Marine Macroalgae

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

Chlorophytes

Mostly freshwater (only 10% species are marine) Chlorophyll a & b

← Sea lettuce (Ulva)

Gutweed (Enteromorpha)

Dead Man’s Fingers (Codium)

Long Islandtypes

http://www.eserc.stonybrook.edu:8080/FlaxPondDigitalLibrary/2004/images/FPDL20040094.jpg

Bubble green algae

Chlorophytes

http://ocean.si.edu/sites/default/files/imagecache/750xX/photos/Ventricaria-ventricosaFS_1.jpg

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Algae%20and%20Plt%20Pix/Green%20Algae/Dictyospheria/dicty.jpg

Calcareous green algae: Acetabularia,Penicillus, Halimeda

http://www.cbl.umces.edu/~scharler/mangnets/SppListMAcroAlgae.htm

http://coexploration.org/bbsr/coral/assets/images/acetabularia.jpg

Chlorophytes

Calcareous green algae plates become large part of sediment

Chlorophytes

http://coralreefsystems.org/sites/coralreefsystems.org/files/u8/halimeda_sand_350.jpg

http://coralreefsystems.org/sites/coralreefsystems.org/files/u8/halimeda-opuntia2_350.jpg

Chlorophyll a & c, fucoxanthin (yellow-brown pigment) Almost all species are marine Most live in temperate to cold water

Phaeophytes

Rockweed (Fucus) Knotted wrack (Ascophyllum)http://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/41979.jpg

Phaeophytes

Gulfweed (Sargassum) and Sargasso Sea

http://www.bigelow.org/bacteria/teach/images/open_orgs/sargassum.jpghttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/resources-rx/images/1008/wireweed-close-up-490_35195_1.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31124758@N00/37043533/lightbox/ http://floridasportfishing.com/magazine/images/stories/tips-tales/weedline-wonders3.jpg

Phaeophytes

Gulfweed (Sargassum) inhabitants

http://ocean.si.edu/slideshow/world-adrift-life-sargassum

Kelp Communities

North Atlantic kelps:

Blades up to 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.jpghttp://www.otterproject.org/atf/cf/%7B1032ABCB-19F9-4CB6-8364-2F74F73B3013%7D/Otter_image4.jpg

Kelp Communities

http://sbc.lternet.edu/sites/biome_kelpforest.html

When otter populations decline, urchins increase Urchins overgraze, cut through holdfasts, stipes Kelp sent adrift, strand on beach Bottom left barren

More species than green and brown algae combined Almost all species are marine More in subtropics and tropics Chlorophyll a & d, phycobilins (red pigment)

Rhodophytes

http://www.freakinfucus.co.uk/primers/thumbs/chon_2.jpg

Irish moss (Chondrus)

(Gracilaria)

Shallow to deep (200m)

Rhodophytes

75m (225 ft) 100m (300 ft)

NOAA

Coralline/calcareous (CaCO3) – erect and encrusting forms

Rhodophytes

http://www.saltwater-aquarium-online-guide.com/image-files/coralline.jpg

NOAA

Coralline/calcareous (CaCO3) – Goniolithon shoals

Rhodophytes

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5068/5645284780_27bf5a99f6_b.jpg

Food – raw, cooked, dry Laver (Porphyra) – nori in sushi Dulse (Palmaria) - dried Wakame – seaweed salad, miso soup

Important Algae

http://www.algaebase.org

http://landsofwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/dulse.jpg

http://www.seaweedsalad.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/10/files/2012/01/japanese-seaweed-salad.jpg

Commercial uses - stabilize, emulsify, thicken

Algin, alginate from giant kelp Carrageenan from Irish moss Agar from various red algae

Important Algae

http://www.functionalps.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/b.jpghttp://site.innovationestore.com/images/image-310.php?id=70200748229