Non-geniculate Coralline Algae Research Articles

THE DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF DEEPWATER MACROALGAE IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

Deepwater macroalgal assemblages (DWAAS) were sampled from 30m to their lower depth limits at 4 locations in central California using enriched air Nitrox and the ROV Ventana. The lowest observed depth limits were 78 m for nongeniculate (encrusting) coralline algae, 58 m for non‐calcified red algae (i.e. Maripelta rotata), 40 m for foliose brown algae (i.e. Desmarestia tabacoides), and 37 m for kelps (i.e. Pleurophycus gardneri). Green algae, such as Derbesia marina and an undescribed deep water species of Codium, were observed at 30m, while large patches of an unknown green or blue‐green algal film of coccoid cells were found from 45 to 48 m. DWAAS zonation was generally similar to that in southern California, with subtle differences in the zonation of foliose red algae and the occurrence of an unknown Chlorophyta or Cyanophyta from 45–49m. Twenty four species of algae (13 Rhodophyta, 11 Phaeophyta) were sampled during the percent cover analysis at 30 m. Nongeniculate corallines varied from 53% to 91% cover depending on location, while geniculate corallines (i.e. Bossiella schmittii) averaged ca. 25% cover. Pleurophycus gardneri, a stipitate kelp previously described as “rare” in central California, was the most abundant brown alga, averaging from 2.68 to 4.8 individuals m−2. Algal abundance (percent cover and density), zonation, and light levels at the lower algal depth limits were similar between sites and locations, suggesting that the environment of deep water algal populations in this region is less variable than that of the shallow water kelp forest communities above them.

Lithothamnion superpositum Foslie: a common crustose red alga (Corallinaceae) in South Africa

A species of non-geniculate coralline alga that is common in the subtidal zone of South Africa (SA) was studied from collections made around the SA coast. It was compared with the holotype of Lithothamnion superpositum, to which it was found to conform. SA material and the type were also compared with published descriptions and illustrations of Lithothamnion indicum from Australia. These taxa are conspecific, so L. indicum is a heterotypic synonym of L. superpositum, which epithet has historical priority. Specimens from Madeira were also found to conform to this species.

Non-Geniculate Coralline Algae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) on Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef (Australia)

This is the first modern, comprehensive account of non-geniculate coralline algae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) occurring on the Great Barrier Reef (Heron Reef). Species were identified in a modern context, using reproductive and vegetative anatomy as diagnostic features. In a collection of 300 specimens, 11 different species were identified. Eight of the species were found exclusively on calcareous substrata, one was exclusively epiphytic, while the remaining two were both epiphytic and found growing on calcareous substrata. Although none of the species are new to science, one is newly recorded for Australia (Hydrolithon reinboldii) and 5 are newly recorded for the Great Barrier Reef region (Spongites fruticulosus, Lithophyllum frondosum, L. pustulatum, Mastophora pacifica and Mesophyllum erubescens). Collections made by A. B. Cribb in the 1960s on Heron Reef were also studied, once again using reproductive and vegetative anatomy as diagnostic features. Illustrations of each species and a tabular key are provided to facilitate non-geniculate coralline algal identification on Heron Reef. Information on their distribution and growth-forms are provided along with references to more detailed morphological accounts and published illustrations. The reported species are compared to findings from other tropical reef systems.

Diversity of coralline red algae: origination and extinction patterns from the Early Cretaceous to the Pleistocene

Data from a comprehensive literature survey for the first time provide stage-level resolution of Early Cretaceous through Pleistocene species diversity for nongeniculate coralline algae. Distributions of a total of 655 species in 23 genera were compiled from 222 publications. These represent three family-subfamily groupings each with distinctive present-day distributions: (1) Sporolithaceae, low latitude, mainly deep water; (2) Melobesioid corallinaceans, high latitude, shallow water, to low latitude, deep water; (3) Lithophylloid/mastophoroid corallinaceans, mid- to low latitude, shallow water.Raw data show overall Early Cretaceous-early Miocene increase to 245 species in the Aquitanian, followed by collapse to only 43 species in the late Pliocene. Rarefaction analysis confirms the pattern of increase but suggests that scarcity of publications exaggerates Neogene decline, which was actually relatively slight.Throughout the history of coralline species, species richness broadly correlates with published global paleotemperatures based on benthic foraminifer δ18O values. The warm-water Sporolithaceae were most species-abundant during the Cretaceous, but they declined and were rapidly overtaken by the Corallinaceae as Cenozoic temperatures declined.Trends within the Corallinaceae during the Cenozoic appear to reflect environmental change and disturbance. Cool- and deep-water melobesioids rapidly expanded during the latest Cretaceous and Paleocene. Warmer-water lithophylloid/mastophoroid species increased slowly during the same period but more quickly in the early Oligocene, possibly reflecting habitat partitioning as climatic belts differentiated and scleractinian reef development expanded near the Eocene/Oligocene boundary. Melobesioids abruptly declined in the late Pliocene-Pleistocene, while lithophylloid/mastophoroids increased again. Possibly, onset of glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere (~2.4 Ma) sustained or accentuated latitudinal differentiation and global climatic deterioration, disrupting high-latitude melobesioid habitats. Simultaneously, this could have caused moderate environmental disturbance in mid- to low-latitude ecosystems, promoting diversification of lithophylloids/mastophoroids through the “fission effect.”Extinction events that eliminated >20% of coralline species were most severe (58–67% of species) during the Late Cretaceous and late Miocene-Pliocene. Each extinction was followed by substantial episodes of origination, particularly in the Danian and Pleistocene.

Inhibition of settlement and metamorphosis of the ascidian Herdmania curvata by non-geniculate coralline algae

The surfaces of non-geniculate coralline algae (NCA) are known to induce the settlement and metamorphosis of disparate marine taxa. In this study we investigate the responsiveness of larvae of Herdmania curvata (Ascidiacea: Stolidobranchia) to three species of NCA (Neogoniolithon brassica-florida, Hydrolithon onkodes, and Lithothamnium prolifer) that cohabit the slope and crest of Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef. H. curvata larvae were first exposed to these NCA at or within 2 h of hatching, which is 1 to 2 h prior to attaining competence, and then cultured continuously with the NCA for 12 to 14 h. Rates of settlement and metamorphosis of H. curvata cultured in laboratory chambers in the presence of the different NCA were significantly lower than spontaneous rates in seawater. The limited settlement in treatments containing NCA were confined entirely to the chamber periphery, and settlement never occurred on the surface of the NCA. The inhibitory effect was dose-dependent and was stronger in N. brassica-florida and H. onkodes than in L. prolifer. Larvae that did not settle in treatments with NCA had rounded anterior trunks and, in extreme cases, kinked tails with rounded and dissociated tail muscle cells. In some individuals, we observed the anterior chemosensory papillae being sloughed off the larval body. Morphological analysis of trunk ectodermal and mesenchymal nuclei of larvae cultured in the presence of the NCA revealed that general necrotic cell death was occurring. Importantly, H. curvata larvae that were exposed to NCA could not subsequently be induced to metamorphose in KCl-elevated seawater, whereas larvae not exposed to NCA metamorphosed at high rates in KCl-elevated seawater.

The Relationship between Water Motion and Living Rhodolith Beds in the Southwestern Gulf of California, Mexico

Free living, nodular aggregates of non-geniculate coralline algae (rhodoliths) have occurred since the Cenozoic in diverse marine environments around the world. Fossil rhodolith morphology and distribution have been widely used as paleoecological indicators, particularly of water motion. However, few studies have verified these relationships in living beds. The relationship between water motion and rhodolith movement was examined in three subtidal rhodolith beds off the southwestern coast of the Gulf of California, one dominated by wave action and two dominated by tidal currents. Field experiments and simultaneous video and current measurements taken during winter 1996 showed that rhodoliths in the shallow margins (4.5 m depths) of wavedominated beds moved frequently due to threshold-level velocities from wind-propagated waves. Rhodoliths did not move in the middle and at deep margins of the bed due to attenuation of wave energy. Historical wind records and waveforcasting analysis indicate that shallow rhodolith movement is frequent only in the winter. In deep tidally dominated beds, maximum yearly tidal currents were not sufficient to move rhodoliths. Video and SCUBA surveys showed that bioturbation is an important mechanism for rhodolith movement in all beds. Rhodoliths in 12-m-deep tidally dominated beds and in the deep margins of wave-dominated beds appear to move only occasionally due to bioturbation and severe storms. Results imply that rhodolith morphology and distribution are dependent on a combination of factors. These factors, especially bioturbation, should be considered when using rhodoliths as paleoecological indicators.

Annotated and illustrated survey of the marine macroalgae from Motupore Island and vicinity (Port Moresby area, Papua New Guinea). III. Rhodophyta

The marine benthic red algae of Motupore Island and vicinity (Port Moresby area, Papua New Guinea [PNG]) are documented and 36 of the 161 species are illustrated. All records are listed with bibliographic, biogeographic, taxonomic and nomenclatural comments. Apart from several undescribed taxa, which we are in the process of describing separately, none is endemic to the island at this stage. The discovery of the east Australian species Gracilaria rhodymenioides represents a substantial range extension as does Ceramium lentiforme from New South Wales. One species of Gibsmithia also represents a significant range extension from its Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and southern Great Barrier Reef distributions. Platoma ardreanum is reported from outside its Hawaiian distribution for the first time, and the Caribbean Renouxia antillana represents a major range extension for the Pacific. Forty-four species appear to be newly recorded for the PNG marine flora and 108 are new records for the Island itself. Because all collections were taken during the month of July, many seasonal entities may be missing from this list and the total marine flora is not yet known. Moreover, because previous records are quite detailed with respect to epiphytic and turf algae, we have not concentrated on these species. The non-geniculate coralline algae have only been collected sporadically as part of this survey.

Effects of long-term kelp canopy exclusion on the abundance of the annual alga Desmarestia ligulata (Light F)

Experiments in a central California Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C.A. Agardh forest examined the effects of long-term (six year) kelp canopy exclusion on the abundance of the annual brown alga Desmarestia ligulata (Light F). Exclusion of both surface and subsurface kelp canopies from replicate clearings within Stillwater Cove, CA, USA showed that D. ligulata sporophyte recruitment is opportunistic, with more sporophytes occurring in areas where canopies were excluded than under control canopies. Kelp canopy exclusion also increased spring and summer bottom irradiances, and resulted in a steady increase of perennial turf algae over the six-year study. This, in turn, led to a decrease in the availability of nongeniculate coralline algae (the primary substratum on which D. ligulata recruits). Subsequently, the annual maximum abundance of D. ligulata sporophytes decreased in the canopy clearings, but did not change under control canopies. Removal of turf algae from experimental plots further increased bottom irradiances and significantly enhanced D. ligulata recruitment. When released from apparent competition for light and space, D. ligulata sporophytes exhibited an annual life history, with recruitment occurring during a two-week period (April 4–April 17) in the spring, and maximum bottom cover occurring in the summer (July). The onset of Desmarestia sporophyte recruitment was closely associated with seasonal increases in daylength and rapid decreases in ocean temperature. These results indicate that the Desmarestia sporophyte life history is both annual and opportunistic, with the onset of recruitment stimulated by predictable, seasonal changes in environmental conditions, and the magnitude of recruitment modified by stochastic processes that affect the availability of light and space. Comparison of these results with those from similar studies indicate that they are robust and suggest that they may be generalized over broad temporal and spatial scales.

Biostratigraphic, paleobiogeographic and paleoecological implications in the taxonomic review of Corallinaceae

Some fossil species of nongeniculate coralline algae are synonyms of living species. These synonimies allow us to use stratigraphic distributions ofPhymatolithon calcareum (Pallas) Adey and McKibbin 1970 (Oligocene — Recent) and of the Mediterranean endemicsLithophyllum racemus (Lamarck) Foslie 1901 (Aquitanian — Recent) andLithothamnion valens Foslie 1909 (Priabonian — Recent) to clarify their paleobiogeography. It also illuminates the bionomy and paleoenvironments of benthic Mediterranean bottoms dominated by unattached corallines. The changes in species and morphologies in the coating sequence of rhodoliths, from nucleus to periphery, document sequential environmental changes.

Predation by polychaete worms on larval and post-settlement abalone Haliotis iris (Mollusca:Gastropoda)

Predation on post-settlement abalone ( Haliotis iris) by polychaete worms inhabiting the crusts of non-geniculate coralline algae was examined experimentally. In the subtidal habitat of H. iris, the warty Mesophyllum printzianum supported dense assemblages (> 0.5 cm −1) of the cirratulid Dodecaceria berkeleyi and the spionid Boccardia chilensis, but few polychaetes were found in the encrusting Spongites yendoi. Survival rates for inocula of hatchery-reared larvae of H. iris ( n = 10) on experimental substrata ( M. printzianum) were 29.0 + 9.2% with D. berkeleyi, and 52.4 + 10% with B. chilensis after a 24 h trial. There was no significant density effect (1–4 individuals per 10 cm 2 vs. 6–10 individuals per 10 cm 2) for either species of polychaete. The results indicate that refugia from water currents and piscivorous predators offered by coralline surfaces are offset by the biological hazards associated with resident infaunal predators. This interaction will determine levels of recruitment of abalone and other benthic invertebrates to coralline surfaces.

Contribution of diatoms as food sources for post-larval abalone Haliotis discus hannai on a crustose coralline alga

Survival and growth rates of post-larval abalone Haliotis discus hannai reared on a crustose (non-geniculate) coralline alga (CCA) Lithophyllum yessoense with diatoms (CCA + diatoms) and without diatoms (CCA − diatoms) were compared in the laboratory in order to determine the contribution of diatoms on CCA as food sources for post-larvae and the dietary value of CCA themselves. Experiments were performed for 5 weeks with two groups of different developmental stage, newly metamorphosed stage (younger postlarvae) and over 1 mm stage (older post-larvae). Both stages of post-larvae reared on CCA + diatoms grew well (53.4 ± 2.4 μm/day; mean ± SE and 85.0 ± 4.0 μm/day; mean ± SE, respectively). Younger post-larvae grew to over 2 mm in 5 weeks, and older ones reached over 4 mm in 5 weeks. There was no difference in shell length of younger post-larvae reared on CCA + diatom and CCA − diatom at the week 1. However, the mean growth rate of abalone on CCA − diatoms from the second to fifth week (24.4 ± 1.9 μm/day; mean ± SE) was significantly lower than that of individuals on CCA + diatoms and the younger post-larvae on CCA − diatoms reached only 1 mm shell length in 5 weeks. The older post-larvae also did not grow well (27.8 ± 3.3 μm/day; mean± SE) on CCA − diatoms and did not reach 3 mm by the end of the experiment. On CCA + diatoms, 74.6 ± 2.0 % (mean ± SE) of the younger post-larvae survived for the 5 weeks experiment. In contrast, the survival rate of the younger post-larvae reared on CCA − diatoms decreased rapidly until the second week, and 25.0 ± 12.6% (mean ± SE) of the individuals survived by the fifth week. The results of this study indicate that diatoms are essential for the rapid growth of post-larval abalone on the CCA. It is considered that the CCA L. yessoense itself is not principal food source for post-larval H. discus hannai from approximately 500 11m to at least 3 mm shell length.

Lithothamnion prolifer Foslie: A Common Non-geniculate Coralline Alga (Rhodophyta: Corallinaceae) from the Tropical and Subtropical Indo-Pacific

Article Lithothamnion prolifer Foslie: A Common Non-geniculate Coralline Alga (Rhodophyta: Corallinaceae) from the Tropical and Subtropical Indo-Pacific was published on January 1, 1996 in the journal Botanica Marina (volume 39, issue 1-6).

Environmental factors influencing distribution and morphology of rhodoliths in Bahía Concepción, B.C.S., México

Aerial and SCUBA diving observations revealed numerous, dense concentrations of free living, branched, nongeniculate coralline algae (rhodoliths) at depths of 3–12 m in Bahía Concepción, B.C.S., México. Plants were up to 10 cm in size, and commonly occurred at high densities forming a near continuous layer overlying a mixture of calcareous fragments and sediment. In contrast to other geographic regions, rhodolith shape remained spherical along depth-related gradients of water motion and sedimentation. Branch density and size, however, generally decreased with increasing depth. Surveys, as well as transplant and movement experiments, suggested that broad scale (east vs. west shore) and depth distribution of rhodolith beds within the bay are controlled by water motion and sedimentation. Additional experimental and taxonomic studies are needed to understand the smaller scale distribution patterns, and among and within bed variation in plant size and branch density. Such studies will allow a more rigorous interpretation of paleoenvironments based on the morphology of fossil rhodoliths.

Morphology and distribution of nongeniculate coralline algae (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta) on the leaves of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (Cymodoceaceae)

Four species of nongeniculate coralline algae (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta) were identified on leaves of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson: three Fosliella states of Hydrolithon Foslie ...

Heydrichia woelkerlingii gen. et sp. nov., a newly discovered non-geniculate red alga (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from Cape Province, South Africa

Heydrichia woelkerlingii gen. et sp. nov., a new non-geniculate coralline alga from South Africa, has some affinity with Sporolithon. Heydrichia and Sporolithon have many vegetative characters in common, but Heydrichia differs in its reproductive characters: cruciately divided tetrasporangia subtended by one or more stalk cells, and housed in sporangial complexes which are themselves within sori; dendroid spermatangial branches restricted to the floor of the gametangial conceptacles; carpogonial branches consisting of a single carpogonium on a support cell; lack of a fusion cell and carposporangia are formed across the floor of the cystocarp. The new taxon shows tetrasporangial and post-fertilization characters not described previously in the Corallinales. In order to accommodate both Heydrichia and Sporolithon within the Corallinales, we propose an emendation of the order to include all genera of red algae with calcite walls and sporangial sori. Heydrichia is an ecologically important member of the algal flora of Cape Province, South Africa, and is endophytized by many organisms including a marine ascomycete.

Modified staining techniques for the study of Nongeniculate coralline red algae (Rhodophyta)

Different staining techniques of histological slides were tested and modified in order to improve and facilitate the observation of vegetative and reproductive structures that are taxonomically important for genus and species determinations of nongeniculate coralline algae (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta). Four groups of staining techniques were differentiated from the results: a) dyes with a low affinity for the thallus: mercuric bromophenol blue, toluidine blue “O” and naphthol blue black; b) dyes with a greater affinity for the thallus: ruthenium red and red “O” oil; c) combined dyes which allowed a better staining of the thallus: naphthol blue black combined with PAS test (Periodic Acid Schiffs reagent) and toluidine blue “O” combined with sodium tetraborate; d) the dyes that gave the best staining results were: Harris’ hematoxylin, Mallory’s phosphotungstic hematoxylin, potassium permanganate (KMnO4). PAS test and safranine-fast green.

STUDY OF LIVING CALCAREOUS ALGAE BY A PALEONTOLOGICAL APPROACH: THE NON-GENICULATE CORALLINACEAE (RHODOPHYTA) OF THE SOFT BOTTOMS OF THE TYRRHENIAN SEA (WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN). THE GENERA PHYMATOLITHON FOSLIE AND MESOPHYLLUM LEMOINE

Living non-geniculate coralline algae were collected from 47 stations in the northern and central Tyrrhenian Sea (Tuscan Archipelago and Pontian Islands). Longitudinal sections of branches of Phymatolithon calcareum (Pallas) Adey & McKibbin show regular zonation, due to yearly cycles of growth. The alternating bands are generally thicker at shallower depth. A new morphology of Mesophyllum lichenoides (Ellis) Lemoine resulting from the adaptation to soft bottoms is described. The diagnostic elements of the vegetative thallus and the conceptacles of P. calcareum and M. lichenoides are described by biometry and Scanning Electron Microscope or Optical Microscope images. The geographic and bathymetric distribution of the two species is also given.

Cell sloughing in the littoral zone coralline alga, Spongites yendoi (Foslie) Chamberlain (Corallinales, Rhodophyta)

Spongites yendoi (Foslie) Chamberlain is an abundant non-geniculate coralline alga in the lower eulittoral zone along the south and west coast of South Africa, where it is associated primarily with...

Deep-water rhodolith distribution, productivity, and growth history at sites of formation and subsequent degradation

This study provides the first quantitative measures of deep-water (i.e., below scuba depths) rhodolith development, distribution, abundance, and primary productivity at sites of both active formation and breakdown. The 1.27-km 2 upper platform surface of San Salvador Seamount, Bahamas, ranges in depth from 67 to 91 m and averages 95.8% cover of rhodoliths that contribute an estimated 391 t organic C·yr −1 to deep-sea productivity. The predominant nongeniculate coralline alga of the slope environment has an extremely narrow PI curve (photosynthesis vs. irradiance) of net primary production (0.005) to slightly beyond 0.24 μmol·m −2· −1 PAR) suggesting that some deep-water benthic algae may be acclimated to restricted light ranges. Platform areas contain up to fice-deep accumulations (≈45 cm thick) of rhodoliths with their visible, planar (2-D), crustose algal cover (68.5%) composed of 41% Lithophyllum sp., 14.9% average nongeniculate corallines, and 12.6% Peyssonnelia sp. Platform rhodoliths also contain ≈25% average planar cover of the foraminiferan Gypsina sp. overlying the rock-penetrating chlorophyte Ostreobium sp. On the steep slopes of the seamount, to a depth of 290 m, rhodoliths that have spilled down from the relatively flat platform average 17.4% cover. These nodules tend to be concentrated in fan-shaped deposits that are most prevalent (33.3% cover) on the west side (leeward) of the mount where they are more abundant near the top of the slope than on the other three sides. Cover of living crustose algae on the deeper slope rhodoliths averages only 22.8% and is made up of 14.8% unidentified nongeniculate corallines, 6% Lithophyllum sp., and 2% Peyssonnelia. Gypsina sp. is not an important component of the slope nodules. Biotic overstory on the seamout slopes is greatly reduced relative to the platform, restricted mainly to bedrock, and consists mostly of Halimeda, gorgonians, and sponges along with scattered patches of small frondose algae. Over platform depths from 67 to 91 m, rhodoliths are fairly uniform in composition and abundance. Ranging from 4 to 15 cm in diameter, with an average of ≈ 9 cm, they are roughly spherical with smooth living surfaces. The rhodoliths spilling down the steep slopes of the seamount to depths below 200 m are characteristically smaller (mean of ≈5 cm diameter), much rougher, and pittend by boring organisms. As shown by cross sections through the centers of the platform nodules, outer, relatively thin (1–3 cm thick), well-preserved envelopes overlie dead laminated crustose layerse. These layers surround much thicker cores of biotically altered carbonate (mostly coralline, foraminiferan, and coral) that have been extensively reworked by boring sponges, algae, polychaetes, and pelecypods. Borings have been infilled with carbonate detritus and are lithified to various degrees ranging from porous to dense and stony. Radiocarbon dates indicate that the outermost unaltered envelopes that underlie actively growing crusts are 112–880 yr old ( x = 429 ybp ), while the innermost unaltered layers average 731 ybp (range = 200–1100 ybp). The consistently abrupt transitions from the intact underlying layers of living.