Marine Macroalgae

Primary Producers Prokaryotes (photosynthetic & chemosynthetic) Domain Bacteria Domain Archaea Eukaryotes (photosynthetic) Kingdom Protista Unicellular algae (diatoms, dinoflagellates, coccolithophorids) Multicellular algae (green, brown, red) Kingdom Plantae Seagrasses Salt marsh plants Mangroves

Macroalgae Are not plants (are in Kingdom Protista) http://atlasveg.ib.usp.br/English/focara.html

Macroalgae Bull kelp, Washington

Macroalgae Three kinds: Chlorophyta (green) Phaeophyta (brown) Rhodophyta (red) http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03mex/background/seaweeds/seaweeds.html

Dead Man’s Fingers (Codium) Chlorophytes Long Island types ← Sea lettuce (Ulva) Dead Man’s Fingers (Codium) Gutweed (Enteromorpha) Mostly freshwater (only 10% species are marine) Chlorophyll a & b http://www.eserc.stonybrook.edu:8080/FlaxPondDigitalLibrary/2004/images/FPDL20040094.jpg

Chlorophytes Bubble green algae http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Algae%20and%20Plt%20Pix/Green%20Algae/Dictyospheria/dicty.jpg http://ocean.si.edu/sites/default/files/imagecache/750xX/photos/Ventricaria-ventricosaFS_1.jpg

Chlorophytes Calcareous green algae: Acetabularia,Penicillus, Halimeda http://coexploration.org/bbsr/coral/assets/images/acetabularia.jpg http://www.cbl.umces.edu/~scharler/mangnets/SppListMAcroAlgae.htm

Chlorophytes Calcareous green algae plates become large part of sediment http://coralreefsystems.org/sites/coralreefsystems.org/files/u8/halimeda-opuntia2_350.jpg http://coralreefsystems.org/sites/coralreefsystems.org/files/u8/halimeda_sand_350.jpg

Phaeophytes Chlorophyll a & c, fucoxanthin (yellow-brown pigment) Almost all species are marine Most live in temperate to cold water Rockweed (Fucus) Knotted wrack (Ascophyllum) http://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/41979.jpg

Phaeophytes Gulfweed (Sargassum) and Sargasso Sea http://www.flickr.com/photos/31124758@N00/37043533/lightbox/ http://floridasportfishing.com/magazine/images/stories/tips-tales/weedline-wonders3.jpg http://www.nhm.ac.uk/resources-rx/images/1008/wireweed-close-up-490_35195_1.jpg http://www.bigelow.org/bacteria/teach/images/open_orgs/sargassum.jpg

Phaeophytes Gulfweed (Sargassum) inhabitants http://ocean.si.edu/slideshow/world-adrift-life-sargassum

Kelp Communities Blades up to North Atlantic kelps: 40 ft long in deeper water Found in lower intertidal and subtidal zones

Kelp Communities http://www.fisherycrisis.com/Galleries/weedgallery.htm

Kelp Communities US West Coast and elsewhere – giant kelp (Macrocystis) gas sacs – pneumatocysts

Kelp Communities Stipes to up to 100 m length (330 ft) Grow fast, up to 50 cm/day (=20 in/day) Blades, stipes form canopy when reach the surface – blocks light below

Kelp Communities

Kelp Communities http://blackcormorant.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/kelpurchins_415_030.jpg http://www.otterproject.org/atf/cf/%7B1032ABCB-19F9-4CB6-8364-2F74F73B3013%7D/Otter_image4.jpg

Kelp Communities When otter populations decline, urchins increase Urchins overgraze, cut through holdfasts, stipes Kelp sent adrift, strand on beach Bottom left barren http://sbc.lternet.edu/sites/biome_kelpforest.html

Rhodophytes More species than green and brown algae combined Almost all species are marine More in subtropics and tropics Chlorophyll a & d, phycobilins (red pigment) Irish moss (Chondrus) (Gracilaria) http://www.freakinfucus.co.uk/primers/thumbs/chon_2.jpg

Rhodophytes Shallow to deep (200m) 75m (225 ft) 100m (300 ft) NOAA

Rhodophytes Coralline/calcareous (CaCO3) – erect and encrusting forms NOAA http://www.saltwater-aquarium-online-guide.com/image-files/coralline.jpg

Rhodophytes Coralline/calcareous (CaCO3) – Goniolithon shoals http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5068/5645284780_27bf5a99f6_b.jpg

Important Algae Food – raw, cooked, dry Laver (Porphyra) – nori in sushi Dulse (Palmaria) - dried Wakame – seaweed salad, miso soup http://landsofwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/dulse.jpg http://www.algaebase.org http://www.seaweedsalad.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/10/files/2012/01/japanese-seaweed-salad.jpg

Important Algae Commercial uses - stabilize, emulsify, thicken Algin, alginate from giant kelp Carrageenan from Irish moss Agar from various red algae http://site.innovationestore.com/images/image-310.php?id=70200748229 http://www.functionalps.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/b.jpg