The eco-evolutionary importance of reproductive system variation in the macroalgae: Freshwater reds as a case study

The relative frequency of sexual versus asexual reproduction governs the distribution of genetic diversity within and among populations. Most studies on the consequences of reproductive variation focus on the mating system (i.e., selfing vs. outcrossing) of diploid-dominant taxa (e.g., angiosperms), often ignoring asexual reproduction. Although reproductive systems are hypothesized to be correlated with life-cycle types, variation in the relative rates of sexual and asexual reproduction remains poorly characterized across eukaryotes. This is particularly true among the three major lineages of macroalgae (green, brown, and red). The Rhodophyta are particularly interesting, as many taxa have complex haploid-diploid life cycles that influence genetic structure. Though most marine reds have separate sexes, we show that freshwater red macroalgae exhibit patterns of switching between monoicy and dioicy in sister taxa that rival those recently shown in brown macroalgae and in angiosperms. We advocate for the investigation of reproductive system evolution using freshwater reds, as this will expand the life-cycle types for which these data exist, enabling comparative analyses broadly across eukaryotes. Unlike their marine cousins, species in the Batrachospermales have macroscopic gametophytes attached to filamentous, often microscopic sporophytes. While asexual reproduction through monospores may occur in all freshwater reds, the Compsopogonales are thought to be exclusively asexual. Understanding the evolutionary consequences of selfing and asexual reproduction will aid in our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of all algae and of eukaryotic evolution generally.

Incorporating Ploidy Diversity into Ecological and Community Genetics

Studies in ecological and community genetics have advanced our understanding of the role of intraspecific diversity in structuring communities and ecosystems. However, in near-shore marine communities, these studies have mostly been restricted to seagrasses, marsh plants, and oysters. Yet, macroalgae are critically important ecosystem engineers in these communities. Greater intraspecific diversity in a macroalgal ecosystem engineer should result in higher primary and secondary production and community resilience. The paucity of studies investigating the consequences of macroalgal intraspecific genetic variation might be due, in part, to the complexity of macroalgal life cycles. The majority of macroalgae have seemingly subtle, but in actuality, profoundly different life cycles than the more typical animal and angiosperm models. Here, we develop a novel genetic diversity metric, P_HD , that incorporates the ratio of gametophytic to sporophytic thalli in natural populations. This metric scales from 0 to 1 like many common genetic diversity metrics, such as genotypic richness, enabling comparisons among metrics. We discuss P_HD and examples from the literature, with specific reference to the widespread, red seaweed Agarophyton vermiculophyllum. We also discuss a sex diversity metric, P_FM , which also scales from 0 to 1, but fewer studies have identified males and females in natural populations. Nevertheless, by incorporating these novel metrics into the repertoire of diversity metrics, we can explore the role of genetic diversity in community and ecosystem dynamics with an emphasis on the unique biology of many macroalgae, as well as other haplodiplontic taxa such as ferns, foraminiferans, and some fungi.

The importance of effective sampling for exploring the population dynamics of haploid-diploid seaweeds

The mating system partitions genetic diversity within and among populations and the links between life history traits and mating systems have been extensively studied in diploid organisms. As such most evolutionary theory is focused on species for which sexual reproduction occurs between diploid male and diploid female individuals. However, there are many multicellular organisms with biphasic life cycles in which the haploid stage is prolonged and undergoes substantial somatic development. In particular, biphasic life cycles are found across green, brown and red macroalgae. Yet, few studies have addressed the population structure and genetic diversity in both the haploid and diploid stages in these life cycles. We have developed some broad guidelines with which to develop population genetic studies of haploid-diploid macroalgae and to quantify the relationship between power and sampling strategy. We address three common goals for studying macroalgal population dynamics, including haploid-diploid ratios, genetic structure and paternity analyses.

REGULATION OF GEOGRAPHIC VARIABILITY IN HAPLOID:DIPLOD RATIOS OF BIPHASIC SEAWEED LIFE CYCLES(1)

The relative abundance of haploid and diploid individuals (H:D) in isomorphic marine algal biphasic cycles varies spatially, but only if vital rates of haploid and diploid phases vary differently with environmental conditions (i.e. conditional differentiation between phases). Vital rates of isomorphic phases in particular environments may be determined by subtle morphological or physiological differences. Herein, we test numerically how geographic variability in H:D is regulated by conditional differentiation between isomorphic life phases and the type of life strategy of populations (i.e. life cycles dominated by reproduction, survival or growth). Simulation conditions were selected using available data on H:D spatial variability in seaweeds. Conditional differentiation between ploidy phases had a small effect on the H:D variability for species with life strategies that invest either in fertility or in growth. Conversely, species with life strategies that invest mainly in survival, exhibited high variability in H:D through a conditional differentiation in stasis (the probability of staying in the same size class), breakage (the probability of changing to a smaller size class) or growth (the probability of changing to a bigger size class). These results were consistent with observed geographic variability in H:D of natural marine algae populations.

GENETIC POPULATION STRUCTURE AND MATING SYSTEM IN CHONDRUS CRISPUS (RHODOPHYTA)1

Chondrus crispus Stackh. has been intensely studied, yet no study to date has elucidated its population structure or mating system despite many populations in which there was a haploid bias and lack of male gametophytes. Therefore, 12 nuclear microsatellite loci were identified in this red alga. Microsatellite markers were developed and tested against a panel of specimens collected from two shore levels at two sites in Brittany, France: Pointe de Primel and Pointe de la Jument, Concarneau. Single locus genetic determinism was verified at eight polymorphic loci, as only one band was observed for haploid genotypes, whereas one or two bands were observed for diploids. These markers enabled the detection of unique genotypes within sampled populations, indicating that very few fronds shared the same multilocus genotype. This finding suggests that asexual reproduction was not the prevailing mode of reproduction. In addition, we explored the hierarchical population structure showing that gene flow is restricted at small spatial scales (<50 m) between upper and lower Chondrus-range populations within a shore. Sexual reproduction predominated in the populations of C. crispus studied, but probably due to fine-scale spatial substructuring, inbreeding was also significant. In conclusion, this study reveals that fine-scale genetic variation is of major importance in C. crispus, suggesting that differences between microhabitats should be essential in understanding evolutionary processes in this species.