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Bipolar dispersal of red-snow algae
Takahiro Segawa1,2, Ryo Matsuzaki3, Nozomu Takeuchi4
1Center for Life Science Research, University of Yamanashi, 409-3898, 1000 Shimokato, Chuo, Yamanashi, Japan. tsegawa@yamanashi.ac.jp.
Nature Communications
|August 8, 2018
Summary
Red snow algae, found on thawing polar ice, show limited but distinct phylotypes. Cosmopolitan types dominate, but endemic Arctic or Antarctic species also contribute to blooms.
Area of Science:
- * Cryobiology and microbial ecology.
- * Phycology and algal genetics.
Background:
- * Red snow algae are unicellular, red-pigmented organisms appearing seasonally on thawing snow globally.
- * Their distribution and genetic diversity in polar regions are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To analyze the distribution patterns of snow algae in Arctic and Antarctic regions.
- * To investigate the genetic diversity of snow algae using nuclear ITS2 sequences.
Main Methods:
- * Sampling of snow algae from glaciers and snow patches in polar environments.
- * Molecular analysis using nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) gene sequences.
Main Results:
- * A limited number of snow algal phylotypes were identified in both Arctic and Antarctic samples.
- * Most identified phylotypes were geographically specific to either the Arctic or Antarctica.
- * Bipolar phylotypes constituted the largest proportion (37.3%) of all analyzed sequences.
Conclusions:
- * Polar red snow algal communities are characterized by a mix of cosmopolitan and endemic phylotypes.
- * Cosmopolitan phylotypes play a significant role in widespread algal blooms.
- * Endemic Arctic or Antarctic phylotypes also contribute to regional algal diversity.
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