Morphological and Molecular Identification of <i>Ulva</i> spp. (Ulvophyceae; Chlorophyta) from Algarrobo Bay, Chile: Understanding the Composition of Green Tides
Javiera Mutizabal-Aros,
María Eliana Ramírez,
Pilar A. Haye,
Andrés Meynard,
Benjamín Pinilla-Rojas,
Alejandra Núñez,
Nicolás Latorre-Padilla,
Francesca V. Search,
Fabian J. Tapia,
Gonzalo S. Saldías,
Sergio A. Navarrete,
Loretto Contreras-Porcia
Affiliations
Javiera Mutizabal-Aros
Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile
María Eliana Ramírez
Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile
Pilar A. Haye
Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago 8370251, Chile
Andrés Meynard
Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile
Benjamín Pinilla-Rojas
Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile
Alejandra Núñez
Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile
Nicolás Latorre-Padilla
Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago 8370251, Chile
Francesca V. Search
Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago 8370251, Chile
Fabian J. Tapia
Departamento de Oceanografía, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile
Gonzalo S. Saldías
Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago 8370251, Chile
Sergio A. Navarrete
Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago 8370251, Chile
Loretto Contreras-Porcia
Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile
Green algae blooms of the genus Ulva are occurring globally and are primarily attributed to anthropogenic factors. At Los Tubos beach in Algarrobo Bay along the central Chilean coast, there have been blooms of these algae that persist almost year-round over the past 20 years, leading to environmental, economic, and social issues that affect the local government and communities. The objective of this study was to characterize the species that form these green tides based on a combination of ecological, morpho-anatomical, and molecular information. For this purpose, seasonal surveys of beached algal fronds were conducted between 2021 and 2022. Subsequently, the sampled algae were analyzed morphologically and phylogenetically using the molecular markers ITS1 and tufA, allowing for the identification of at least five taxa. Of these five taxa, three (U. stenophylloides, U. uncialis, U. australis) have laminar, foliose, and distromatic morphology, while the other two (U. compressa, U. aragoensis) have tubular, filamentous, and monostromatic fronds. Intertidal surveys showed that U. stenophylloides showed the highest relative coverage throughout the seasons and all intertidal levels, followed by U. uncialis. Therefore, we can establish that the green tides on the coast of Algarrobo in Chile are multispecific, with differences in relative abundance during different seasons and across the intertidal zone, opening opportunities for diverse future studies, ranging from ecology to algal biotechnology.