Species delimitation in the genus Klebsormidium (Klebsormidiophyceae, Charophyta), including description of Klebsormidium mirabile sp. nov. with high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids

By

Tukhtaboeva, Yulduzkhon
Krivina, Elena
Redkina, Vera
Portnov, Aleksey
Sinetova, Maria
Temraleeva, Anna

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-11-7

Original Publication

PhytoKeys

Volume

266

Pages

53--74

Subjects

Algae , fatty acid profile , integrative taxonomy , machine learning , Morphology , new species , Phylogeny , soil

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers [2010]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.266.158514

 

Abstract

<br> The genus<br> Klebsormidium<br> is a cosmopolitan filamentous alga that belongs to the phylum Charophyta and inhabits a wide range of environments, primarily freshwater, soil, and aerial habitats. Its basal position on the Streptophyta phylogenetic tree, widespread distribution and significant functional role make the genus<br> Klebsormidium<br> an important object for phycological research. To advance the molecular phylogeny of<br> Klebsormidium<br> , we conducted the first comparative evaluation of six species delimitation methods – ASAP (Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning), LocMin (Local Minima), KoT (K over Theta), GMYC (Generalized mixed Yule-coalescent), mlPTP (Poisson Tree Process with Maximum Likelihood), and bPTP (Poisson Tree Process with Bayesian inference) – using<br> rbc<br> L and concatenated ITS2–<br> rbc<br> L fragments. The accuracy of these methods was further validated against molecular, morphological, and ecological data. According to an integrative approach,<br> Klebsormidium mirabile<br> sp. nov.<br> was proposed as a new charophyte species from soil of the Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan. In addition, a study on the fatty acid composition showed that the authentic strain VKM Al-436 of this new species of<br> Klebsormidium<br> is a potential source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including linoleic, α-linolenic, and hexadecatrienoic acids.<br>