Cladophora from Türkiye and Greece
Species in the green algal order Cladophorales inhabit a wide range of aquatic ecosystems and display significant morphological variation. Identifying these species can be challenging due to their simple morphologies, which offer few diagnostic features. Furthermore, several characters exhibit extensive intraspecific variation and overlap between species. As a result, DNA-based approaches have become essential for accurate species identification. The most diverse genus in the order, Cladophora, is widely distributed and functions as an ecological engineer in the sense that it significantly creates or modifies aquatic habitats, making accurate species identification important for the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems and the development of effective conservation strategies. This study integrates morphological analysis with DNA-based methods, using partial nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA) sequences, to identify Cladophora species collected from various regions of the Aegean Sea (Türkiye), as well as some samples from Greece. Our findings confirm the presence of six Cladophora species (C. albida, C. hutchinsiae, C. laetevirens, C. prolifera, C. ruchingeri, and C. vagabunda), as well as Cladophoropsis membranacea. While these species have been previously reported from Türkiye, our study highlights the continued importance of DNA-based methods for accurate identification within the genus Cladophora.