Alaria esculenta beds growing in the low intertidal of Godthåbsfjorden in Greenland. Photo credit: Dr. Peter Bondo Christensen.

The Alaria esculenta A1 genome sequence and gene models were not determined by the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), but were downloaded from Figshare on Nov 4, 2022. In order to ensure this genome is comparable to those sequenced by the JGI, we applied filters to remove if present: 1) transposable elements, 2) pseudogenes, 3) alternative transcripts and overlapping models, 4) alleles on secondary scaffolds and 5) unsupported short models. This resulted in the removal of 11,890 models from A. esculenta and the generation of the FilteredModels1 (GeneCatalog) gene track. All published models are available in the ExternalModels track. Please note that this copy of the genome is not maintained by Figshare and is therefore not automatically updated. In order to allow comparative analyses with other algal genomes sequenced by the JGI, a copy of this genome is incorporated into PhycoCosm. The JGI Annotation Pipeline was used to add functional annotation to this genome.

Alaria esculenta

Alaria esculenta is an Atlantic species, descendent from Pacific congeners within the past ~5 Ma (coinciding with the opening of the Bering Strait). Recent genomic work has identified Arctic specimens, previously considered A. esculenta, as a distinct species, making Alaria esculenta a true temperate species. Because of its dynamic history of large scale colonizations, divergence/speciation, and hybridizations, Alaria is a model genus for testing evolutionary hypotheses related to species boundaries. Alaria esculenta grows on exposed shorelines at the low tide mark, as far north as southern Greenland and the northern reaches of Norway, with its southern distribution in the Bay of Fundy (Canada) and New England States. Alaria esculenta is cultivated for food and fodder purposes, making this an important aquaculture species in the North Atlantic. (Description courtesy of Trevor Bringloe)