Morphological Plasticity of Caulerpa prolifera (Caulerpales, Chlorophyta) in Relation to Growth Form in a Coral Reef Lagoon

Photo-physiological performance and short-term acclimation of two coexisting macrophytes (<em>Cymodocea nodosa</em> and <em>Caulerpa prolifera</em>) with depth

“…Due to their lateral (clonal) growth, Caulerpa spp. often experience spatial variation in a range of environmental conditions and resources (Collado-Vides 2002). As a result, species within the genus Caulerpa show morphological plasticity, including varying patterns of internode production and length of fronds, e.g.…”

“…Lamouroux is a native species from continental Europe, occurring in the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean. This coenocytic alga is a slow-growing, nitrophilic species with considerable morphological plasticity (Collado-Vides 2002, Malta et al 2005, which may be connected with a large physiological plasticity when environmental conditions change (Malta et al 2005). This alga has a prostrate axis (stolon) with rhizoids and upright axes (fronds) that are potentially independent units; the whole plant can regenerate after a frond or stolon is lost (Collado-Vides 2002).…”

“…This coenocytic alga is a slow-growing, nitrophilic species with considerable morphological plasticity (Collado-Vides 2002, Malta et al 2005, which may be connected with a large physiological plasticity when environmental conditions change (Malta et al 2005). This alga has a prostrate axis (stolon) with rhizoids and upright axes (fronds) that are potentially independent units; the whole plant can regenerate after a frond or stolon is lost (Collado-Vides 2002). In the Canary Islands, the presence of C. nodosa has decreased in the last two decades, particularly in certain areas, correlating with a significant increase in the abundance of C. prolifera (Tuya et al 2013a, Tuya et al 2014.…”

Capturing the dynamics in benthic structures: environmental effects on morphology in the macroalgal genera Halimeda and Dictyota

“…There are only a few studies that have looked at these aspects of macroalgal growth in tropical ecosystems. For example, Collado-Vides (2002) demonstrated that differences in the morphology of Caulerpa prolifera in a coral reef lagoon in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, were related to light and possibly variation in water motion. On the disturbance or mortality side, decreased herbivory was shown by Lewis et al (1987) to lead to a drastic change in the morphology of Padina jamaicensis from a prostrate turf growth form to a foliose upright one.…”

“…Aquatic flora are just as capable of such variations in form. By adjusting size, shape, and resource allocation, macroalgae have a distinctive response to light quality and quantity in which elongated forms (guerilla growth form) are present in lowlight environments contrasting with compact forms (phalanx-type) (Lovett-Doust 1981, Collado-Vides 2002, Monro & Poore 2004, 2005, Monro et al 2007). In these modular organisms, the ability to modify their morphology may function as a mechanism to respond to a changing environment; therefore, plasticity has been considered an important adaptive mechanism by which organisms deal with the environmental challenges to their survival (Bradshaw 1965, Bell & Tomlinson 1980, Lovett-Doust 1981, Harper 1985, Hutchings 1988, Hutchings & Wijesinghe 1997, de Kroon et al 2005, Monro & Poore 2005.…”