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22001199 SOUTHEASTERN NATURALIST 1V8o(3l.) :1485,1 N–4o6. 83
Survey of Freshwater Red Algae from the
Batrachospermales (Rhodophyta) in South Carolina
Alexis M. Redmond1, Emily K. Hollingsworth2, and Morgan L. Vis1,*
Abstract - Freshwater red algae are important components of the algal flora in streams
and rivers with high water quality. The order Batrachospermales is the most speciesrich
portion of the red algal taxa reported throughout North America. We investigated
30 stream segments in South Carolina for the presence of freshwater red algae classified
within the Batrachospermales. We collected a total of 50 specimens representing 7 genera
and 9 species. We documented Batrachospermum gelatinosum, B. turfosum, Kumanoa
skujana, Montagnia australis, Sheathia americana, S. heterocortica, Sirodotia suecica,
Tuomeya americana, and Virescentia viride-americana. We observed M. australis and
T. americana from the greatest number of streams and in multiple years from the same
site. We observed V. viride-americana in 3 streams; our specimens represent the only new
record for the state. We generated DNA sequence data of the rbcL gene or gleaned it from
the literature for 8 of the 9 taxa identified in the study and confirmed their morphological
identification. We collected stream temperature, pH, and conductivity data from sites
where we collected 6 of the taxa (Batrachospermum gelatinosum, B. turfosum, M. australis,
Sheathia americana, T. americana, and V. viride-americana). Our records were within
previously reported ranges for these taxa, although water temperatures tended to be higher
than those in previous reports. Present data for the diversity of Batrachospermales in
South Carolina represent 64% of the generic/infrageneric and 20% of the species diversity
known for North America. This diversity may still be an underestimation of what might be
detected by future studies that target more specialized habitats; taxa that are known from
neighboring states but not yet reported from South Carolina might be discovered.
Introduction
Freshwater red algae occur most often in shallow streams with moderate water
flow but are found in a variety of habitats (Sheath and Vis 2015). Although various
species have been collected from streams with diverse environmental characteristics,
they are most common in streams with pH 6–7, low to moderate nutrient
concentrations, and low illumination (Eloranta and Kwandrans 2007, Sheath and
Hambrook 1990, Sheath and Vis 2015). As a result, several red algal species have
been used as bioindicators of higher water quality in North America and Europe
(Stancheva and Sheath 2016). These red algae are also important components of
aquatic ecosystems, serving as both food and shelter for macroinvertebrates (Sheath
et al. 1995, 1996).
Freshwater taxa are distributed throughout most of the rhodophyte lineage
(Kumano 2002, Yoon et al. 2006). However, the order Batrachospermales is the
1Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701.
28420 Williams Road, Montague, MI 49437. *Corresponding author - vis-chia@ohio.edu.
Manuscript Editor: Robert Krentz
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most taxon-rich, comprising ~150 species (Sheath 1984). Since the first molecular
systematics study of members of this order, the species originally assigned to the
genus Batrachospermum have been shown to be paraphyletic, with the result that
several new genera have been recently described (Chapuis et al. 2017; Entwisle et
al. 2009; Necchi et al. 2018, 2019; Salomaki et al. 2014). These latest studies have
shown some taxa to be morphologically cryptic, and can be positively identified
only by using DNA sequence data. For example, there are multiple species within
the genus Sheathia that are so similar in appearance that genetic data are needed
to distinguish Sheathia americana from S. heterocortica (Salomaki et al. 2014).
This requirement can be problematic in evaluating historic records (based solely on
morphology), and some identifications remain ambiguous (Table 1).
The state of South Carolina has 5 distinct ecoregions. In this study, we sampled
the 3 largest ecoregions (Piedmont, Southeastern Plains, and the Middle Atlantic
Coastal Plain), as prior studies suggested that rhodophytes have been identified only
in these ecoregions (Griffith et al. 2002). The Piedmont ecoregion is in the central
area of the state and serves as a transition between the mountains and the flat coastal
plains. The Southeastern Plains region is primarily an agricultural landscape with
crops, farmland, forests, and woodlands. The streams in the Middle Atlantic Coastal
Plain tend to be humic and stained due to tannins from the dominant Pinus (pine) vegetation
and have a primarily sandy substrate (Carey et al. 2007).
In South Carolina, freshwater red algae from the Compsopogonales, Acrochaetiales,
and Batrachospermales have been previously reported (Table 1 and
the references therein). Similar to the general trend in taxonomic distribution in
North America, the majority of taxa identified were from the Batrachospermales,
with 11 species representing 7 genera. Many of these collections were recorded
prior to the first molecular systematics publications on freshwater red algae (Vis
et al. 1998). Therefore, we undertook the present study to re-survey freshwater
red algae of the Batrachospermales in the state, with a focus on comparing previous
records of Batrachospermales in conjunction with DNA sequence data for
identification, and broadening the knowledge base of stream environmental data
for these taxa.
Methods
We sampled freshwater red algal specimens from 30 locations in South Carolina
primarily during the period May–September from 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012
(Fig. 1, Appendix 1). Of these, we visited 18 sites once, while we made collections
from 12 of them in multiple years (Appendix 1). We categorized each site based
on ecoregion: Southeastern Plains (17), Piedmont (12), or Middle Atlantic Coastal
Plain (1) (Griffith et al. 2002). Stream habitats varied from open to closed canopy
and from slow-moving waters to sites with higher current velocity (Fig. 2). At each
location, we measured water temperature, pH, and conductivity in situ using a YSI
Professional Plus multiparameter instrument (YSI, Yellow Springs, OH). Due to
equipment failure, we did not obtain stream measurements at some sites and on
some dates.
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We deposited a pressed herbarium voucher for each specimen in the Bartley
Herbarium Ohio University (BHO). We dried some samples in silica desiccant for
use in DNA extraction. We identified all specimens using morphological characteristics
and standard taxonomic literature (Kumano 2002, Necchi and Vis 2012,
Salomaki et al. 2014) with taxonomy updated using AlgaeBase (Guiry and Guiry
2018). We ground samples for DNA sequencing in liquid nitrogen with a mortar
and pestle. We extracted DNA using the NucleoSpin Plant II DNA kit (Macherey-
Table 1. Freshwater red algae previously reported from South Carolina. Nomenclature updated using
Algaebase (Guiry and Guiry 2018).
Taxon Reference
Compsopogonales
Boldia erythrosiphon Herndon Dillard (1967), Howard and Parker (1980),
Jacobs (1968)
Compsopogon caeruleus (Balbis ex C.Agardh) Jacobs (1968)
Montagne
Acrochaetiales
Audouinella hermannii (Roth) Duby (as A. Dillard (1967), Necchi et al. (1993a)
violacea)
Batrachospermales
Batrachospermum section Batrachospermum
B. gelatinosum (L.) De Candolle (as B. House et al. (2010), Sheath and Cole (1993),
moniliforme) Vis et al. (1996)
B. trichocontortum Sheath & M.L.Vis Vis and Sheath (1996)
Batrachospermum section Turfosa
B. turfosum Bory (as B. vagum) Jacobs (1968), Wolle (1882)
K. skujana (Necchi) Necchi & M.L.Vis Vis et al. (2012)
Lemanea
L. fucina Bory Dillard (1967)
Montagnia
M. australis Montagne (as Audouinella Necchi et al. (1993b), Sheath et al. (1994)
macrospora)
Kumanoa
Paralemanea
Paralemanea grandis (Wolle) S. Kumano (as L. Atkinson (1931)
emanea australis)
Sheathia
S. americana Salomaki & M.L.Vis Salomaki et al. (2014)
S. heterocortica (Sheath & K.M.Cole) Salomaki Salomaki et al. (2014), Vis et al. (1996)
& M.L.Vis
AS. americana or S. heterocortica
Sirodotia
S. suecica Kylin Lam et al. (2012), Necchi et al. (1993c)
Tuomeya
T. americana (Kützing) Papenfuss (as T. Dillard (1967), Goldstein and Manzi (1976),
fluviatilis) Jacobs (1968)
AVis et al. (1996) reported Batrachospermum boryanum. However, S. boryana only occurs in Europe
and it is unclear whether the current name would be S. americana or S. heterocortica because these
species can only be distinguished with sequence data (see Salomaki et al. 2014).
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Nagel, Düren, DE) according to the manufacturer’s protocol. We conducted a
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using an Applied Biosystems 2720 Thermocycler
(Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) to amplify a 1282-bp fragment of the
chloroplast rubisco large subunit gene (rbcL). The primers we used to amplify this
region were F160 and rbcLR (Vis et al. 1998). The PCR reaction mix consisted of
32.75 μL dH2O, 5.0 μL 10x buffer, 4.0 μL dNTP, 4.0 μL MgCl2, 0.25 μL Ex Taq
(Takara Bio Inc., Mountain View, CA), 1.5 μL of each amplification primer, and 1.0
μL of extracted DNA. The PCR thermocycler conditions were as follows: an initial
denaturing at 95 °C for 1 h, followed by 35 cycles of 93 °C for 30 min, 50 °C for 30
min, and 72 °C for 1 h. We used the UltraClean® PCR Clean-up DNA purification
kit (Mo Bio, Carlsbad, CA) to purify the PCR products and sequenced them at the
Figure 1. Map of South Carolina showing location of collection sites. More information
about ecoregions and collection sites in Appendix 1.
Figure 2 (following page). Representative habitats in which freshwater red algae were collected.
(A) A site in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain with shallow, nearly stagnant, waters,
sand and muck substrate, and Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. (Bald Cypress) trees in the
water and on the bank. (B) A site in the Southeastern Plains with sandy substrate, moderately
flowing waters and shade from overhanging vegetation. (C) A site in the Piedmont
with swift rapids over boulder and rock substrate and an open canopy.
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Figure 2. [Caption on preceding page.]
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Ohio University Genomics Facility. We used additional internal primers to fully
sequence the 1282-bp in both sense and anti-sense directions (Table 2). We used
Sequencher® version 5.2.4 (GeneCodes Corp, Ann Arbor, MI) to assemble DNA
fragments and submitted final sequences to GenBank.
We searched GenBank for rbcL sequences of the same species as determined
from our morphological assessment. We combined the sequences from this study
with sequences of the same species and a wide range of Batrachospermales taxa
to build a phylogeny. If more than 1 specimen from this study had an identical
sequence, we included only 1 representative sequence in subsequent phylogenetic
analyses. We subjected a total of 46 sequences to maximum likelihood (ML) using
RAxML (Stamatakis 2014) and Bayesian inference (BI) analysis using MrBayes
v.3.2 (Ronquist et al. 2012) in Geneious plug-ins V10.2.3 (Kearse et al. 2012). We
employed a GTR+G model for both the ML and BI analyses. To determine support
values, we conducted 1000 ML bootstrap replicates and, for the BI posterior
probabilities, 3 × 106 generations sampling every 100 generations with the first 250
generated trees removed as burn-in.
Results
The 30 streams from which we collected freshwater red algal taxa varied in
several key environmental conditions (Appendix 1). Among the 12 Piedmont sites,
min–max (and mean) values varied for water temperature from 21 °C to 30 °C (23
°C), pH from 6.2 to 7.3 (7), and specific conductance from 31 μS cm-1 to 138 μS
cm-1 (65 μS cm-1). We sampled the 17 Southeastern Plains sites when the water temperature
was relatively warm (19–29 °C [mean = 24 °C)]; pH was acidic to neutral
(5.2–7.5)—most streams were acidic (mean pH = 5.3)—and specific conductance
was low (min–max = 2–195 μS cm-1, mean = 26). We recorded no chemical stream
Table 2. Internal primers used for sequencing. Herbarium numbers as in Appendix 1.
Internal
Primer Primer Sequence 5’-3’ BHO Number
R472.4 GGAACTATTGTTGAGCGCGAAAG A-1083, A-1089, A-1094
R897 GCAGGTAACTCAACTTATTCTCG A-0118, A-0125
R897.1 GCTGGTAATTCAACATACTACG A-0024, A-0093, A-0149, A-0151,
A-0153, A-0157, A-0291, A-0293,
A-0295, A-0297, A-0312, A-0313,
A-1085
F650 ATTAACTCTCAACCATTTATGCG A-0024, A-0093, A-0118, A-0125,
A-0291, A-0293, A-0295, A-0297,
A-0312, A-0313, A-1083, A-1085,
A-1089, A-1094
F650.1 ATTAATTCTCAGCCTTTCATGCG A-0149, A-0151, A-0153, A-0157
F1087.1 ATCATTTAAGTGTTAATCTACCTC A-0157
F1087.71 GTCATTTAGATGTTAATTTACCTC A-1094
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data at the 1 site in the Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain. For the most part, the streams
in the Southeastern Plains had an acidic pH, whereas those in the Piedmont were
more neutral (mean = 5.3 and 7.0, respectively). Although there were a few streams
in the 2 regions that had specific conductance greater than 100 μS cm-1, these regions
were very similar overall (mean = 65 μS cm-1 and 26 μS cm-1, respectively).
The stream temperatures all reflected the season—summer—in which it was measured
(mean = 23 °C and 24 °C, respectively) (Appendix 1).
From the 30 sites, we collected and identified 50 specimens as members of 7
genera and 9 species within the Batrachospermales (Appendix 1). Montagnia australis
was the most frequently occurring species; specimens were collected from
a total of 13 streams and it was present in more than 1 year in 7 of the 8 streams
sampled in multiple years (Appendix 1). We documented Tuomeya americana in 11
streams and in more than 1 year from 5 of those streams. We observed the remaining
taxa in a single year: Virescentia viride-americana in 5 streams; Sheathia heterocortica
in 3 streams; B. turfosum in 2 streams; and Kumanoa skujana, Sheathia
americana, Sirodotia suecica, and B. gelatinosum in a single stream each. Of the
30 streams sampled, 24 streams contained a single species, 4 streams had 2 species,
and there was a single stream with 3 species as well as 1 stream with 4 species (Appendix
1).
We obtained associated water temperature, pH, and specific conductance for 9
of the species collected (Appendix 1). At 1 B. gelatinosum location, we collected
the following data: water temperature = 22 °C, pH = 6.2, and a specific conductance
of 51 μS cm-1. Stream data were available for the 3 V. viride-americana
specimens, with water temperatures varying from 19 °C to 30 °C, a circumneutral
pH (min–max = 6.9–7.5), and specific conductance from 45 μS cm-1 to 195 μS cm-
1. We collected 15 specimens of M. australis in waters with temperatures ranging
from 20 °C to 27 °C, acidic pH (min–max = 5.2–6.3), and low specific conductance
(min–max = 2–30 μS cm-1). We collected B. turfosum from 2 sites that had data
water temperatures of 23 °C and 28 °C, acidic pH of 5.6 and 5.8, and low specific
conductance 21 μS cm-1 and 25 μS cm-1, respectively. We obtained stream data for
3 Sheathia heterocortica specimens: water temperature = 22–23 °C, pH = 6.2–6.9,
and specific conductance = 45–119 μS cm-1. We collected 10 T. americana specimens
in streams with temperatures of 21–29 °C, pH from 5.5 to 7.0, and specific
conductance of 6–96 μS cm-1. We had no stream data for specimens of K. skujana,
Sheathia americana, or Sirodotia suecica.
Among the 3 ecoregions sampled in this study, we collected 5 species in the
Piedmont, 6 in the Southeastern Plains, and 1 from the Middle Atlantic Coastal
Plain. We collected V. viride-americana from streams in all 3 of these ecoregions,
whereas T. americana was collected in Southeastern Plains and Piedmont, but not
Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain. We detected the remaining taxa within a single
ecoregion (Appendix 1).
We obtained DNA sequence data for the rbcL gene from 25 specimens; 20
sequences were newly generated in this study and 5 previously submitted to
GenBank from other studies (Appendix 1). Many of the specimens were from
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the same species; thus, we did not obtain DNA sequence data from all specimens.
Batrachospermum gelatinosum was the only species collected for which
rbcL data could not be generated (Appendix 1). Four taxa had more than 1 DNA
sequence generated, and those were highly similar within a species. Among the
10 specimens of T. americana sequenced from South Carolina, there were only
8-bp differences (0.6%). For Sheathia heterocortica, there were 5-bp differences
(0.4%) among the 4 specimens from South Carolina. Lastly, there were 2-bp differences
(0.2%) between the 2 M. australis specimens and no differences between
the 2 V. viride-americana specimens.
Phylogenetic analyses using both ML and BI showed similar tree topology, but
the relationships among Kumanoa, Virescentia, and B. turfosum were not resolved
in the BI analysis. The ML tree is shown with both bootstrap and posterior probability
support (Fig. 3). The specimens from 8 taxa identified from South Carolina were
placed in a clade with other sequences from the same species and had high support
values (>90 bootstrap [bs], >0.9 posterior probability [pp]). Likewise, K. skujana,
for which there is no other sequence data available, was within a clade of Kumanoa
species with high support (>90 bs, >0.9 pp). It is notable that the taxa from this study
represent a wide distribution throughout the Batrachospermales clade (Fig. 3).
Discussion
Numerous taxa from the order Batrachospermales identified via morphology
had been previously recorded from South Carolina. This project and recent studies
with DNA sequence information have confirmed the presence of B. gelatinosum,
B. turfosum, M. australis, Sheathia americana, S. heterocortica, Sirodotia suecica,
and T. americana in the state (Lam et al. 2012, Salomaki et al. 2014, Vis et
al. 2012). However, we did not document B. trichocontortum in the current study
even though it was described as a new species from a locality in South Carolina
(Vis and Sheath 1996). In the subsequent years, this species has not been reported
from other localities and was not recollected in the type location when visited some
years later (M.L. Vis, pers. observ.). This species differs from those to which it is
closely related in having a twisted trichogyne. It is possible that this morphological
characteristic is environmentally induced rather than taxonomically informative;
if that were the case, the specimen may represent B. gelatinosum. For example,
specimens with knobs or other protrusions of the trichogyne/carpogonium from
streams in Italy with high nitrate concentrations (20.4–53.6 mg.l-1) were identified
to be B. gelatinosum from DNA sequence data (Abdelahad et al. 2015). Therefore,
it is unclear if B. trichocontortum represents a distinct species or is an ecotypic variant.
Both Lemanea and Paralemanea have been recorded from a few locations in
South Carolina (Atkinson 1931, Dillard 1967); these locations were not resampled
in the current study. In the southeastern US, the genus Paralemanea seems to be
common and there has been at least 1 report of Lemanea in the neighboring state of
North Carolina (Vis and Sheath 1992). Future research could target these taxa by
concentrating sampling efforts on the habitats with high current velocity in which
they tend to grow.
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Using DNA sequences, we recorded 2 taxa in the present study that had not been
previously reported for the state by using morphology alone. Virescentia virideamericana
is a widespread taxon in the eastern US and has been collected from
Maine to Louisiana, including the neighboring state of North Carolina (House et al.
2008, Necchi et al. 2018, Sheath et al. 1994). Therefore, our documentation of this
taxon in 3 locations in South Carolina is not outside the range of this species. We
Figure 3. Phylogenetic tree derived from the ML analysis with branch support. Branches
with an asterisk (*) = >90 bootstrap (bs) and >0.9 posterior probability (pp) and branches
with no numbers had less than 50 bs and less than 0.50 pp. Taxon name and GenBank number provided.
When more than 1 GenBank number is given, all specimens had the same sequence. South
Carolina specimens in bold; GenBank numbers as in Appendix 1.
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also found a second newly reported taxon—K. skujana. This species was originally
described from Brazil and previously was unknown outside of Brazil, but it has
been suggested that it migtht occur in other locations in North America (Necchi and
Vis 2012). Given that other Kumanoa species, such as K.americana, that have been
reported from the southeastern US, the occurrence of this species is noteworthy but
not unusual.
The DNA sequence data produced for this study showed that the specimens of
the 9 taxa had few base-pair differences compared with previous sequence data in
GenBank. However, it is notable that there appear to be 2 T. americana haplotypes
differing by 8 bp. Of the 10 specimens from this study, 3 were identical to sequence
data for a specimen from North Carolina (AF029159) and 7 were identical to sequence
data for a specimen from Georgia (KM055244). Although these genetic
differences fit well within intraspecific variation for members of the Batrachospermales
(Lam et al. 2012, Necchi et al. 2018, Salomaki et al. 2015), they may prove
interesting in future phylogeographic studies.
Data on stream water chemistry were available for 6 species collected in this
study. Batrachospermum gelatinosum is known from a wide geographic range in
North America and Europe, and collection sites have varied in their stream chemistry
(Eloranta et al. 2016, House et al. 2010, Keil et al. 2015, Vis et al. 1996). In
this study, the water temperature, pH, and specific conductance measurements from
streams containing B. gelatinosum were all within the span of values previously
reported (0–22 °C, pH 6.4–8.3, 45–216 μS cm-1; Eloranta et al. 2016, Vis et al.
1996). Virescentia viride-americana is distributed throughout temperate eastern
North America (House et al. 2008, Necchi et al. 2018, Sheath et al. 1994). Water
chemistry measurements from the current study are within the span of values previously
reported for pH (4.9–8.5) and specific conductance (30–320 μS cm-1), but
above previous temperatures (8–20 °C) (Sheath et al. 1994), which can be explained
by the warmer period of the collections. The range in stream measurements for sites
containing M. australis in this study encompasses the previously reported ranges
(Vis et al. 2004). The stream temperature (28 °C) of the site where we collected
B. turfosum in this study extends the upper bound from a previous study (0–22
°C), and the pH and specific conductance from this study were within the span of
values from the previous study (pH 3.9–8.2, 18–130 μS cm-1) (Sheath et al. 1994).
Likewise, the stream temperature at one of the Tuomeya americana sites was 29
°C, which is above the values from the previous study (5–26°C), while the pH and
specific conductance ranges were within the previous spans reported (pH 5.5–8.1,
10–100 μS cm-1) (Kaczmarczyk et al. 1992). Prior to this study, water parameter
measurements for Sheathia heterocortica were only recorded at a single location;
the previous temperature (22 °C) was within the span of values recorded in the
present study, while previous pH and specific conductance values (pH 8.3, 220 μS
cm-1, respectively) were greater than this study’s (pH 6.2–6.7 and 51–119 μS cm-1)
(Sheath and Cole 1990).
Overall, freshwater red algae classified in the Batrachospermales appear to be
well represented in the streams of South Carolina. Currently, there are 4 sections
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2019 Vol. 18, No. 3
of Batrachospermum and 10 genera reported from North America (Chapuis et al.
2017, Evans et al. 2017, Necchi et al. 2018, Sheath and Vis 2015). Our study, in
South Carolina, reported the 2 Batrachospermum sections (Batrachospermum and
Turfosa) and 5 genera (Kumanoa, Montagnia, Sheathia, Sirodotia, Tuomeya, and
Virescentia), which along with 2 older reports of Lemanea and Paralemanea, is
~64% of the diversity known in North America. The genera Balliopsis, Lympha,
Torularia, and Volatus were not collected in previous studies nor by this study from
South Carolina. However, all but Balliopsis have been reported from nearby states.
Sheath and Vis (2015) reported 38 species in the Batrachospermales, and 6 species
were added in 2 more recent papers (Chapuis et al. 2017, Evans et al. 2017) for a
total of 44 species in North America. Therefore, ~20% of the freshwater red algal
species diversity currently known for North America has now been recorded in
South Carolina. The number of species recorded in the state relative to the number
known on the continent suggests that the state’s richness represents high diversity,
but we are unaware of other comparable surveys. This richness may still be an underestimation,
and more discoveries could be made by targeting more specialized
habitats and taxa that are known from neighboring states but not yet reported from
South Carolina.
Acknowledgments
We thank the Ohio University Genomics Facility for performing Sanger sequencing.
We are grateful to the members of the Aquatic Biology Section of the South Carolina
Department of Health and Environmental Control, especially Scott Castleberry and Justin
Lewandowski, for assistance in collection of specimens. This research was partially funded
by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant DEB 1655230. Any opinions, findings, and
conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.
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Appendix 1. Collection information (location, latitude [°N], longitude [°W], herbarium voucher specimens) and data for locations at which we sampled
freshwater red algae. Site number as in Figure 1. A dash denotes no data.
Water Specific rbcL Publication for
Site temp. conductance Ecoregion GenBank GenBank
# Collection information Date (°C) pH (μS.cm-1) (major) Taxon number number
1 Toxaway Creek at SR 34, Oconee 16.viii.2012 22 6.9 65 Piedmont T. americana MG321580 This study
County, SC, 34.65731787,
83.18110147, BHO A-1089
2 Ramsey Creek, SC, 34.682033167, 25.viii.2009 22 6.2 51 Piedmont Sheathia heterocortica JX669796 Salomaki et al. 2014
83.14631045, BHO A-0061, 25.viii.2009 22 6.2 51 Piedmont Sheathia heterocortica MG321564 This study
A-0093 A-0311 25.viii.2009 22 6.2 51 Piedmont B. gelatinosumA -
25.viii.2009 22 6.2 51 Piedmont T. americana -
3 Langham Creek, SC, 34.76926, 11.viii.2009 23 6.7 119 Piedmont Sheathia heterocortica JX669758 Salomaki et al. 2014
83.01149, BHO A-0062
4 Little Cane Creek, SC, 34.7692689, 25.viii.2009 23 6.9 45 Piedmont T. americana MG321566 This study
83.0114982, BHO A-0125, 25.viii.2009 23 6.9 45 Piedmont V. viride-americana MG321571 This study
A-0291, A-0024, A-0313 31.vii.2010 - - - Piedmont S. heterocortica MG321563 This study
31.vii.2010 - - - Piedmont T. americana MG321576 This study
5 Snow Creek at SR 51, Oconee 16.viii.2012 21 6.5 51 Piedmont T. americana MG321578 This study
County, SC, 34.62361839,
82.99464525, BHO A-1083
6 Buck Creek at Peach Shed Road, 1.ix.2009 22 6.5 31 Piedmont T. americana MG321575 This study
Spartanburg County, SC, 35.111326, 17.viii.2012 - - - Piedmont T. americana -
81.893809, BHO A-0312, A-1092
7 Suck Creek, SC, 35.17904594, 21.viii.2009 - - - Piedmont K. skujana JN5890008 Vis et al. (2012)
81.77741736, BHO A-0232
8 Simmons Creek, SC, 34.35548275, 23.vi.2009 Piedmont Sheathia americana JX669795 Salomaki et al. 2014
81.8863821, BHO A-0317a, 23.vi.2009 - - - Piedmont V. viride-americana MG321577 This study
A-0317b
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Water Specific rbcL Publication for
Site temp. conductance Ecoregion GenBank GenBank
# Collection information Date (°C) pH (μS.cm-1) (major) Taxon number number
9 Steven’s Creek at SC 23, SC, 23.vi.2010 30 7.3 138 Piedmont V. viride-americana -
33.7294532, 82.1822998,
BHO A-0101
10 Oconee Creek at SR 129, Oconee 16.viii.2012 23 7.0 40 Piedmont T. americana MG321581 This study
County, SC, 33.84058078,
81.98948165, BHO A-1094
11 Wildcat Creek at SR 39, Lancaster 16.viii.2012 25 6.7 96 Piedmont T. americana MG321579 This study
County, SC, 34.74425328,
80.54156474, BHO A-1085
12 Grannie’s Quarter, CW-078, SC, 1.ix.2009 - - - Piedmont T. americana MG321574 This study
34.402453, 80.641947,
BHO A-0297
13 Sanders Creek at SC 97, Kershaw 18.vii.2012 27 5.5 21 SE Plains M. australis -
County, SC, 34.316325, 80.641708,
BH0 A-1077
14 Little Pine Creek at SR 132, 13.viii.2008 - - - SE Plains M. australis MG321568 This study
Kershaw County, SC, 34.271461, 18.vii.2012 24 5.5 20 SE Plains M. australis -
80.587686,BHO A-0151, A-1086
15 Skipper Creek at SC 145, SC, 30.vi.2010 26 5.3 15 SE Plains M. australis -
34.6227847, 80.1901289,
BHO A-135
16 McTier Creek, SC, 33.7536023, 21.vii.2009 22 5.8 6 SE Plains T. americana -
81.6016588, BHO A-0306, A-0295 7.ix.2010 - - - SE Plains T. americana MG321573 This study
17 Little Horse Creek at SR 104, Aiken 15.ix.2010 - - - SE Plains T. americana - -
County, SC, 33.5639, 81.874213, 3.vii.2012 29 5.9 22 SE Plains T. americana - -
BHO A-0298, A-1093
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Water Specific rbcL Publication for
Site temp. conductance Ecoregion GenBank GenBank
# Collection information Date (°C) pH (μS.cm-1) (major) Taxon number number
18 Shaw’s Creek at SR 153, Aiken 22.vii.2009 21 5.5 7 SE Plains T. americana MG321572 This study
County, SC, 33.658875, 81.718127, 7.ix.2010 - - - SE Plains M. australis -
BHO A-0293, A-0156, A-1088 29.vii.2012 24 6.1 37 SE Plains M. australis -
19 Rocky Springs Creek at Moore 3.vii.2012 26 5.4 15 SE Plains M. australis -
Road, Aiken County, SC, 33.660925,
81.557007, BHO A-1080
20 Black Creek at SR 278, Lexington 21.vii.2009 - - - SE Plains M. australis -
County, SC, 33.7324142, 4.ix.2010 23 5.6 2 SE Plains M. australis MG321570 This study
81.3031812, BHO A-0155, A-0157, 5.viii.2012 25 5.6 30 SE Plains M. australis -
A-1081
21 Hollow Creek at SR 5, Aiken County, 18.vi.2010 22 6.3 12 SE Plains M. australis -
SC, 33.340036, 81.8219917, 3.vii.2012 23 5.7 15 SE Plains M. australis -
BHO A-0139, A-1079
22 Cedar Creek at SR 79, Aiken 18.vi.2010 21 6.1 - SE Plains M. australis -
County,SC, 33.4535488, 2.vii.2012 20 5.4 20 SE Plains M. australis -
81.6428341, BH0 A-0141, A-1087
23 Upper Three Runs Creek at SR 113, 18.vi.2010 21 5.4 18 SE Plains M. australis -
Aiken County, SC, 33.4762662, 3.vii.2012 - - - SE Plains M. australis
81.5884466, BHO A-0137, A-1091
24 Little Salkehatchie River, SC, 2.ix.2009 19 7.5 195 SE Plains V. viride-americana -
33.3109941, 81.1929748, BHO
A-0127
25 Sandy Run Creek at US 176, 3.viii.2012 28 5.8 25 SE Plains B. turfosum -
Calhoun County, SC, 33.48078,
80.580209, BHO A-1078
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Water Specific rbcL Publication for
Site temp. conductance Ecoregion GenBank GenBank
# Collection information Date (°C) pH (μS.cm-1) (major) Taxon number number
26 Cedar Creek at SR 734, Richland 28.i.2009 - - - SE Plains M. australis MG321569 This study
County, SC, 33.8411981, 6.viii.2009 - - - SE Plains B. turfosum MG372122 This study
80.85997581, BHO A-0153, 2.viii.2012 23 5.6 21 SE Plains M. australis -
A-0211, A-1090
27 Cedar Creek, DHEC site RS-09312, 10.vi.2009 25 6.1 2 SE Plains M. australis MG321567 This study
SC, 33.927148, 80.819343,
BH0 A-0149
28 Big Beaver Creek at US Highway 16.v.2008 - - - SE Plains Sirodotia suecica JF344718 Lam et al. 2012
176, Calhoun County, SC, 5.viii.2012 25 5.3 16 SE Plains M. australis -
33.759551, 80.914301, BHO A-0267,
A-1082
29 Cedar Creek at SR 66, Richland 3.viii.2012 24 5.2 22 SE Plains B. macrosporum -
County, SC, 33.897136, 80.819206,
BHO A-1084
30 Cow Castle Creek at bridge on 17.ii.2009 - - - Mid-Atlantic Virescentia viride- MG321565 This study
S-38-198, SC, 33.41942, 80.74017, Coastal Plain americana
BHO A-0118
ANo rbcL sequence data were generated for BHO A-0093; however, COI-5P data from House et al. (2010) confirm its identity as Batrachospermum gelatinosum.