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Photosynthetic plasticity of the genus Asparagopsis (Bonnemaisoniales, Rhodophyta) in response to temperature: implications for invasiveness

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Abstract

Invasive species display remarkable levels of ecophysiological plasticity, which supports colonization, population establishment and fitness across their introduction range. The red seaweed genus Asparagopsis comprises genetically homogeneous invasive species (A. armata) and cryptic species complexes (A. taxiformis sensu lato) consisting of invasive mitochondrial lineages introduced worldwide. The photosynthetic plasticity of Australian, Mediterranean and Hawaiian Falkenbergia stages (i.e. the tetrasporophytic stage) of A. taxiformis lineages 2, 3 and 4 and Mediterranean isolates of A. armata was assessed by challenging their photosynthetic performance at five different temperatures (12–26 °C). Our aim is to portray the photosynthetic profiles in relation to temperature for each of the aforementioned Asparagopsis OTUs. We additionally test the physiological response of A. taxiformis lineage 2 sampled within its invasive (Mediterranean Sea) and native range (Australia) to identify physiological features associated with invasive strains. Based on photosynthesis optima, Asparagopsis isolates were recovered into a tropical (NL2 and L4) and a temperate (AA, Il2 and L3) group that presented no differences in most photosynthetic parameters at the experimental temperatures, thus indicating a greater physiological plasticity. On the other hand, low Ic values together with an apparent lack of sensitivity in the photosynthetic response to changing temperatures were revealed for the Mediterranean lineage 2, indicative of adaptive benefits that likely support its invasive success compared to the rest of the genus. Our results represent a valuable resource to predict distributional shifts in some of the lineages and to anticipate control programs for lineage 3, potentially invasive.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been funded by the projects CGL2008/01549/BOS (MINISTERIO DE CIENCIA E INNOVACIÓN, Spain), P09-RNM-5187 (CONSEJERÍA DE INNOVACIÓN, CIENCIA Y EMPRESA, JUNTA DE ANDALUCÍA, Spain), 806/5.03.3553 and 806/5.03.3673 (INSTITUTO DE ESTUDIOS CEUTÍES, Spain), and has been developed in the framework of the Research Collaboration Agreement between CONSEJERÍA DE MEDIO AMBIENTE DE LA JUNTA DE ANDALUCÍA and the UNIVERSITY OF MÁLAGA. Marianela Zanolla is a PhD student of the project P09-RNM-5187 from the CONSEJERÍA DE INNOVACIÓN, CIENCIA Y EMPRESA, JUNTA DE ANDALUCÍA, Spain; also supported by the “Plan Propio” from the UNIVERSITY OF MÁLAGA. NA is supported by the COMMONWEALTH ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH FACILITIES (CERF) Marine Biodiversity Hub. The CERF program is an Australian Government initiative supporting world class, public good research and is a collaborative partnership between the UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA, CSIRO Wealth from OCEANS FLAGSHIP, Geoscience Australia, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE and MUSEUM VICTORIA. Some of the analyses of Hawaiian specimens were supported by a U.S. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRANT (DEB-0542608) to A.R.S. and G.G. Presting.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Vegetal (Botánica), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos, s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    M. Zanolla & M. Altamirano

  2. Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos, s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    R. Carmona

  3. Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva, Granada, Spain

    J. De La Rosa

  4. Department of Botany, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    A. Sherwood

  5. Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB no. 3, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia

    N. Andreakis

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  1. M. Zanolla
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  2. M. Altamirano
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  3. R. Carmona
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  4. J. De La Rosa
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  5. A. Sherwood
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  6. N. Andreakis
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Zanolla, M., Altamirano, M., Carmona, R. et al. Photosynthetic plasticity of the genus Asparagopsis (Bonnemaisoniales, Rhodophyta) in response to temperature: implications for invasiveness. Biol Invasions 17, 1341–1353 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0797-8

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