Even once policy is made, its implementation may not follow the most scientifically appropriate methods. This is both because improved techniques may have been developed after the policy was enacted and because managers constrained by legislatively mandated protocols (no matter how outdated) have limited opportunity for feedback to policy makers

Taxagloss: A glossary and translation tool for biodiversity studies

Correctly identifying organisms is key to most biological research, and is especially critical in areas of biodiversity and conservation. Yet it remains one of the greatest challenges when studying all but the few well-established model systems. The challenge is in part due to the fact that most species have yet to be described, vanishing taxonomic expertise and the relative inaccessibility of taxonomic information. Furthermore, identification keys and other taxonomic resources are based on complex, taxon-specific vocabularies used to describe important morphological characters. Using these resources is made difficult by the fact that taxonomic documentation of the world's biodiversity is an international endeavour, and keys and field guides are not always available in the practitioner's native language. To address this challenge, we have developed a publicly available on-line illustrated multilingual glossary and translation tool for technical taxonomic terms using the Symbiota Software Project biodiversity platform. Illustrations, photographs and translations have been sourced from the global community of taxonomists working with marine invertebrates and seaweeds. These can be used as single-language illustrated glossaries or to make customized translation tables. The glossary has been launched with terms and illustrations of seaweeds, tunicates, sponges, hydrozoans, sea anemones, and nemerteans, and already includes translations into seven languages for some groups. Additional translations and development of terms for more taxa are underway, but the ultimate utility of this tool depends on active participation of the international taxonomic community