Asri Pratitis1, Cecilia Pascelli1, Joe Zuccarello2, Scott Cummins1, Alex Campbell1, and Nick Paul1
1UniSC Seaweed Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
2Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
The use of Asparagopsis as a feed additive is currently limited because farming is still in a developmental phase. However, commercial production has significant potential if the life cycle can be closed and selective breeding can occur. Understanding variation in key traits (growth and bromoform concentration) amongst natural populations is the first step toward developing a breeding program. In addition, the relative contributions of genetic and environmental variation (i.e. GxE interactions) also need to be understood. This paper aims to identify new strains of fast-growing Asparagopsis taxiformis, assess relationships between genetic variation and growth, and evaluate any trade-offs between growth and bromoform production. The initial focus of this work is identifying which lineages of A. taxiformis are present on the Sunshine Coast, Australia, with early evidence that the population is dominated by Lineage 6. The natural history of Asparagopsis at this site will be quantified, with gametophytes first emerging in winter (July), with reproductive maturity from September with a peak in December, where cystocarps (containing the carposporophyte) are prominent on females on the shallow rocky reef. Individual carposporophytes will be isolated from female gametophytes and the carpospores collected and germinated into sporophyte cultures. These sporophytes will be assessed using molecular barcoding, and evaluated for growth and bromoform concentration. The relationship between bromoform concentration in the source female gametophytes (typically 5-10 mg/g) and the resulting sporophytes in culture will be presented. Together these works provide the foundation to evaluate the best strains for future culture development.