High-throughput sequencing for algal systematics

Abstract

In recent years, the use of molecular data in algal systematics has increased as high-throughput sequencing (HTS) has become more accessible, generating very large datasets at a reasonable cost. In this perspectives paper, our goal is to describe how HTS technologies can advance algal systematics. Following an introduction to some common HTS technologies, we discuss how metabarcoding can accelerate algal species discovery. We show how various HTS methods can be applied to generate datasets for accurate species delimitation, and how HTS can be applied to historical type specimens to assist the nomenclature process. Finally, we discuss how HTS data such as organellar genomes and transcriptomes..