Phylogenomics and genomic characterization of species of the freshwater red algal genera Kumanoa, Paludicola and Sheathia (Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta)

• Grant number: 22/12124-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2023
• End date: January 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Plant Taxonomy
• Principal Investigator: Orlando Necchi Junior
• Grantee: Yasmin Maria da Silva Lopes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The information currently available on the genomic organization of freshwater red algae of the order Batrachospermales is sparse and studies related to the genomic diversity have not shown a high diversity as expected, since this is the most diverse group in terms of morphology, reproductive characters and number of taxa among the groups of exclusively freshwater red algae. The project proposes to analyze the phylogenomics and genomic characterization of plastid genomes of some species of the genera Kumanoa, Paludicola and Sheathia, which were selected for having high number of species within the order, clades very distant in the known phylogeny of the group and wide geographic distribution worldwide. The generated results will allow testing the following hypotheses: a) the data obtained from the phylogenomic analyses compared with genomes of representatives of the order Batrachospermales already sequenced will reveal relatively higher differences between each of the three genera to be investigated due to the fact that they are phylogenetically distant; b) the results of the genomic characteristics will indicate that higher differences will be observed between the genomes of the three genera than within each genus because their phylogenetic distances. To test these hypotheses, the following objectives are proposed: 1) to describe the characteristics of the plastid genomes of species of the three genera of the order Batrachospermales; 2) infer the phylogenetic relationships of the genomes of these representatives with those already described from other genera; 3) to know the genomic diversity of selected species of the three genera with very divergent clades in the phylogeny of the order. The proposed study has aspects of great relevance: a) this is a broad investigation of phylogenomics and genomic characterization of important genera of the order Batrachospermales of freshwater rhodophytes; b) it will provide valuable data for comparative genomic analyzes of the order Batrachospermales and related groups.