Invisible world of Marine Plants

INVISIBLE WORLD OF MARINE PLANTSFelix Bast,

DST-INSA-INSPIRE Assistant ProfessorCentre for Biosciences, Central University of Punjab, Mansa Road, Bathinda, 151001, Punjab

PicoplanktonsCyanobacteria

SynechococcusProchlorococcus

Cyanobacteria

Stromatolites: Fossilized cyanobacterial biofilm

Cyanobacteria

Deep Geological Time

BAST, F. 2015. A Brief History of Earth. Ocean Digest, 2 (1) p 7-8. ISSN: 23941928 PDF

Symbiotic N2 Fixers

Nostoc Anabaena

Cyanobacteria

Spirulina

Cyanobacteria

Dunaliella salinaGreen Microalgae

Chlorella vulgarisGreen Microalgae

Botryococcus brauniiGreen Microalgae

Ulvella leptochaete

BAST, F., BHUSHAN, S AND JOHN, A.A. 2014. DNA Barcoding of a new record of epi-endophytic green algae Ulvella leptochaete (Ulvellaceae, Chlorophyta) in India. Journal of Biosciences 39:711-716 (IF:1.8) PDF

Green Microalgae

Satej

Red Microalgae

Pooja, R. and Bast, F. (Unpubl) First record of Erythrocladia in India with description of new species, Erythrocladia indica Sp. Nov based on nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences

Pooja

Blood Rain

Satej

Trentepohlia annulata

BAST, F, BHUSHAN, S., JOHN A.A., ACHANKUNJU, J., PANIKKAR N.M.V., HEMETNER, C., AND STOCKER-WÖRGÖTTE, E. 2015 European Species of Subaerial Green Alga Trentepohlia annulata (Trentepohliales, Ulvophyceae) Caused Blood Rain in Kerala, India. J Phylogen Evolution Biol 3: 144. PDF

Green Microalgae

Satej

Mehra R, Yadav, DS, Kundu, P and Bast, F. 2015. First report of Zoanthus pulchellus from India. Journal of Marine Biosciences (accepted)

SymbiodiniumDinoflagellate

Bleached coral in Laccadives

Karenia brevis Red TideDinoflagellate

DiatomsDiatoms

DiatomsDiatoms

Seaweeds: Macroalgae

RGB

BAST, F 2014. Seaweeds: Ancestors of land plants with rich diversity. Resonance, 19(2) 1032-1043 ISSN: 0971-8044 PDF

Monostroma kuroshiense Bast

BAST, F., KUBOTA, S. AND OKUDA, K. 2015. Phylogeographic Assessment of Panmictic Monostroma Species from Kuroshio Coast, Japan Reveals Sympatric Speciation. Journal of Applied Phycology (IF:2.5) DOI 10.1007/s10811-014-0452-x PDF

Green Seaweeds

Floating raft in deep sea with deadweight mooring. Raft is floated all the time.

Semi-floating raft in shallow water. Raft is floated at high tides but gets exposed during low tides

Off bottom in shallow water. Nets get immersed in high tide and exposed in low tide

Bottom planting in shallow water. Immersed at all the times. Water levels at high-tide are shown above low tide in all illustrations

BAST, F 2014. An Illustrated Review on Cultivation and Life History of Agronomically Important Seaplants. In Seaweed: Mineral Composition, Nutritional and Antioxidant Benefits and Agricultural Uses, Eds Vitor Hugo Pomin, 39-70. Nova Publishers, New York ISBN: 978-1-63117-571-8

DST-INSA-INSPIRE Faculty Award

Phylogenetic Diversity of Seaweeds in Indian Subcontinent

DST-INSPIRE Award

2012-2017

35 Lakhs

Ulva paschima Bast

Ulva paschima Bast

BAST, F., JOHN, A.A. AND BHUSHAN, S. 2014. Strong endemism of bloom-forming tubular Ulva in Indian west coast, with description of Ulva paschima Sp. Nov. (Ulvales, Chlorophyta. PLoS ONE 9(10): e109295. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0109295 (IF:3.73) PDFSatej

Green Seaweeds

Cladophora goensis Bast

BAST, F., JOHN, A.A. AND BHUSHAN, S. 2015.Cladophora goensis- a bloom forming marine algae from Goa, India. Indian Journal of Marine Sciences (Accepted) (IF:0.57) PDF

Satej

Green Seaweeds

Invasive algae

Caulerpa scalpelliformis

Caulerpa racemosa

Caulerpa taxifolia

Richa

Green Seaweeds

Boergesenia forbesii

Acetabularia acetabulumRicha

Green Seaweeds

Bryopsis plumosa

Agarophytes

Gracilaria corticataGrateloupia ettikkulensis Sp. Nov.

Pushpen

du

Red Seaweeds

Carrageenophytes

BAST, F., BHUSHAN, S. AND JOHN, A.A. 2014. Morphological and molecular assessment of native carrageenophyte Hypnea valentiae (Cystocloniaceae, Gigartinales) in Indian Subcontinent Phykos 44(1) 52-58 ISSN: 0554-1182 PDF

Hypnea valentiae

Eucheuma spp.

Kappaphycus alvarezii

Satej

Red Seaweeds

Endemic seaweeds of Andaman Is.

Dichotomaria andamanensis Sp. Nov Galaxaura rugosaPooja

Red Seaweeds

Porphyra keralensis Sp. Nov.

Nori

Digvijay

Red Seaweeds

Sargassum ilicifoliumSatej

Brown Seaweeds

Turbinaria ornata

Padina spp.

Fucus disticusSatej

BAST, F., BHUSHAN, S. AND JOHN, A.A. 2015. Brown barcoded as red but reality is green! How epiphytic green algae confuse phycologists? Webbia- Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography (Tailor and Francis, UK) DOI: 10.1080/00837792.2015.1014217 PDF

Brown Seaweeds

Sea plam (Postelsia palmaeformis) Giant Kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera),

Brown Seaweeds

Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), Kombu (Saccharina japonica),

Brown Seaweeds

Medieval Japanese Haiku/ Waka

From the Shinkokinshû Love poems By Minamoto no Toshiyori (1055-1129)

In the bay of NaniwaSeaweed-coveredGemstone rocksAppear-just soDoes my love for her

BAST, F 2014. Seaweeds in Japanese Culture: An analysis of medieval Waka poetry. The Phycologist (UK) 86:24-27 ISSN:0965-5301 PDF

The Seaweed Paradox

Highest seaweed consuming countries: East Asia (Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, Philippines) Europe (Ireland, Ulster, Wales) Coastal areas of USA and Canada

Prevalence rate of following diseases are low in all these countries Breast cancer Colorectal cancer Coronary heart disease

Drugs from AlgaeS. No

Natural product Algal taxa possessing the product

1 Kahalalide-F Bryopsis2 Sulphated

polysaccharides : Fucoidan & Laminarin

Brown algae

3 Sulphated polysaccharides : Translam

Laminaria (Brown algae)

4 Sulphated polysaccharides : Ulvan

Green algae

5 Chondriamide A: A cyclic depsipeptide  

Chondria atropurpurea

6 Terpenes and Triterpenoids

Bifurcaria bifurcata, Caulerpa taxifolia, Cystoseira mediterrane, Cystophora usneoides

7 Bis (2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzyl) ether (BDDE) and other Bromophenols (BPs)

Various marine macroalgae

Drugs from Sea, MoES, 2015-17, 91 Lakhs

Freshwater algaeOur group is working on Molecular Systematics of

freshwater algae from Punjab

Rhizoclonium pachydremum

Volvox

Chlamydomonas

ScenedesmusK.C.

Chara virgata

Freshwater algae

Spirogyra

Green AlgaeBryophytes (moss)

Pteridophytes (fern)

Spermatophytes Angiosperms

Gymnosperms (pine)Magnolids (Betel, black pepper etc. )

Monocots (seagrass, cereals)

Asterids (Bacopa, Rauvolfia ,Evolvulus, Withania, Mentha, Ocimum, Avicennia, Acanthus, Aegiceras, potato, tomato etc.)

Eudicots

Embryophytes

Cryptogams

Phanerogams

Rosids (Ficus, Salvadora, Rhizophora, Excoecaria,Laguncularia, etc.)

Caryophyllales (Sueda, cactus etc)

Tracheophytes

540

440

319

249

90mya

Viridaeplantae

Mosses

Our group is working on phylogeography of

bryophytes in Indian subcontinent

Wahid

MangrovesOur group is working on

phylogeography of mangroves in Sunderbans

and Kerala

Mangroves from Sundarbans Mangroves from KeralaAlka

Medicinal PlantsOur group is working on phylogeography of Tulsi,

Sarpagandha, Shankapushpa, Betel, Mint & Aswagandha in Indian

subcontinent

BAST, F., RANI P, AND MEENA D, 2014 Chloroplast DNA Phylogeography of Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) in Indian Subcontinent, The Scientific World Journal (IF:1.731), vol. 2014, Article ID 847482, 6 pages, 2014. doi:10.1155/2014/847482 PDF

BrahmiBacopa monnieri

ShankupushpiEvolvulus alsinoides

Sarpagandha (Rauvolfia serpentina L)

Meenu NishaSupandee

p

Trees Our group is working on phylogeography of Ficus and Salvadora in Indian

subcontinent

Salvadora oleoidesFicus religiosaNavreet

GUIDING QUESTION:How are these all related?

Phylogenetics

Trace origin Trace dispersal routes Find cryptic speciation Detect endemism Calculate age (time

calibration)

BAST, F. 2015. Tutorial on Phylogenetic Inference Part-1. Resonance 20 (4) 360-367 PDFBAST, F. 2015. Tutorial on Phylogenetic Inference Part-2. Resonance 20 (5)

T O LIFEANGUAGESREE F

Curious Parallels

Related project: “Tracing evolutionary legacy of Indian languages using computational phylogenetics” –ICSSR GrantBAST, F. 2015 Phylogenetics: Tracing the Evolutionary Legacy of Organisms, Metastatic Clones, Bioactive Compounds and

Languages. J Phylogen Evolution Biol (Accepted) PDF

Nothing fascinates me more than the world of plants- endless forms

most beautiful and most wonderful.