Algae in the Anthropocene: Managing, conserving, and utilizing algae in an era of rapid environmental change

Coleman, Melinda A.

doi:10.1111/jpy.13409

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…Algae occupy a central role in our understanding of the evolution of reproductive system, especially against the backdrop of a changing climate (see Coleman, 2024, for an introduction to these perspectives). Micro‐ and macroalgae are observed in almost every major eukaryotic lineage, including Telonemids, Stramenopiles, Alveolates, and Rhizaria (TSAR), Haptista, Cryptista, Archaeplastida, and the “Excavates” (see Burki et al., 2020), enabling powerful insights into convergent evolution (Qiu et al., 2012).…”

Section: The Role Of Algae In Understanding Eukaryotic Reproductive S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This knowledge gap is all the more critical because we are living in a period of rapid environmental change that will profoundly influence algal evolutionary ecology. This perspective is part of a larger set of papers published in 2024 that addresses different aspects of algal biology in light of climate change (Coleman, 2024). Here, the general dearth of information about reproductive modes broadly across algae is obvious.…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Let's talk about sex: Why reproductive systems matter for understanding algae

Krueger‐Hadfield

2024

Journal of Phycology

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Sex is a crucial process that has molecular, genetic, cellular, organismal, and population‐level consequences for eukaryotic evolution. Eukaryotic life cycles are composed of alternating haploid and diploid phases but are constrained by the need to accommodate the phenotypes of these different phases. Critical gaps in our understanding of evolutionary drivers of the diversity in algae life cycles include how selection acts to stabilize and change features of the life cycle. Moreover, most eukaryotes are partially clonal, engaging in both sexual and asexual reproduction. Yet, our understanding of the variation in their reproductive systems is largely based on sexual reproduction in animals or angiosperms. The relative balance of sexual versus asexual reproduction not only controls but also is in turn controlled by standing genetic variability, thereby shaping evolutionary trajectories. Thus, we must quantitatively assess the consequences of the variation in life cycles on reproductive systems. Algae are a polyphyletic group spread across many of the major eukaryotic lineages, providing powerful models by which to resolve this knowledge gap. There is, however, an alarming lack of data about the population genetics of most algae and, therefore, the relative frequency of sexual versus asexual processes. For many algae, the occurrence of sexual reproduction is unknown, observations have been lost in overlooked papers, or data on population genetics do not yet exist. This greatly restricts our ability to forecast the consequences of climate change on algal populations inhabiting terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. This perspective summarizes our extant knowledge and provides some future directions to pursue broadly across micro‐ and macroalgal species.

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Section: The Role Of Algae In Understanding Eukaryotic Reproductive S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%