Molecular phylogeny of the Family Scytosiphonaceae (Phaeophyceae)

Recent phylogenetic studies of scytosiphonacean brown algae show many conflicts with current classification. In order to clearly define the phylogenetic relationships of the family, we newly sequenced the photosystem I coding psaA gene (1488 base pairs) from 13 taxa (15 samples), of the family, and, for comparison, rbcL from four taxa. The psaA region has more informative sites (17.9%) than the rbcL (13.1%) and the number of nodes supported by over 50% bootstrap values is more in the psaA phylogeny (53 /57 nodes; 93%) than in the rbcL (47/63 nodes; 74.6%). The psaA phylogenies are basically congruent with the rbcL trees, recognizing two major groups in the monophyletic Scytosiphonaceae. The first group included Myelophycus, Petalonia, Scytosiphon, and elongate sack-shaped species of Colpomenia, primarily cold temperate elements with unilocular zoidangia on sporophytes. The second group, although not resolved, consisted of Hydroclathrus, Chnoospora, Rosenvingea, and ball-shaped Colpomenia, primarily warm-temperate taxa with both unilocular and plurilocular zoidangia on sporophytes. Chnoospora is not monophyletic, as was previously shown the paraphyly of Colpomenia, Petalonia, and Scytosiphon. Hydroclathrus clathratus from Korea and Japan was not monophyletic. Our studies show that gametophytic characters are the main source of conflict for the present taxonomy of the family. The psaA region is a useful tool for resolution of phylogenetic relationships within the Scytosiphonaceae.