Abstract
Freshwater macroalgae from the genus Oedogonium have recently been targeted for biomass applications; however, strains of Oedogonium for domestication have not yet been identified. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the performance of isolates of Oedogonium collected from multiple geographic locations under varying environmental conditions. We collected and identified wild-type isolates of Oedogonium from three geographic locations in Eastern Australia, then measured the growth of these isolates under a range of temperature treatments corresponding to ambient conditions in each geographic location. Our sampling identified 11 isolates of Oedogonium that could be successfully maintained under culture conditions. It was not possible to identify most isolates to species level using DNA barcoding techniques or taxonomic keys. However, there were considerable genetic and morphological differences between isolates, strongly supporting each being an identifiable species. Specific growth rates of species were high (>26% day−1) under 7 of the 9 temperature treatments (average tested temperature range: 20.9–27.7°C). However, the variable growth rates of species under lower temperature treatments demonstrated that some were better able to tolerate lower temperatures. There was evidence for local adaptation under lower temperature treatments (winter conditions), but not under higher temperature treatments (summer conditions). The high growth rates we recorded across multiple temperature treatments for the majority of species confirm the suitability of this diverse genus for biomass applications and the domestication of Oedogonium.
Highlights
Freshwater macroalgae have diverse applications as targets for biofuels [1], the bioremediation of waste waters [2,3,4], fertiliser and soil conditioners [5]and as a tool for carbon sequestration [1]
The objective of the current study was to compare the performance of isolates of Oedogonium collected from multiple geographic locations under varying environmental conditions. (We use the term isolates here to refer to individual samples or variants within a species, including strains, ecotypes or genotypes).Our specific aims were to 1) collect and identify wild-type isolates of Oedogonium from three geographic locations; and 2) measure the growth of these isolates under a range of temperature treatments corresponding to ambient conditions in each geographic location
We were only able to assign species names to 2 of our isolates based on morphological characteristics – isolate Riv4 was identified as Oedogonium implexum and isolate Riv5 as Oedogonium undulatum var Wissmanii (Table 1).The DNA sequence analysis was inconclusive in terms of matching isolates with extant species of Oedogonium
Summary
Freshwater macroalgae have diverse applications as targets for biofuels [1], the bioremediation of waste waters [2,3,4], fertiliser and soil conditioners [5]and as a tool for carbon sequestration [1]. Lawton et al [6] identified the cosmopolitan genus Oedogonium as a target for biomass applications due to its high productivity, favourable biochemical composition, cosmopolitan distribution and competitive dominance over other algal species. These findings were based on the performance of a single wild-type strain of Oedogonium. In order to realise the full potential of this alga for biomass applications, high productivity strains of Oedogonium need to be identified and domesticated
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