W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1997 Ultrastructural Features of Tetrasporgenesis Within the Corallinoideae and Taxonomic Implications for Coralline Red Algae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) Kristin Leigh Mays College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Systems Biology Commons Recommended Citation Mays, Kristin Leigh, "Ultrastructural Features of Tetrasporgenesis Within the Corallinoideae and Taxonomic Implications for Coralline Red Algae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta)" (1997). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539626096. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-nv1k-bt42 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ULTRASTRUCTURAL FEATURES OF TETRASPOROGENESIS WITHIN THE CORALLINOIDEAE AND TAXONOMIC IMPLICATIONS FOR CORALLINE RED ALGAE (CORALLINALES, RHODOPHYTA) A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Biology The College of William and Mary Williamsburg, Va In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Kristin L. Mays June 1997 ProQuest Number: 10629638 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest, ProQuest 10629638 Published by ProQuest LLC (2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 - 1346 This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements for Master of Arts Krisftn L. Mays Approved, June 1997 (y Joseph L. Scott Sharon T. Broadwater Martha A. Case For my parents, Sandra and Marshall Mays and my fiance, Andrew Bliss TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES AND DIAGRAMS............................................................................ vi LIST OF FIGURES.........................................................................................................vii ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................2 MATERIALS AND METHODS......................................................................................12 RESULTS............................................................................................................................14 DISCUSSION...................................................................................................................24 LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................................. 37 TABLES AND DIAGRAMS.........................................................................................42 FIGURES.........................................................................................................................50 VITA................................................................................................................................. 82 AC KNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Joe Scott for introducing me to the world of algae and providing me with support and advising as I conducted the research for this thesis. I also appreciate skillful editing of the manuscript by both Dr. Sharon Broadwater and Dr. Martha Case. I express much gratitude to Ms. Jewel Thomas for her excellent technical assistance. Finally, I would like to thank Andrew Bliss, Kathleen Markel and Bethany Griffin for their friendship during this remarkable two years of my life. LIST OF TABLES AND DIAGRAMS Tables 1. Competing Classification Schemes of Coralline Red Algae 2. Subfamilies within the Family Corallinaceae 3. Bailey and Chapman’s 18s rRNA Molecular Data for Corallinaceae 4. Ultrastructural and Light Microscopic Features with Taxonomic Relevance Subfamilies of the Family Corallinaceae Diagrams 1. Development of Cell Fusions and Formation of Secondary Pit Plugs 2. Triphasic Life History 3. General Coralline Tetrasporangial Developmental Sequence 4. Spore Germination Patterns in Corallinaceae LIST OF FIGURES Figures I-3 Light and TEM of conceptacles and tetrasporangia ..................................... 49 4-7 TEM of Stage 1 tetrasporangia. ....................................................................51 8-10 TEM of intekinesis and Stage 3 a tetrasporangia............................................53 II-13 TEM of starch grain formation and cleavage furrows.................................. 55 14-15 TEM of Stage 3b tetrasporangia .................................................................... 57 16-18 TEM of Stage 3b pit plugs and chloroplasts .................................................59 19-20 TEM of Stage 3b tetrasporangial periphery ..................................................61 21-24 TEM of Stage 3c tetrasporangium.................................................................63 25-27 TEM of Stage 4 tetrasporangium ..................................................................65 28-29 TEM of Stage 4 cell periphery and nucleus..................................................67 3 0-3 2 Light and TEM of Serrciticardia macmillanii............................................. 69 33-35 Micrographs of Yamadaea melobesiodes.....................................................71 36-38 Light and TEM of Chiharaea bodegensis....................................................73 39-41 Light and TEM of Arthrocardia silvae........................................................ 75 42-45 Light and SEM of Cheilosporum cultratum.................................................77 46-49 TEM of Cheilosporum cultratum.................................................................. 79 vii ABSTRACT The current taxonomy of the family Corallinaceae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) is in a state of flux. The commonly accepted classification scheme for coralline subfamilies by Johansen and Woelkerling places major emphasis on a distinction between geniculate and non-geniculate forms. The scheme has been criticized as unnatural, phenetic and not representative of the phylogeny of the Corallinaceae, a monophyletic taxon. A competing scheme by Cabioch and Chamberlain places primary emphasis on cellular connections. Currently not enough data has been collected to give widespread support for either one of the two competing schemes. Sporangial ultrastructural data from the coralline subfamilies is being collected in order to determine possibly important taxonomic features. Many cytoplasmic ultrastructural features vary and are not reliable subfamilial characters. However, perinuclear ultrastructural features provide some consistency across genera and within certain subfamilies. Electron dense material (EDM) is the most reliable of the perinuclear features studied. A perinuclear complex including nuclear envelope modifications, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and EDM has been observed in many genera. The orientation of ER and EDM to the nuclear envelope, as well as the pattern of EDM, or lack of EDM may all be reliable taxonomic features. Thus far, 20 genera of corallines have been observed, and four patterns of EDM have been observed. This study focused upon ultrastructural changes in tetrasporangial nuclei of Arthrocardia, Cheilosporum, Chiharaea, Serraticardia, and Yamadaea, five of seven unexamined genera of Corallinoideae. Two modifications of the parallel type of EDM were detected. Tetrasporangia of Serraticardia and Yamadaea show a parallel pattern of EDM that occurs in punctate patches. Chiharaea and Arthrocardia show a diffuse pattern of EDM that is bordered on all sides by parallel smooth surfaced ER. A new, invaginate type of EDM was reported inCheilosporum. The nuclear envelope of a tetrasporangial nucleus invaginates and EDM is deposited within the pockets. Combined with previous data, the perinuclear EDM associations were classified into five main categories: some nuclei lack EDM, a parallel arrangement of EDM exists with two modifications, diffuse and punctate, there is a radiate arrangement of EDM, an invaginate arrangement of EDM and an arrangement of EDM which is intermediate, being invaginate early in tetrasporogenesis and radiate later. A reanalysis of Corallinaceae genera based upon intercellular connections, ultrastructural data, molecular sequence data and spore gemination patterns was attempted and it was concluded that Cabioch and Chamberlain’s classification scheme was supported. ULTRASTRUCTURAL FEATURES OF TETRASPOROGENESIS WITHIN THE CORALLINOIDEAE AND TAXONOMIC IMPLICATIONS FOR CORALLINE RED ALGAE (CORALLINALES, RHODOPHYTA) INTRODUCTION Red algae, phylum Rhodophyta, are an ancient lineage of organisms that date back to the Precambrian era (Gabrielson and Garbary, 1986; Johansen, 1981).