Hildenbrandia rubra | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
(unranked): | Archaeplastida |
Division: | Rhodophyta |
Class: | Florideophyceae |
Order: | Hildenbrandiales |
Family: | Hildenbrandiaceae |
Genus: | Hildenbrandia |
Species: | H. rubra |
Binomial name | |
Hildenbrandia rubra | |
Hildenbrandia rubra is a marine species of thalloid red alga. It forms thin reddish crusts on rocks and pebbles in the intertidal zone and the shallow subtidal zone. It is a common species with a cosmopolitan distribution, and is able to tolerate a wide range of conditions.
This alga forms patches or larger sheets of thallus less than 0.5 mm (0.02 in) thick tightly attached to the substrate. The thallus is formed from a single layer of undifferentiated cells some 3 to 6 μm in diameter, arranged in rows. The surface is smooth and flat apart from slight mounds indicating the presence of conceptacles (specialized cavities containing the reproductive organs). The colour is pinkish-red or reddish-brown. [2] [3]
Hildenbrandia rubra has a cosmopolitan distribution. Its range includes the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, from Spitsbergen to the Mediterranean Sea and most of the western coasts of Africa, and the northwestern Atlantic from Maine to the Caribbean Sea, and the coasts of Brazil and Uruguay. It is also present in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is abundant and occurs in the littoral zone and the shallow subtidal zone, on rocks and pebbles, on shell debris, under seaweeds, in crevices and in caves. [3]
Like other algae, Hildenbrandia rubra is an autotroph, using photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide and water into the organic compounds needed for maintenance and growth. [3] Reproduction occurs when tetraspores that are formed in the conceptacles, mature and are released; the conceptacles grow larger each time this process occurs. [4] Although many limpets are generalist grazers on microflora and detritus on rock surfaces, or on larger seaweeds, the giant limpet Cymbula sanguinans has a particular affinity for and dependence on Hildenbrandia rubra. [5]
Hildenbrandia rubra is a very tolerant species, able to grow in a wide variety of salinities, temperatures and light conditions. [3] In an experiment it was exposed successively to freezing, desiccation, low salinity and high temperature, but the rate of photosynthesis showed no long term variation; in fact it was the most tolerant species of algae of any of those tested. [6]
Hormosira is a genus of seaweed in the family Hormosiraceae. It is monotypic, with a single species, Hormosira banksii, also known as Neptune's necklace, Neptune's pearls, sea grapes, or bubbleweed it is native to Australia and New Zealand.
Ascophyllum nodosum is a large, common cold water seaweed or brown alga (Phaeophyceae) in the family Fucaceae. Its common names include knotted wrack, egg wrack, feamainn bhuí, rockweed, knotted kelp and Norwegian kelp. It grows only in the northern Atlantic Ocean, along the north-western coast of Europe including east Greenland and the north-eastern coast of North America. Its range further south of these latitudes is limited by warmer ocean waters. It dominates the intertidal zone. Ascophyllum nodosum has been used numerous times in scientific research and has even been found to benefit humans through consumption.
Porphyra is a genus of coldwater seaweeds that grow in cold, shallow seawater. More specifically, it belongs to red algae phylum of laver species, comprising approximately 70 species. It grows in the intertidal zone, typically between the upper intertidal zone and the splash zone in cold waters of temperate oceans. In East Asia, it is used to produce the sea vegetable products nori and gim. There are considered to be 60–70 species of Porphyra worldwide and seven around Britain and Ireland, where it has been traditionally used to produce edible sea vegetables on the Irish Sea coast. The species Porphyra purpurea has one of the largest plastid genomes known, with 251 genes.
Mastocarpus stellatus, commonly known as carrageenan moss or false Irish moss, is a species in the Rhodophyceae division, a red algae seaweed division, and the Phyllophoracea family. M. stellatus is closely related to Irish Moss. It grows in the intertidal zone. It is most collected in North Atlantic regions such as Ireland and Scotland, together with Irish moss, dried, and sold for cooking and as the basis for a drink reputed to ward off colds and flu. Marine biologists have completed studies on the medicinal reputation of M. stellatus to discover the full potential of its pharmaceutical benefits. Additionally, marine biologists have conducted research on its potential to serve as an alternative to plastic. The application of M. stellatus in these different industries is correlated with the seaweed's adaptations which developed in response to the environmental stressors present around its location on the rocky intertidal.
Ascoseira is a monotypic genus of seaweed in the brown algae. The single and type species, Ascoseira mirabilis Skottsberg, is a large parenchymatous macroalgae, and is endemic to the Antarctic Ocean. Ascoseira is assigned to its own order. The alga grows in subtidal waters at depths of from 3 to 15 meters.
Corallina officinalis is a calcareous red seaweed which grows in the lower and mid-littoral zones on rocky shores.
Polysiphonia is a genus of filamentous red algae with about 19 species on the coasts of the British Isles and about 200 species worldwide, including Crete in Greece, Antarctica and Greenland. Its members are known by a number of common names. It is in the order Ceramiales and family Rhodomelaceae.
Conceptacles are specialized cavities of marine and freshwater algae that contain the reproductive organs. They are situated in the receptacle and open by a small ostiole. Conceptacles are present in Corallinaceae, and Hildenbrandiales, as well as the brown Fucales. In the Fucales there is no haploid phase in the reproductive cycle and therefore no alternation of generations. The thallus is a sporophyte. The diploid plants produce male (antheridia) and female (oogonia) gametangia by meiosis. The gametes are released into the surrounding water; after fusion, the zygote settles and begins growth.
Hildenbrandia is a genus of thalloid red alga comprising about 26 species. The slow-growing, non-mineralized thalli take a crustose form. Hildenbrandia reproduces by means of conceptacles and produces tetraspores.
Apophlaea is a genus of thalloid algae that is endemic to New Zealand. Species in the genus are found in the high intertidal zone on New Zealand's coasts. Specimens can reach around 15 cm in size. The thalli take a crustose form, but also contain upright, branching frond-like protrusions that reach 5–8 cm in height. Secondary pit connections and secondary pit connectionsare present in the organisms. Apophlaea reproduces by means of conceptacles; it produces tetraspores.
Amphiroa is a genus of thalloid red algae under the family Corallinaceae.
Spongites yendoi is a species of crustose red seaweed with a hard, calcareous skeleton in the family Corallinaceae. It is found on the lower shore as part of a diverse community in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
Melobesia membranacea is a small marine alga encrusting on the surface of other algae. In the division of the Rhodophyta.
Saccharina dentigera is a species of brown algae, in the family Laminariaceae. It is native to shallow water in the northeastern Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California.
Sporolithon ptychoides is a species of crustose red seaweed with a hard, calcareous skeleton in the family Corallinaceae. It has a widespread distribution, being present in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Mediterranean Sea and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.
Lithophyllum incrustans, also known by its common names coraline crust and paint weed, is a small pinkish species of seaweed.
Phymatolithon lenormandii is a common red alga.
Lithothamnion glaciale is the botanical name for a species of multicellular red algae of the genus Lithothamnion, subfamily Melobesioideae.
Crustaphytum is a genus of red alga first discovered in Taoyuan algal reefs by Taiwanese scientists. The epithet “crusta” refers to crustose thallus and “phytum” refers to plant. Belonging to the family Hapalidiaceae in the order Hapalidiales, Crustaphytum is one kind of crustose coralline algae.
Hildenbrandia rivularis is a species of freshwater red algae. It forms red, crusty thalli on stones submerged in water, typically in streams and rivers, less commonly in lakes and brackish parts of seas. It occurs in scattered locations on almost all continents. The species was formerly considered an indicator of clean or slightly polluted waters. The scientific genus name is sometimes spelled in various orthographic variants, especially as Hildenbrandtia. The life cycle of this species was described by the Polish hydrobiologist Karol Starmach.