Transplant experiments with two morphological growth forms of Lobophora variegata (Phaeophyceae)

Abstract

At Curacao (Netherlands Antilles), 2 spatially separated populations of the brown alga Lobophora variegata (Lamouroux) Womersley occur. Deep-water populations consist of golden-brown, erect blades, ca 86 km thick, attached to the substratum only by their crustose basal parts. Intertidal populations consist of dark-brown crusts composed of compact blades, ca 136 pm thick, which strongly adhere to the substratum. The persistence of both growth forms was tested in experiments, in which intertidal and deep-water plants were transplanted to depths of 1 m, 12 m and 30 m for 3 or 6.5mo. Although differences between growth forms decreased after transplantation, significant Mferences persisted, suggesting the existence of 2 distinct populations, kept separated