Three new Lobophora species (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) from Phuket on the west coast of Thailand
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Narapat Jurejan
Narapat Jurejan is a graduate student in Fishery Biology at Kasetsart University, Thailand. Her preliminary research explores the diversity of brown seaweed, specifically within the genus
Lobophora , by applying both molecular data and morphological features. Additionally, she has an interest in seaweed aquaculture and biotechnology.Stefano G.A. Draisma is a lecturer at the Prince of Songkla University in Thailand. His research encompasses the diversity, systematics, evolution, and phylogeography of tropical Indo-Pacific seaweeds with a focus on Southeast Asia and Thailand in particular.
,
Christophe Vieira
Christophe Vieira is a researcher at Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea. His research work initially focused on seaweeds ecology in coral reef systems, and expanded to the study of seaweed diversity, taxonomy, phylogenetics, biogeography and evolution. His research uses molecular, morphological, ecological and geographical data to study seaweed global biodiversity, historical biogeography, and evolution, with a focus on brown algae.
,
Zhongmin Sun
Anirut Klomjit is a Ph.D. student in Fishery Biology at Kasetsart University, Thailand. His research initially focused on studying bioactive compounds in brown seaweeds and later expanded to investigate seaweed diversity and ecology, with a particular emphasis on the genus
Lobophora . He aims to understand ecological dynamics in marine ecosystems, explore seaweed-coral relationships, and contribute to marine conservation efforts.
,
Anong Chirapart
and
Narongrit Muangmai
Narongrit Muangmai is an associate professor of fishery biology at Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University, Thailand. He is interested in combining field work and molecular biology tools to explore the systematics and diversity of marine macroalgae, particularly red seaweeds, and to understand their evolution and phylogeography.
Abstract
The systematics and biogeography of the brown seaweed genus Lobophora (Dictyotales) are increasingly being investigated globally using DNA data coupled with morphology. In Thailand, DNA-assisted Lobophora diversity assessment has been limited to the east coast. The present study employed molecular (cox3, psbA, and rbcL gene sequences) and morphological analyses to explore the diversity of Lobophora around Phuket Island on the Thai west coast. Our findings revealed three new species: Lobophora phuketensis sp. nov., L. andamanensis sp. nov., and L. rachaensis sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses clearly demonstrated that these new species are genetically distinct from other Lobophora species. These new Lobophora species can be distinguished morphologically by differences in their growth habit, coloration, and thallus thickness, despite some overlapping morphological traits. Our study has increased the known Lobophora diversity in Thailand to 12 species, the highest in Southeast Asia. We also detected ecological similarities and differences among these Lobophora species. This research enhances our understanding of the biodiversity and biogeographic patterns of Lobophora in Thailand and the Central Indo-Pacific region. Further studies should investigate Lobophora diversity in unsampled areas and explore ecological factors facilitating sympatric coexistence through field observations and experiments.
Funding source: Biodiversity Center Kasetsart University
Funding source: The Nagao Natural Environment Foundation
Funding source: Thailand Research Fund
Award Identifier / Grant number: RDG613002
About the authors
Narapat Jurejan is a graduate student in Fishery Biology at Kasetsart University, Thailand. Her preliminary research explores the diversity of brown seaweed, specifically within the genus Lobophora, by applying both molecular data and morphological features. Additionally, she has an interest in seaweed aquaculture and biotechnology.
Stefano G.A. Draisma is a lecturer at the Prince of Songkla University in Thailand. His research encompasses the diversity, systematics, evolution, and phylogeography of tropical Indo-Pacific seaweeds with a focus on Southeast Asia and Thailand in particular.
Christophe Vieira is a researcher at Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea. His research work initially focused on seaweeds ecology in coral reef systems, and expanded to the study of seaweed diversity, taxonomy, phylogenetics, biogeography and evolution. His research uses molecular, morphological, ecological and geographical data to study seaweed global biodiversity, historical biogeography, and evolution, with a focus on brown algae.
Anirut Klomjit is a Ph.D. student in Fishery Biology at Kasetsart University, Thailand. His research initially focused on studying bioactive compounds in brown seaweeds and later expanded to investigate seaweed diversity and ecology, with a particular emphasis on the genus Lobophora. He aims to understand ecological dynamics in marine ecosystems, explore seaweed-coral relationships, and contribute to marine conservation efforts.
Narongrit Muangmai is an associate professor of fishery biology at Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University, Thailand. He is interested in combining field work and molecular biology tools to explore the systematics and diversity of marine macroalgae, particularly red seaweeds, and to understand their evolution and phylogeography.
Acknowledgments
We deeply appreciate Jakaphan Bulan and Sinchai Maneekat for their assistance with the DNA work. We are also grateful to Prachya Musikasinthorn for his role as the project coordinator of the NEF Commemorative Grant Fund for Capacity Building (NEF-CGF) Program.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: This work was supported by Kasetsart University for research funding through the Biodiversity Center Kasetsart University, by the project “Species diversity and distributional patterns of tropical brown algae of the genus Lobophora (Dictyotales, Phaeophyta) in Thailand with reference to environmental impacts: implications for coastal conservation and management” through the Nagao Natural Environment Foundation (NEF) Commemorative Grant Fund for Capacity Building of Young Scientists (CGF) Program and by Thailand Research Fund (grant RDG613002).
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Data availability: The raw data can be obtained on request from the corresponding author.
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Supplementary Material
This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2024-0026).
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- In this issue
- Physiology and Ecology
- Gambierdiscus carpenteri (Dinophyceae) from Bahía de La Paz, Gulf of California: morphology, genetic affinities, and mouse toxicity
- New record of the green macroalga Gayralia brasiliensis (Ulotrichales, Chlorophyta) in Singapore
- Taxonomy/Phylogeny and Biogeography
- Three new Lobophora species (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) from Phuket on the west coast of Thailand
- Proposal of Cryptonemia floridana comb. nov. (Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta) based on rbcL gene analysis of collections from type locality and female reproductive morphology
- Kapraunia silviae (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta), a new species from the South Atlantic Ocean
- Pseudogomphonema lukinicum sp. nov. (Bacillariophyceae), a new endophytic diatom found inside multicellular red algae from the Northwest Pacific
- Morphology and molecular phylogeny of Gonyaulax kunsanensis sp. nov. (Gonyaulacales, Dinophyceae) from Korean coastal waters
- Introducing a new species, Vaginatispora acrostichi (Lophiostomataceae), based on morphology and multigene phylogeny
- Genomics
- Evaluation of cryptic invasion in Japanese Undaria populations based on mitochondrial haplotypic analysis
