EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE,NITROGEN SUPPLY,AND TISSUE NITROGEN ON AMMONIUM UPTAKE RATES OF THE CHLOROPHYTE SEAWEEDS ULVA CURVATA AND CODIUM DECORTICATUM1

Nitrogen uptake rates of Ulva curvata (Kütz.) de Toni (Ulvales) and Codium decorticatum (Woodw.) Howe (Caulerpales) grown under several N addition regimes were determined by perturbation and continuous mode techniques, and as N demand, by the product of growth rate and tissue N. Uptake rates are reported as the slope of rate vs. concentration curves in each case. N uptake rates of U. curvata were inversely correlated with tissue N and affected only slightly by temperature. There was no correlation of N uptake rate with tissue N in C. decorticatum. N uptake rates of C. decorticatum were affected by temperature but to a lesser degree than were growth rates. Neither N addition per se nor light affected N uptake capacity of either species. The proximal mechanism for seaweeds accumulation of N at low light and temperatures may be that N uptake is less limited by light and temperature than is growth. This in turn may partially compensate for the effects of reduced light and temperature on growth by increasing pigment and enzyme levels. Perturbation uptake rates were higher than continuous mode or N demand rates in Ulva but not in Codium. N uptake rates of Ulva were higher than those of Codium, but N storage capacities were lower. These two observations suggest that Ulva experiences a fundamentally more variable N supply than does Codium. This is consistent with the clarification of Ulva as an ephemeral form and of Codium as persistent. A seaweed's functional form therefore appears to influence the spectrum of resource variability available to it as well as its ability to persist in the environment.     

DNA sequencing and anatomy demonstrate that Pacific Codium simulans is a genetically variable species found in the floras of Bermuda and Florida

When DNA sequences from Bermuda plants described as Codium isthmocladum ssp. clavatum and a recent collection from Florida originally thought to be C. decorticatum were analyzed, they were found to be a genetic match to the Pacific Mexican species C. simulans. Historical voucher collections assigned to C. isthmocladum ssp. clavatum show that this Pacific lineage has been present in Bermuda (Atlantic) waters for over a century, thus precluding a very recent introduction from the Pacific. We hypothesize that C. simulans may have hitched a ride on the ballast rocks of early commercial ships plying their trade between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.     

The new species Codium recurvatum from Tanzania

Codium recurvatum is described from material collected on a Tanzanian reef slope. The diminutive species is easily recognized by its unusual morphology, as its thallus consists of several dorsiventrally flattened lobes originating from a central holdfast and curving back towards the substratum. DNA barcodes (rbcL exon 1 and tufA) confirm the distinctness of the species and the phylogenetic placement of the new species is inferred from a concatenated alignment of rbcL and rps3–rpl16 sequences.     

Study of the marine planktonic dinoflagellate Ceratium divaricatum (Dinophyceae), a confused and considerably variable species

The species Ceratium divaricatum (Lemmermann) Kofoid has largely been subject to misidentification and taxonomic confusion. The history of the species is complex: originally illustrated by Bergh (1881) as Ceratium tripos var., for which Lemmermann (1899) gave it the name Ceratium tripos var. divaricatum; the name Ceratium divaricatum was used by Kofoid (1908) with no specification of authors or references. It shows a high degree of morphological variation and development of autotomy of the apical and antapical horns. This great morphological variation has led to misidentifications in routine examinations of phytoplankton materials, and several names have been used for this species, including Ceratium dens, Ceratium porrectum and Ceratium tripos var. ponticum, as well as Ceratium balechii, a proposed new species for intermediate forms. Here, the species is redescribed, on the basis of material from Mexican Pacific coasts. Morphological and ecologic differences exist among this species and other closely related ones. Distribution of C. divaricatum is wider than previously documented (mainly because of previous misidentifications): the North Pacific Ocean, from British Columbia in Canada to temperate or subtropical waters of Mexico, and then is interrupted to reappear again in coasts of Peru and Chile, and also in coasts of the Benguela area, the South‐west Atlantic Ocean. In tropical and equatorial areas of the Pacific Ocean, a more delicate form occurs, herein proposed as a variety of this species: Ceratium divaricatum var. balechii. C. divaricatum and var. balechii may be relatively abundant, even producing non‐toxic red tides, in various spots along coasts of the Pacific Ocean (Canada to Mexico). It appears to be a neritic form, with high sensibility to changes in water temperature, and presumably associated to upwelling areas.     

A NEW SPECIES OF ZOSTEROPHYLLUM FROM THE EARLY DEVONIAN OF NEW BRUNSWICK

A new species of Zosterophyllum, Z. divaricatum Gensel, is described from the late Early Devonian (Emsian) of northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is a Platyzosterophyllum type, consisting of slender sometimes bifurcating axes with laterally borne sporangia oriented to one side of the axis. The species is distinctive in that axes bifurcate within fertile regions and in sporangium shape and attachment. Aspects of the morphology of axis and sporangium cuticle, tracheids, and spores are presented and considered in relation to comparable features in other Zosterophyllum species. Associated vegetative axes exhibiting H- and K-branching patterns and also cuticular features similar to the fertile specimens are described and it is suggested that they may represent parts of the same plant. Zosterophyllum divaricatum is most similar to Z. llanoveranum, Z. fertile, and Z. spectabile, and also resembles Rebuchia ovata to some extent. Z. divaricatum offers considerable information on variation within one species concerning sporangium shape, attachment, and distribution and expands the known diversity of Platyzosterophyllum types.     

Erythroglossum latum sp. nov. (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) from the east coast of Honshu, Japan

A new species, Erythroglossum latum, is described based on specimens from Fukushima Prefecture along the east coast of Honshu, Japan. This species differs from Erythroglossum pinnatum Okamura in having a broader main blade, a clear midrib and lateral branches that are smaller in size and not clearly constricted at the base.     

UPTAKE OF INORGANIC NITROGEN BY CODIUM FRAGILE SUBSP. TOMENTOSOIDES (CHLOROPHYTA)1

The uptake of nitrate, nitrite and ammonium by Codium fragile subsp. tomentosoides (van Goor) Silva was measured at different combinations of temperature (6–30 C) and irradiance (0–140 μEin.m-^2. s^-1). Uptake of all three forms of N was greater at 12–24 C than at 6 and 30 C. Although uptake was stimulated by light, saturation occurred at relatively low irradiance (7–28 μEin m^-2 s^-1, depending on the N source and temperature). The Michaelis-Menten uptake constants (V_max K)varied with temperature. V_max was greatest at intermediate temperatures and K was lowest at lower temperatures. The V_maxfor NH₄⁺ was higher and the K, for NH₄⁺was lower than those for NO₃^-_- and NO₂^-_-. Codium was capable of simultaneously taking up all three forms of inorganic N although the presence of NH₄⁺ reduced the uptake of both NO₃^-_- and NO₂^-_-. The results of this study indicate that part of the ecological success of Codium in a N-limited environment may be due to its N uptake capabilities.     

Morphology and taxonomy of chain-forming species of the genus Cochlodinium (Dinophyceae)

The morphology of an unarmored chain-forming harmful dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides and its similar species such as Cochlodinium catenatum, Cochlodinium fulvescens, and Cochlodinium convolutum was carefully observed, emphasizing the single cell stage for clarifying taxonomically important morphological features. To differentiate C. polykrikoides from C. convolutum, the shape and the position of the nucleus are useful characters. C. polykrikoides also differs from C. fulvescens in being smaller in size, possessing many rod-shaped chloroplasts and having the sulcus running just below the cingulum on the dorsal surface. Careful observation of the ichnotype of C. catenatum suggests that C. catenatum sensu Kofoid and Swezy collected from off La Jolla, CA, USA, is not identical to C. catenatum sensu Okamura and is probably a different species, in having no chloroplasts and a nucleus positioned at the center of the cell. In addition, C. polykrikoides has many morphological features in common with C. catenatum sensu Okamura except for slightly elongate cells and is probably a junior synonym of this species.     

Chemical Analysis of Selected Seaweeds and Seagrass from the Adriatic Coast of Montenegro

Three seaweeds (Halimeda tuna, Codium bursa and Cystoseira barbata) and one seagrass (Cymodocea nodosa) were collected from the Coast of Montenegro, Gulf of Boka Kotorska and their chemical analysis was performed. In seagrass C. nodosa, three phenolic compounds were identified (diosmetin 7‐sulfate, caftaric and coutaric acid). The content of β‐glucan, fatty acids, sterols and micro‐ and macro‐elements were investigated among all samples. The highest content of β‐glucan was detected in C. nodosa seagrass (13.04±0.42 g/100 g). The highest polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) level was reported in C. barbata, the brown alga (7.157 mg/g), which also had the significant sterol content (fucosterol, 21.76±0.1 μg/g). Green algae, C. bursa and H. tuna, showed the highest level of sterols (β‐sitosterol, 95.21±0.16 μg/g and 73.90±0.08 μg/g, respectively). H. tuna had the highest content of calcium (Ca) in amount of 55125 μg/g. In C. bursa, C. barbata and C. nodosa, the Na/K ratio was low (0.43, 0.46 and 0.69, respectively).     

EFFECT OF INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID ON GROWTH OF CODIUM FRAGILE SUBSP. TOMENTOSOIDES (CHLOROPHYCEAE) IN CULTURE1

Growth of Codium fragile subsp. tomentosoides (van Goor) Silva in culture depends upon the season of seawater collection. One factor responsible for this variation in growth may be indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). When 10^?9 to 10^?4 M IAA is added to cultures of Codium fragile, optimum growth is at 10^?6 M. The response to exogenous IAA depends upon the time of year when the sea-water is collected. The growth in a range of known IAA concentrations allows the prediction of a seasonal cycle of IAA, or its physiological equivalent, in Rhode Island coastal waters. Such a compound may be an important ecological factor for some algal species.     

Mismatch of morphological and molecular identifications in native and invasive subspecies of Codium fragile (Bryopsidophyceae,Chlorophyta)

Several subspecies are defined within Codium fragile, including the invasive C. fragile ssp. fragile, first reported in New Zealand in 1973. An endemic subspecies, C. fragile ssp. novae‐zelandiae, is also found throughout New Zealand. The two subspecies exhibit morphological and molecular variation, although these have never been evaluated together. We compared variation between subspecies at locations in Auckland, identifying subspecies using rps3‐rpl16 DNA sequence data, and assessing gross morphological differences, anatomical utricle characters and morphometrics. The taxonomic utility of the morphometric data sets was assessed by linear discriminant analysis. Utricle characters and measurements varied within individual thalli and between different preservation methods. The phenotypes of both subspecies were highly variable and influenced by environment. Accurate subspecies delimitation using morphological data was not possible; the discriminant analyses performed no better than chance for all combinations of the morphological data. Specimens from New Zealand, Canada, Australia and Ireland were sequenced using both the rps3‐rpl16 and tufA plastid markers. The tufA elongation factor was shown to be a good candidate for differentiating subspecies of C. fragile. This marker is twice the length of the rps3‐rpl16 spacer, shows greater variation between ssp. fragile and novae‐zelandiae, and is less prone to sequencing error. A simple restriction enzyme digest of the tufA amplicon can distinguish ssp. fragile and ssp. novae‐zelandiae. Our study expands the known range of the ssp. fragile in New Zealand, including the first record of this subspecies from the west coast of Auckland, and points to a need to re‐evaluate morphological and molecular criteria for subspecies currently defined within C. fragile.     

A new species of Arceuthobium (Viscaceae) from central Mexico

Arceuthobium pendens, a parasite of the pinyonsPinus discolor andP. cembroides, is described from San Luis Potosí and Veracruz, Mexico. This andA. divaricatum Engelm. are the only dwarf mistletoes known to parasitize pinyons.Arceuthobium pendens is distinct fromA. divaricatum Engelm. in its long, slender, greenish shoots, formation of systemic witches brooms, and frequency on various species of pinyons. With the discovery of this new species, 19 dwarf mistletoes are known from Mexico.     

鸡公山风景区针阔混交林藤本植物在树干不同方位的依附规律北大核心CSCD

为了揭示森林藤本植物在树干表面的分布规律,在鸡公山风景区的枫香(Liquidambar formosana)-马尾松(Pinus massoniana)针阔混交林内,采用样方法和定量调查法分析了以气生根为攀缘策略的络石(Trachelospermum divaricatum)在枫香和马尾松树干表面不同方位分布的数量差异。结果表明,络石在枫香和马尾松树干不同方位的分布状况因树高而异。在枫香树干基径(5 cm)处,西北方位附着的络石数量(6.6 ind./tree)显著高于东北方位(4.6 ind./tree)和东南方位(4.3 ind./tree);在胸径(130 cm)处,西南和东南方位附着的络石数量则显著高于西北方位;络石在基径和胸径处的死亡率均表现为南侧低,北侧高。在马尾松基径处,西北方位的络石具有最高的死亡率(35.1%),导致存活数量最少(4.6 ind./tree);胸径处则东南方位络石最多;并且南侧的络石死亡率低于北侧。因此,络石在攀缘林木不同方位的分布存在显著差异,且与树干高度和林木胸径密切相关,这是树干微环境和藤本植物自身生理特征共同作用的结果。     

SEAWEED ANATOMY AND PHOTOSYNTHETIC PERFORMANCE: THE ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF LIGHT GUIGES,HETEROGENEOUS ABSORPTION AND MULTIPLE SCATTER12

Light absorption by two green seaweeds with similar photophysiology but different anatomies are compared: i) Ulva lactuca var. rigida (C. Ag.) Le Jolis, an optically translucent species of two cell layers both bearing chloroplasts; and, ii) Codium fragile subsp. tomentosoides (van Goor) Silva, an optically opaque species with a colorlelss medulla surrounded by a cortex of choloroplast-bearing utriclels. Thallus absorptance (fraction of incident light absorbed) was measured for various pigment contents. Absorptance by U. lactuca was dependent on pigment concentration in an exponential manner and never exceeded 0.6, whereas absorptance by C. fragile was independent of pigment concentration and always approached a balue of 1.0. Water in the medullary tissue of C. fragile is often of the utricles. The utricles appear to be “integrating spheres” enhancing the capture of incident light, aided by the wave-guide function of the thin peripheral layer of cytoplasm and a reflector function at their base. Photosynthitic performance for U. lactuca saturates at high light intensities and attenuates rapidly with decreasing intensities. In contrast, photosynthetic performance for C. fragile saturates at low light intensities and attenuates slowly with diminishing radiation. Extrapolated diel variation in photosynthesis shows that U. lactuca's anatomy is adaptive for high light intensity environments, whereas C. fragile's anatomy is adaptive for low light intensity environments. Both seaweeds fit into the ecological category of “fugitive” species, and compete in the Long Island Sound (Atlantic Ocean) rocky intertidal for free-space. Predictions are presented for relative species abundances along a monotonic gradient of light intensity.     

Antiangiogenic properties of a sulfated galactan isolated from a marine green alga, Codium cylindricum

An anticoagulant sulfated galactan isolated from the marine green alga, Codium cylindricum, was shown to have antiangiogeinic activity. This galactan suppressed microvessel formation in an ex vivo serum-free matrix culture model using rat aortic ring. It also inhibited human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) tube formation on reconstituted basement membrane gel. These results show the value of algal sulfated galactans in the design of antiangiogenic agents.     

Neoholmesia,a new genus of the delesseriaceae (Rhodophyta)

A new genus,Neoholmesia, is established on the basis ofHolmesia japonica (Okamura) Okamura. Neoholmesia that is distributed in the Northern Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan, should be placed in theMembranoptera group described by Kylin because of its apical segmentation of the thallus, and because it differs from the genusHolmesia in that tetrasporangia are found scattered randomly over the surface of the main thallus, and in that it bears carposporangia in chains. Dedicated to Prof. Shoichiro Usami celebrating his sexagenary birthday.     

Synthesis of Diaryl Sulphonates and N-Acyl-aryl Sulphonamides as Potential Fungicides

A novel lectin (CBA) was isolated from the green alga, Codium barbatum, by conventional chromatographic methods. The hemagglutination-inhibition profile with sugars and glycoproteins indicated that CBA had preferential affinity for complex type N-glycans but not for monosaccharides, unlike the other known Codium lectins specific for N-acetylgalactosamine. CBA consisted of an SS-linked homodimer of a 9257-Da polypeptide containing seven cysteine residues, all of which were involved in disulfide linkages. The cDNA of the CBA subunit coded a polypeptide (105 amino acids) including the signal peptide of 17 residues. The calculated molecular mass from the deduced sequence was 9705 Da, implying that the four C-terminal amino acids of the CBA proprotein subunit were post-translationally truncated to afford the mature subunit (84 amino acids). No significantly similar sequences were found during an in silico search, indicating CBA to be a novel protein. CBA is the first Codium lectin whose primary structure has been elucidated.     

Notes on marine algae from Hateruma island,Ryukyu

This paper deals with a small collection of marine algae which the author gathered at Hateruma island, one of the southernmost islands of the Ryukyu groups. Twelve species are reported; seven of which,Udotea glaucescens, Codium ovale, Halimeda micronesica, H. fragilis, Ectocarpus laurenciae, Centroceras apiculatum andCeramium sympodiale, are recorded here for the first time in Japan, one of which,Feldmannia formosana, is proposed as comb. nov., the other four,Chlorodesmis haterumana, Struvea haterumensis, Centroceras japonicum andLophocladia minima, are described here as new species.     

TEMPORAL AMMONIUM PATCHINESS AND GROWTH RATE IN CODIUM AND ULVA (ULVOPHYCEAE)1

The growth rates of two chlorophyte macroalgae, Codium fragile and Ulva curvata, are compared in response to varied, but non-random, NH₄⁺ enrichments (pulses). The species were chosen to contrast radically different morphologies. Pulse frequency and pulse duration were varied independently; however, an equivalent mass of NH₄⁺ was added in each treatment. The growth rate of Codium varied neither as a function of pulse frequency nor duration; the growth rate of Ulva varied with pulse frequency, but not pulse duration. These data are combined with life form and physiological characters, and are discussed in the context of the “function form” hypothesis. From the evidence we argue that by virtue of its life form, Ulva is capable of utilizing transiently high NH₄⁺ concentrations and is capable of high growth rates, attributes contributing to its role as a ruderal species. In contrast, Codium's life form does not allow utilization of transiently high NH₄⁺ concentrations or high growth rates, thereby contributing to its role as a persistent species.     

Temperature,Herbivory and Epibiont Acquisition as Factors Controlling the Distribution and Ecological Role of an Invasive Seaweed

The invasive canopy alga, Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides, first observed at the Isles of Shoals in 1983, has become the dominant canopy species to 8 m throughout the islands. Codium populations are replacing themselves at most sites in what appears to be a new, climax, canopy species. However, Codium densities have declined in protected Gosport Harbor areas where it first became established. Codium has only slowly expanded its presence in adjacent nearshore subtidal habitats. Recent studies suggest a combination of factors that may be influencing the relative success of populations between habitats. The herbivorous sea slug, Placida dendritica, may be reducing populations in protected areas in spite of predators such as the green crab, Carcinus maenas, while surge may inhibit herbivore buildup in exposed habitats. Temperature instability due to localized, wind-driven upwelling may be slowing the buildup of subtidal Codium populations in nearshore sites. The combination of Codium dominance and the acquisition of increasing epibiont diversity are producing a new, potentially more complex community state than the previous kelp-dominated climax typical of the Gulf of Maine.