An investigation of the spatial distribution and inference of dispersal method in the semi-aquatic lichenised green alga Diplosphaera chodatii around Payuk Lake, Manitoba
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Date
2017
Authors
Doering, Jennifer
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Abstract
The spatial distribution of haplotypes within the lichenised green alga Diplosphaera chodatii was investigated by collecting specimens from the inflows, lake, and outflow of Payuk Lake, Manitoba. Rock scrapings were cultured showing the presence of free-living Di. chodatii and seven additional algal taxa on rocks near the lichen thallus. The Internal Transcribed Spacer of ribosomal DNA (ITS rDNA) and β-actin genes were sequenced for phylogenetic and haplotype network analyses showing similarity to one another, but neither corresponded to geographic location suggesting high levels of gene flow. Haplotype variation was investigated with respect to four landscape hypotheses to infer the mode of dispersal, which supported the Wind (ITS) and Hydrology (β-actin) hypotheses. This is the first study to provide evidence that Di. chodatii is dispersed by wind and water, and free-living Di. chodatii may aid in the potential establishment of the lichen, Dermatocarpon luridum, and other semi-aquatic lichens within this ecosystem.
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Keywords
Dermatocarpon luridum, Diplosphaera chodatii, Semi-aquatic lichens, Dispersal, Gene flow, Population genetics, Hydrological modelling