Abstract
N.F. Morcom, W.J. Woelkerling and S.A. Ward. 2005. Epiphytic nongeniculate corallines found on Laurencia filiformis f. heteroclada (Rhodomelaceae, Ceramiales). Phycologia 44: 202–211.Three epiphytic nongeniculate corallines: Pneophyllum fragile, Melobesia membranacea and Melobesia rosanoffii (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) were found on the red alga Laurencia filiformis f. hetroclada. This coralline community was directly affected by substratum variability and indirectly affected by abiotic factors. High temperatures, coinciding with longer days and daytime low tides, adversely affected fronds of Laurencia filiformis, this resulted in bleaching, burn-off, and loss of fronds. Growth of new fronds followed frond loss. Although epiphytic corallines were lost with the substratum, the same species again colonised new L. filiformis fronds. Percentage cover of epiphytic corallines was highest in summer and lowest from midautumn through winter. Species of Melobesia dominated cover of L. filiformis. The availability of new fronds may allow Melobesia spp. to dominate cover as the growth of new fronds results in vacant space (substratum). This may permit the coexistence of the two genera (Melobesia and Pneophyllum). Epiphytic corallines compete for space by overgrowing one another. Competition between Melobesia spp. and Pneophyllum fragile was hierarchical and no competitive reversals were observed. Pneophyllum fragile was competitively dominant and consistently overgrew Melobesia spp., however, Melobesia spp. never overgrew P. fragile. Melobesia spp., despite being overgrown by P. fragile, were not competitively excluded from this system.
Published Version
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