Home Life Sciences Diversity of turf-forming Gelidium species growing on subtidal crustose coralline algae in the East Sea of Korea with a description of G. cristatum sp. nov.
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Diversity of turf-forming Gelidium species growing on subtidal crustose coralline algae in the East Sea of Korea with a description of G. cristatum sp. nov.

  • Seungyeop Han ORCID logo , Su Yeon Kim ORCID logo EMAIL logo and Chang Geun Choi EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: August 12, 2025
Botanica Marina
From the journal Botanica Marina Volume 68 Issue 5

Abstract

Crustose coralline algae (CCA) beds are lower-diversity ecosystems compared to typical algal beds. However, we found many turf-forming algae growing on CCA beds in the East Sea of Korea during an ecological survey. We investigated species diversity using molecular markers, focusing on the most commonly found algal genus, Gelidium. Phylogenetic analyses of rbcL sequences revealed six Gelidium species, including three undescribed species from collections of CCA. In addition, mitochondrial cox1 and plastid psaA sequences were analyzed to confirm their phylogenetic positions. Of these, we describe one as a new species; Gelidium cristatum sp. nov. is distinguished by its small size and erect branches arising radially from the dorsal surface of the prostrate axes in the same position the brush-like haptera grow from the ventral surface, and tetrasporangial sori and cystocarps borne on determinate erect axes. We speculate that Gelidium may possess higher species diversity than previously assumed. However, data on turf-forming species on CCA beds are lacking. Therefore, continuous investigation and observations are necessary.

Keywords: Gelidium ; Gelidiales; CCA bed; turf-forming algae
Corresponding authors: Su Yeon Kim, Korea Inter-University Institute of Ocean Science, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea, E-mail: ; and Chang Geun Choi, Department of Ecological Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea, E-mail:

Funding source: National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)

Award Identifier / Grant number: NRF-2022R1C1C2004043

Funding source: Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology

Award Identifier / Grant number: PEA0201

Award Identifier / Grant number: PEA0205

Acknowledgments

Sincere thanks are due to Dr. Sung Min Boo for valuable comments.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: Conceptualization: Chang Geun Choi (CGC), Su Yeon Kim (SYK). Sample collection and experiments: Seung Yeop Han (SYH). Data analysis: SYH, SYK. Draft preparation: SYH. Review and editing: CGC, SYK. All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: This work was partly supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education of Korea to SYK (NRF-2022R1C1C2004043), and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (PEA0201 and PEA0205) to CGC.

  7. Data availability: All sequences generated here are available from GenBank with accession numbers: PQ435909-73 (rbcL), PQ435974-80 (psaA), PQ435981-87 (cox1).

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Supplementary Material

This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2025-0008).

Received: 2025-02-03
Accepted: 2025-07-01
Published Online: 2025-08-12
Published in Print: 2025-10-27

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2025-0008
Keywords for this article
Gelidium; Gelidiales; CCA bed; turf-forming algae

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. In this issue
  3. Physiology and Ecology
  4. Labelling kelps with 13C and 15N for isotope tracing or enrichment experiments
  5. Effects of thermal history on the heat shock response of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana)
  6. Naturally occurring protoplasts in two Ulva spp. reveal a previously underestimated proliferation process
  7. Taxonomy/Phylogeny and Biogeography
  8. Unveiling Cladophora (Cladophorales, Chlorophyta) diversity in Turkey through DNA barcoding
  9. A new crustose brown alga, Endoplura geojensis sp. nov. (Ralfsiales, Phaeophyceae) from Korea based on molecular and morphological analyses
  10. Diversity of turf-forming Gelidium species growing on subtidal crustose coralline algae in the East Sea of Korea with a description of G. cristatum sp. nov.
  11. First record of the diatom pathogen Diatomophthora perforans cf. subsp. pleurosigmae (Oomycota) from the Mediterranean microphytobenthos
  12. Staminate flowers of the non-native seagrass, Halophila stipulacea, observed for the first time in Biscayne Bay, Florida, USA
  13. Chemistry and Applications
  14. Chemical and biological potential of fungi from deep-sea hydrothermal vents and an oxygen minimum zone
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