Progress on compiling a DNA barcode inventory of the genus Ulva Linnaeus in the Mediterranean Sea

The genus Ulva Linnaeus is well known for its global distribution and for containing many controversial and taxonomically debated species. Several taxa show a rapid prolific growth and have the ability to tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, including those characterizing marine, brackish and freshwater environments. Furthermore, Ulva species are known for their morphological plasticity and cryptic nature that overrepresents and underrepresents their biodiversity, respectively, and makes their morphological identification indefensible, so that many synonyms have been generated over time. An accurate biodiversity assessment is essential for monitoring biological introductions, and also critical for providing a baseline to detect evidence for short- and long-term trends in biodiversity and human induced environmental changes. Research conducted by The University of Alabama, the University of Messina and the Institute of Marine Science (CNR-ISMAR) of Venice, allows us to progress on compiling a DNA barcode inventory of most critical Ulva taxa. Using the plastid marker tufA, we present molecular data for Ulvaceaen samples adding information to the list of Ulva species of the Mediterranean basin.