Rocky shore turfs dominated by Corallina (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) in northern Japan^†

Abstract

Three intertidal sites dominated by Corallina turfs were investigated in Hokkaido, Japan. The sites (A, B and C) differed in slope, wave exposure and length of time exposed to air during tidal cycles. Monthly samples were analyzed for frond morphology and other features. Site A, the most wave‐exposed site, was dominated by Corallina sp. X, an unknown species, and sites B and C by Corallina pilulifera Postels et Ruprecht. At the different sites the populations differed in conceptacle abundance, coverage by epiphytic Titanoderma corallinae (P. Crouan et H. Crouan) Woelkerling, Chamberlain et Silva, amount of contained sediment, numbers of axes per quadrat, numbers of branch fusions, branch entanglement, frond dryweight, frond length, amount of adventitious branching, numbers of epiphytes (exclusive of T. corallinae), and numbers of animal species. Ninety‐one animal species were recorded from the turfs. Corallina is affected morphologically by conditions inherent in its microhabitat, including desiccation, epiphyte loading and the abundance of herbivores.

Physiological responses of the calcifying rhodophyte, Corallina officinalis (L.), to future CO2 levels

“…In tropical environments, corals are heavily studied in ocean acidiWcation research due to the symbiotic relationship between the photosynthesizing zooxanthellae and the heterotrophic coral (Reynaud et al 2003;Langdon and Atkinson 2005;Krief et al 2010). In temperate environments, calcifying micro-and macroalgae are crucial organisms to investigate because of their high primary production and contribution to global biogeochemical cycles (Thierstein and Young 2004) and importance in providing structural support, refugia, and substrata for inter-and subtidal marine communities (Coull and Wells 1983;Hicks 1986;Akioka et al 1999). Calcifying algae are unique organisms that conduct both photosynthesis and calciWcation-two processes that are intricately linked to DIC (CO 2 , HCO 3 ¡ , CO 3 2¡ ).…”

“…Corallina spp. often form extensive macroalgal turfs that cover large areas of the intertidal and provides substratum, habitat, and refugia for a number of important marine organisms (Coull and Wells 1983;Hicks 1986;Akioka et al 1999;Kelaher 2002Kelaher , 2003. On the rocky coast of the island of Helgoland in the North Sea, C. oYcinalis is abundant and is an important species in the macroalgal community.…”

Viability, Fatty acid composition, and structure of the coralline alga Corallina pilulifera

“…The species Corallina pilulifera was identifi ed using anatomical characters, such as the tier number per intergeniculum (12-16) and intergenicular length (0.9-1.2 mm; Baba et al, 1988;Akioka et al, 1999). All eight samples of the coralline algae collected had the same range of tier numbers, which is a key character of C. pilulifera.…”

“…Morphological studies alone no longer suffi ce to identify species, as demonstrated by the apparent duplication of descriptions due to geographical, seasonal, and environmental differences. Differences in microhabitat conditions, such as desiccation, epiphyte loading, and the abundance of herbivores, can also alter the morphology (Akioka et al, 1999). Therefore, we used molecular information to complement the physical variation.…”

“…In nature, most coralline algae are pink and have almost indistinguishable shapes. Seasonal changes in articulated coralline algae can also cause confusion, even in their identifi cation (Baba et al, 1988;Akioka et al, 1999). Some polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from crustose coralline have shown potent lytic activity against fl eshy seaweed spores (Luyen et al, 2009).…”