Seasonality and interannual stability in the population genetic structure of Batrachospermum gelatinosum (Rhodophyta)

Temporal population genetic studies have investigated evolutionary processes, but few have characterized reproductive system variation. Yet, temporal sampling may improve our understanding of reproductive system evolution through the assessment of the relative rates of selfing, outcrossing, and clonality. In this study, we focused on the monoicous, haploid-diploid freshwater red alga Batrachospermum gelatinosum. This species has a perennial, microscopic diploid phase (chantransia) that produces an ephemeral, macroscopic haploid phase (gametophyte). Recent work focusing on single-time point genotyping suggested high rates of intragametophytic selfing, although there was variation among sites. We expand on this work by genotyping 191 gametophytes sampled from four sites that had reproductive system variation based on single-snapshot genotyping. For this study, we sampled at multiple time points within and among years. Results from intra-annual data suggested shifts in gametophytic genotypes throughout the season. We hypothesize that this pattern is likely due to the seasonality of the life cycle and the timing of meiosis among the chantransia. Interannual patterns were characterized by consistent genotypic and genetic composition, indicating stability in the prevailing reproductive system through time. Yet, our study identified limits by which available theoretical predictions and analytical tools can resolve reproductive system variation using haploid data. There is a need to develop new analytical tools to understand the evolution of sex by expanding our ability to characterize the spatiotemporal variation in reproductive systems across diverse life cycles.