Juan M. Lopez-Bautista

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at University of Alabama

The genus Ulva Linnaeus 1753 is well known for its global distribution and containing many taxonomically debated species. Their morphological plasticity and cryptic nature overrepresent and underrepresent, respectively, the biodiversity of these species. The difficulty in morphologically identifying Ulva species has led to the accumulation of many...

The green algal order Bryopsidales is mostly comprised of large conspicuous siphonous seaweeds. From this green algal order, a de novo chloroplast genome was sequenced for Caulerpa racemosa. The plastid genome was circular and lacked the inverted repeat commonly found in vascular green plants. The C. racemosa genome was 176,522 base pairs long and...

Species level identifications of morphologically simple marine algae have undoubtedly caused biodiversity assessments to be an arduous task. The green algal genus Ulva L., 1753, is notorious for morphological plasticity and cryptic speciation. We used two chloroplast-encoded (rbcL and tufA) molecular markers and the nuclear internal transcribed spa...

The green plants (Viridiplantae) are an ancient group of eukaryotes comprising two main clades: the Chlorophyta, which includes a wide diversity of green algae, and the Streptophyta, which consists of freshwater green algae and the land plants. The early-diverging lineages of the Viridiplantae comprise unicellular algae, and multicellularity has ev...

Molecular phylogeographic approaches employed for studying genetic diversity and evolution of seaweeds experienced noticeable growth since the mid-1990s and have greatly expanded our understanding of factors and processes contributing to biodiversity, adaptation, and population genetic variation of seaweeds. Herein, we present a numerical synthesis...

We present the 96 005 bp circular chloroplast genome (cpDNA) of Ulva fasciata. This cpDNA was ∼4000 bp smaller than the cpDNA of Ulva sp. UNA00071828; however, this cpDNA was AT rich (75.1%) similar to Ulva sp. The U. fasciata cpDNA was also similar in gene content (101 identified genes) compared to Ulva sp., which included 71 protein-coding genes,...

We present the 61 614 bp circular-mapping mitochondrial genome of Ulva fasciata. Fifty-eight genes were identified including 29 protein-coding genes, 27 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Four ORFs from the Ulva sp. UNA00071828 mitogenome were conserved compared to the mitogenome of Ulva fasciata. The ∼10 000 bp size dif...

Sequencing mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes has become an integral part in understanding the genomic machinery and the phylogenetic histories of green algae. Previously, only three chloroplast genomes (Oltmannsiellopsis viridis, Pseudendoclonium akinetum, and Bryopsis hypnoides) and two mitochondrial genomes (O. viridis and P. akinetum) from t...

Species of Bryopsidales form ecologically important components of seaweed communities worldwide. These siphonous macroalgae are composed of a single giant tubular cell containing millions of nuclei and chloroplasts, and harbor diverse bacterial communities. Little is known about the diversity of chloroplast genomes (cpDNAs) in this group, and about...

Phylogenetic relationships in the green algal phylum Chlorophyta have long been subject to debate, especially at higher taxonomic ranks (order, class). The relationships among three traditionally defined and well-studied classes, Chlorophyceae, Trebouxiophyceae, and Ulvophyceae are of particular interest, as these groups are species-rich and ecolog...

Although red algae are economically highly valuable for their gelatinous cell wall compounds as well as being integral parts of marine benthic habitats, very little genome data are currently available. We present mitochondrial genome sequence data from the red alga Grateloupia taiwanensis S.-M. Lin & H.-Y. Liang. Comprising 28,906 nucleotide positi...

The poorly known siphonous green algal genus Pseudoderbesia was originally described from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and the Canary Islands. Here we describe a collection of Pseudoderbesia from Rhodes, Greece, representing the first report of the genus since its original description in 1991. Cultured plants of Pseudoderbesia were characterize...

The misuse of scientific names for species of organisms is a widespread and long-standing academic phenomenon; however, its negative impacts to scientific community and the public have been largely overlooked all along. Here we exemplified two research cases in seaweeds to highlight the extent and dimension of misused scientific names of species in...

To prioritize management, conservation and restoration from seaweed invasions, it is important for policy-makers to elucidate the ecological mechanisms during the three phases of invasion: introduction, establishment, and diffusion. In this review, we synthesize the current knowledge of the invasion mechanisms and ecological impacts of Gracilaria v...

Given the problems of species delimitation in algae using morphology or sexual compatibility, molecular data are becoming the standard for delimiting species and testing their traditional boundaries. The idea that species are separately evolving metapopulation lineages, along with theoretical progress in phylogenetic and population genetic analyses...

The complete plastid genome sequence of the red macroalga Grateloupia taiwanensis S.-M.Lin & H.-Y.Liang (Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta) is presented here. Comprising 191,270 bp, the circular DNA contains 233 protein-coding genes and 29 tRNA sequences. In addition, several genes previously unknown to red algal plastids are present in the genome of G. ta...

Novel ORFs found in the G. taiwanensis plastid genome. (DOCX)

Supplementary Information (PDF, 50 KB)

Plocamium cartilagineum is a common red alga on the benthos of Antarctica and can be a dominant understory species along the western Antarctic Peninsula. Algae from this region have been studied chemically, and like “P. cartilagineum” from other worldwide locations where it is common, it is rich in halogenated monoterpenes, some of which have been...

Geological phenomena (e.g. drastic sea level fluctuations during the Quaternary Ice Age in the Northern Hemisphere) have been demonstrated to intensively affect the biogeographic patterns and tempo-spatial compositions of genetic diversity of marine organisms. However, it is poorly understood whether contemporary factors such as oceanic surface cur...

The distribution and diversity of the algae of the order Trentepohliales were studied from field collections made in Gabon, central Africa. Both forest and urban environments were examined for the presence of trentepohlialean taxa. Based on these field collections fourteen taxa of Trentepohlia and Printzina were recorded: Printzina bosseae (De Wild...

Mobile Bay, AL has been the site for the introduction of several terrestrial and freshwater invasive species, including red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) and spike-topped apple snails (Pomacea bridgesii). The Gulf of Mexico has also been invaded by several marine animal species, such as zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). To date, no in...

Members of the genus Klebsormidium have cosmopolitan distribution and occur in a very wide range of freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Due to its simple filamentous morphology, this genus represents a taxonomically and systematically complex taxon in which phylogenetic relationships are still poorly understood. The phylogeny of Klebsormidium and...

In recent years, species circumscription and biogeography of small-sized eukaryotes have become a highly debated topic. A view supported by researchers with ecological background assumes that their global species diversity is much lower than for macroscopic animals and plants. This hypothesis is based on the model of ubiquitous dispersal of microor...

The red algae (or Rhodophyta) are an ancient and diversified group of photoautotrophic organisms. A 1,200-million-year-old fossil has been assigned to Bangiomorpha pubescens, a Bangia-like fossil suggesting sexual differentiation (Butterfield, 2000). Most rhodophytes inhabit marine environments (98%), but many well-known taxa are from freshwater ha...

Microscopic green algae are among the most widespread microrganisms occurring in terrestrial environments. For more than two centuries, generalizations on the diversity and biogeography of these organisms have been based entirely on morphological species concepts. However, ultrastructural and molecular data produced in the last 30 years have reveal...

Subaerial green microalgae represent a polyphyletic complex of organisms, whose genetic diversity is much higher than their simple morphologies suggest. The order Trentepohliales is the only species-rich group of subaerial algae belonging to the class Ulvophyceae and represents an ideal model taxon to investigate evolutionary patterns of these orga...

Klebsormidium is a cosmopolitan genus of green algae, widespread in terrestrial and freshwater habitats. The classification of Klebsormidium is entirely based on morphological characters, and very little is understood about its phylogeny at the species level. We investigated the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of Klebsormidium in urban hab...

The green algal order Trentepohliales represents one of the most diverse and widespread groups of terrestrial algae in tropical regions; however, little published information on this group is available for Central and tropical South America. The diversity and distribution of these algae in central Panama were investigated in the course of a fieldtr...

The subaerial green algal order Trentepohliales has its centre of abundance and diversity in the tropics. However, very few detailed investigations on the taxonomy of this group are available for tropical regions. Collections made in the course of a fieldtrip to French Guiana in June 2006 have revealed a very high diversity of the Trentepohliales i...

Four species of the genus Trentepohlia were collected from French Guiana, including two new to science. Trentepohlia chapmanii sp. nov. formed orange coatings on bamboo reeds and consisted of a thick and compact, pseudoparenchymatous prostrate part on which numerous thin and unbranched erect axes were borne. Trentepohlia infestans sp. nov. produced...

Red algae are ancient aquatic plants with simple organization, noteworthy colour variation, vast morphological plasticity, challenging taxonomy and most extant species (about 6000 worldwide) are marine. They include species with complex life cycles, significant ecological importance and extensive economical applications.

Over the past millions of years the land on our planet has been the testing ground for many experiments or, more dramatically, the battleground for many invasions. A myriad of ancestral plant forms came from the sea and lakes to exploit the terrestrial environment. Those life forms were algae, simple photoautotrophic organisms that eventually prepa...

The diversity and distribution of the Trentepohliales have been investigated in detail in several regions of Europe and Asia. However, the information available for other continents is relatively limited and very little is known for these algae in Africa. New records of Trentepohliales for Africa were obtained in the course of surveys conducted in...

The order Trentepohliales is a widespread group of terrestrial green algae. As currently circumscribed, it includes six genera (Cephaleuros, Phycopeltis, Physolinum, Printzina, Stomatochroon and Trentepohlia), the phylogenetic affinities of which are poorly understood. Sequences for the small subunit rRNA gene (18S rDNA) were obtained for several r...

Static microspectrophotometry and the DNA-localizing fluorochrome DAPI (4'-6' diamidodino-2-phenylindole) und RBC (chicken erythrocytes) standard were used to estimate nuclear DNA contents for eight species representing three genera of the sub-aerial green algal order Trentepohliales (Chlorophyta). Estimated nuclear DNA content values for the Trent...

Spongiochrysis hawaiiensis gen. et sp. nov. is described from material collected at two sites on O'ahu, Hawaiian Islands. This alga produced golden-yellow crusts on the bark of Casuarina trees and consisted of globular cells with an axial stellate chloroplast. The only form of reproduction was a specialized type of autosporulation in which a buddin...

Morphological and molecular studies demonstrate that the tribe Ptiloteae (Ceramiaceae, Ceramiales) is polyphyletic. The Ptiloteae, sensu stricto, occur only in the Northern Hemisphere and all Southern Hemisphere representatives belong in other tribes. Three genera (Euptilota, Seirospora, and Sciurothamnion) are transferred to the Euptiloteae Hommer...

Phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear-encoded small-subunit rDNA sequences from taxa representing all of the major lineages of green algae, including new sequences for the Trentepohliales, consistently indicated that the subaerial Trentepohliales are closely related to ulvophycean marine green algae, particularly to the siphonous and hemisiphonous o...

Phragmoplast-mediated cell division characterizes the land plants in the streptophyte lineage and some species of the green algal orders Coleochaetales, Charales and Zygnematales that are basal to that lineage. This type of cell division is generally not found in the other green plant lineage, the chlorophyte algae. A well-developed phragmoplast-ty...

The upper Northwestern Gulf basin is characterized by a relatively shallow but well developed continental shelf with an extensive system of mid- and outer shelf hard banks formed on unique tectonically created salt diapirs of varying origin and composition. Collections made by our laboratory from ∼30 m depth by SCUBA while participating in monitori...

Representatives of the monophyletic Trentepohliales are widely distributed in the tropics, subtropics, and temperate regions worldwide. They grow in soil, or are epilithic, epiphytic or endophytic. The family comprises approximately 70 species placed in at least four genera (Trentepohlia, Cephaleuros, Phycopeltis and Stomatochroon), with Trentepohl...

The red algal genus Stenogramme was described by Harvey (1840) for entities having flattened, dichotomously branched thalli with cystocarps borne in narrow, linear sori resembling an interrupted midrib on blades, and with isomorphic tetrasporophytes with scattered circular to irregular tetrasporangial nemathecia. In the current literature, the most...