Portal de Murcia
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Marina Aboal, Professor of Botany at the University of Murcia, together with researchers from the universities of Granada, Sao Paulo, Durham and Melbourne, have carried out a study, published in the European Journal of Phycology, on the diversity of the genus Chroothece. , a unicellular red alga, widely represented in the Chícamo river.
The analysis carried out on this tributary, which has the characteristics of a freshwater river despite its slight salinity, shows the existence of a new species, Chroothece lobata.
"The first time we arrived at the Chícamo river, we found some colonies between bluish green and yellowish green that we could not identify, which aroused our interest," explains Aboal.
Aboal Sanjurjo, the main researcher of the Seaweed Biology and Ecology group, assures that with the current taxonomy it is complicated or unwise to confirm a new species if it does not have the endorsement of molecular data, which requires, in many cases, obtaining prior of crops to carry out the subsequent DNA sequencing.
"Although some species can grow profusely in nature, it is sometimes very difficult to maintain them or make them grow in the laboratory, we have to find the right environment and conditions, something that in this case took a long time", corroborates the coordinator of the project.
The study states that, to help describe the diversity within the genus, the samples obtained from the Chícamo River were compared with those from other regions of the rest of the world.
"We contacted the Melbourne researcher, John West, who provided us with Chroodactylon cultures, and that once sequenced, they ended up belonging to the genus Chroothece," confirms the botanist.
Regarding the Chícamo River, Aboal Sanjurjo affirms that it is also interesting and presents a high diversity of microorganisms, specifically, microalgae.
"The interest of the river has already been recognized at the regional level by its populations of Fartet, a protected species in danger of extinction, and by the presence of some species of angiosperms, flowering plants with rather limited distribution. various geological investigations, which have shown the evolution of the basin over millions of years, "says the researcher.
Aboal Sanjurjo stresses that it is necessary to study the great biodiversity existing through gene expression.
"We have a great cryptic biodiversity in many groups of algae, there are equal specimens, which once sequenced is found to belong to different species, so we must review the morphological and ecological criteria of separation of species to facilitate further work," reaffirms the expert.
The new member of the board of directors of the International Phycology Society insists that their work is also of awareness, of demonstrating that the arid zones are insufficiently studied and that, many of them, harbor a great biodiversity of algae.
"In order to be able to continue researching and to be able to undertake more exhaustive and complex studies, it is necessary to raise awareness among the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, which is allocating less and less money to research", concludes Marina.
Source: Universidad de Murcia
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