Analysis of the complete plastomes of three species of Membranoptera (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta) from Pacific North America.
Next generation sequence data were generated and used to assemble the complete plastomes of the holotype of Membranoptera weeksiae, the neotype (designated here) of M. tenuis, and a specimen examined by Kylin in making the new combination M. platyphylla. The three plastomes were similar in gene content and length and showed high gene synteny to Calliarthron, Grateloupia, Sporolithon, and Vertebrata. Sequence variation in the plastome coding regions were 0.89% between M. weeksiae and M. tenuis, 5.14% between M. weeksiae and M. platyphylla, and 5.18% between M. tenuis and M. platyphylla. We were unable to decipher the complete mitogenomes of the three species due to low coverage and structural problems; however, we assembled and analyzed, the cytochrome oxidase I, II, and III loci and found that M. weeksiae and M. tenuis differed in sequence by 1.3%, M. weeksiae and M. platyphylla by 8.4%, and M. tenuis and M. platyphylla by 8.1%. Evaluation of standard marker genes indicated that sequences from the rbcL, RuBisCO spacer, and CO1 genes closely approximated the pair-wise genetic distances observed between the plastomes of the three species of Membranoptera. A phylogenetic tree based on rbcL sequences showed that M. tenuis and M. weeksiae were sister taxa. Short rbcL sequences were obtained from type specimens of M. dimorpha, M. multiramosa, and M. edentata and confirmed their conspecificity with M. platyphylla. The data support the recognition of three species of Membranoptera occurring south of Alaska: M. platyphylla, M. tenuis, and M. weeksiae.
Division of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, Hartnell College, 411 Central Ave., Salinas, California, 93901, USA.
Jeffery R
JR
Hughey
Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 3280, Coker Hall, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599-3280, USA.
Max H
MH
Hommersand
Herbarium and Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 3280, Coker Hall, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599-3280, USA.
Paul W
PW
Gabrielson
Herbarium, University of California at Berkeley, 1001 Valley Life Sciences Building 2465, Berkeley, California, 94720-2465, USA.
Kathy Ann
KA
Miller
Division of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, Hartnell College, 411 Central Ave., Salinas, California, 93901, USA.
Timothy
T
Fuller
D020418:Algal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D018745:Genome, Plant; D054627:Genome, Plastid; D009656:North America; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010802:Phylogeny; D000461:Rhodophyta / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013045:Species Specificity
D020418:Algal Proteins; C101625:RbcL protein, plastid; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase

Membranoptera
; Ceramiales; Delesseriaceae; Northeast Pacific; holotype; phylogenetic systematics; plastid genome; plastome; rbcL