Cladistics of the Bryopsidales: A Preliminary Analysis

Abstract

The Bryopsidales contains some of the most species rich and ecologically dominant algae in tropical ecosystems. However, the evolutionary relationships among the 29 genera and several hundred species of this order remain poorly resolved. Because of a lack of known reproductive characters for many taxa, evolutionary hypotheses grouped genera by similarities in morphological characters. To apply standard cladistical analyses to further our understanding of this group, this study presents the first comprehensive compilation of reported morphological, reproductive, and subcellular characteristics for genera in the Bryopsidales. Computer-assisted cladistical analyses ultimately identified phylogenetically informative and uninformative characters. Although the topology of the trees generated in this study is expected to change as additional data are added to this matrix, many traditional groupings and recent groupings based on molecular data were supported.

Molecular systematics, historical ecology, and phylogeography of Halimeda (Bryopsidales)

“…The segmented, calcified thalli of the seaweed genus Halimeda (Lamouroux, 1812) are among the most phenotypically complex within the bryopsidalean algae (Vroom et al, 1998). As in other members of this order (sensu Van den Hoek et al, 1995), thalli consist of branched siphons without cross walls, permitting unimpeded migration of protoplasmic components across the thallus superstructure (Drew and Abel, 1990;Littler and Littler, 1999).…”

RHIPILIA COPPEJANSII, A NEW CORAL REEF‐ASSOCIATED SPECIES FROM GUAM (BRYOPSIDALES, CHLOROPHYTA)1

“…The currently recognized families of the core Halimedineae (Caulerpaceae, Rhipiliaceae, Halimedaceae, Pseudocodiaceae, Udoteaceae) largely consist of species with more complex thalli (Gepp and Gepp 1911, Vroom et al. 1998, Littler and Littler 2000, Verbruggen et al.…”

PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE LARGE SUBUNIT RUBISCO GENE SUPPORTS THE EXCLUSION OF AVRAINVILLEA AND CLADOCEPHALUS FROM THE UDOTEACEAE (BRYOPSIDALES, CHLOROPHYTA)1

“…However, since Halimeda was also included , Halimedaceae Link has priority over Udoteaceae J. Agardh (Silva 1980). Confusingly, both Udoteaceae (Silva 1982, Vroom et al. 1998, Wynne 1998, Littler and Littler 2000, Kooistra 2002) and Halimedaceae (Littler et al.…”

“…Therefore, Hillis‐Colinvaux (1984) created two suborders, the Bryopsidineae (homoplastic, CLS absent, nonholocarpic) and the Halimedineae (heteroplastic, CLS present, holocarpic). Avrainvillea and Cladocephalus have long been placed with other members of the Udoteaceae, mostly based on gross morphology (Feldmann 1946, Fritsch 1948, Hillis‐Colinvaux 1980, Vroom et al. 1998).…”