Microglena antarctica sp. nov. a New Antarctic Green Alga from Inexpressible Island (Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea) Revealed through an Integrative Approach

• Published in: Diversity
• Main Authors: Riccardo Trentin, Enrico Negrisolo, Emanuela Moschin, Davide Veronese, Matteo Cecchetto, Isabella Moro
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2022
• Subjects: Antarctica; biodiversity; Chlorophyceae; Microglena; molecular phylogeny; Monadina clade; Ross Sea; 18S rDNA; ITS-2 DNA barcode; Antarctic; Inexpressible Island; Terra Nova Bay; Antarc*; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/d14050337

One of the aims of the XXXIV Italian Antarctic Expedition is the study of the photosynthetic biodiversity of the Ross Sea. To achieve this goal, sea-ice samples were collected from Inexpressible Island and a strain of a green microalga (IMA076A) was isolated for morphological and molecular investigations. Combining: (1) phylogenetic analyses of the small subunit rDNA (18S rDNA) and of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2) sequences; (2) species delimitation methods; (3) comparative analyses of the secondary structures of ITS-2 and compensatory base changes; (4) morphological, ultrastructural and ecological features, we described the strain IMA076A and its relatives as the new species Microglena antarctica sp. nov. The discovery of a new species of Chlorophyceae highlights that the biological diversity of Antarctic microalgae is more extensive than previously thought and that molecular phylogeny together with compensatory base changes (CBCs) approach are pivotal in the identification of cryptic microalgae.