| Summary: | The mechanisms of speciation have always been of central interest in Evolutionary Biology. The aim of this project is to better understand the evolution of reproductive genes and of reproductive isolation mechanisms in Fucoid algae (Heterokontophyta, Phaeophyceae). Originating in the North Pacific, Fucus colonized the North Atlantic after the opening of the Bering Strait (4.1–7.4 Myr BP), where it radiated into two distinct lineages that diverged 0.9–2.25 Myr BP. Very little is known about the molecular evolution of sex-related genes underlying the mating systems of Fucus. This is only complicated further with multiple switches during evolution from dioecious and hermaphrodite mating systems. To better understand the molecular evolution of sex related genes in Fucus, we have characterised the transcriptomes from reproductive and vegetative tissues for both male and female individuals from Fucus serratus and Fucus vesiculosus.
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