Growth, reproduction, and senescence of the epiphytic marine alga Phaeosaccion collinsii Farlow (Ochrophyta, Phaeothamniales) at its type locality in Nahant, Massachusetts, USA

Ashley E. Cryan; Kylla M. Benes; Brendan Gillis; Christine Ramsay-Newton; Valerie Perini; Michael J. Wynne

doi:10.1515/bot-2015-0019

Article

Growth, reproduction, and senescence of the epiphytic marine alga Phaeosaccion collinsii Farlow (Ochrophyta, Phaeothamniales) at its type locality in Nahant, Massachusetts, USA

Ashley E. Cryan
Ashley E. Cryan is a marine scientist and educator and a specialist in algal biology and ecology. She has worked as a research assistant at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center, and at San Francisco State University’s Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies. In 2013 she received the Physical and Life Sciences award from Northeastern University’s Center for Research Innovation for her research on harmful algal blooms and climate change in the Gulf of Maine. Ashley plans to pursue graduate study in oceanography and limnology and continue researching the effects of oceanic climate change on marine species and ecosystems.
, Kylla M. Benes
Kylla M. Benes is a PhD candidate at the University of California, Irvine, in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She was awarded a MSc from California State University, Northridge, in 2006 for research on secondary succession in kelp forest algal communities. Broadly, she is interested in causes and consequences of changes in biodiversity, particularly intraspecific diversity. Currently, her research focuses on nutrient physiology, local adaptation, and population structure of intertidal seaweeds.
, Brendan Gillis
Brendan Gillis received a BA from Boston University and a MSc from Northeastern University’s Department of Biology. His research focused on the effects of climate change on seaweed biodiversity and species interactions.
, Christine Ramsay-Newton
Christine Ramsay-Newton was awarded a PhD in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center for her work on the ecology surrounding invasive seaweeds. She also received her MSc from the University of Rhode Island for her research on estuarine ecology, specifically the impacts of macroalgal blooms on salt marsh habitats. Her research interests include algal ecology, estuarine ecology, invasive species, and invertebrate ecology.
, Valerie Perini
Valerie Perini is an educator with expertise in marine biology and outdoor education. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Biology at Northeastern University. For her master’s thesis project, she worked with Dr. Matthew Bracken collecting longitudinal data documenting nutrient availability in intertidal communities in the Southern Gulf of Maine and quantifying the impacts of nutrient fluctuations on primary producers, herbivores, and community-wide nutrient cycling. Currently, as the Senior Outreach Educator at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center, Valerie leverages her dual passions for marine biology and science communication to share cutting edge marine science research with students, educators, and the general public via planning and leading outdoor education programs and public events as well as developing web content highlighting scientific research.
and Michael J. Wynne
Michael J. Wynne is Emeritus Professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He earned his PhD in Botany at the University of California, Berkeley. He spent most of his professional career at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He co-authored (with H.C. Bold) the textbook Introduction to the algae: structure and reproduction (1978, 1985). He co-edited (with C.S. Lobban) the books Biology of seaweeds (1981) and (with D.J. Garbary) Prominent phycologists of the 20th century (1996). He authored Portraits of marine algae: an historical perspective (2007) and The red algal families Delesseriaceae and Sarcomeniaceae (2014). He produced A checklist of benthic marine algae of the tropical and subtropical Western Atlantic (1986, 1998, 2005, 2011).

Published/Copyright: July 8, 2015

Published by

Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Submit Manuscript Author Information Explore this Subject

From the journal Botanica Marina Volume 58 Issue 4

Abstract

The growth, reproduction, and senescence patterns of the epiphytic marine alga Phaeosaccion collinsii were tracked over two consecutive seasons at its type locality of Little Nahant, Nahant, MA (USA). We investigated the potential and/or combined effects of temperature and ambient nutrient supply (NO₃^- and PO₄^3-) on the phenology of this ephemeral species in its natural environment by collecting microscopic and macroscopic P. collinsii specimens from blades of eelgrass (Zostera marina) in a shallow coastal subtidal zone. Our results suggest that temperature is a strong driver of the alga’s in situ cycle and that the optimal temperature for P. collinsii growth and reproduction may be between 5 and 8°C, a narrower temperature threshold than previous laboratory studies on this subject have suggested. Several large winter storms also allowed us to observe the effect of physical disturbance on the integrity of the eelgrass beds and the population of microscopic and macroscopic P. collinsii. This study contributes the first in situ information on the abiotic conditions necessary for the successful growth and development of P. collinsii and a greater understanding of the life cycle of this unique golden brown alga.

Keywords: ephemeral algae; epiphytic algae; Phaeosaccion collinsii; Zostera marina

Corresponding author: Kylla M. Benes, Northeastern University, Marine Science Center, 430 Nahant Road, Nahant, MA 01902, USA; and University of California, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-2525, USA, e-mail: kbenes@uci.edu

About the authors

Ashley E. Cryan

Ashley E. Cryan is a marine scientist and educator and a specialist in algal biology and ecology. She has worked as a research assistant at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center, and at San Francisco State University’s Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies. In 2013 she received the Physical and Life Sciences award from Northeastern University’s Center for Research Innovation for her research on harmful algal blooms and climate change in the Gulf of Maine. Ashley plans to pursue graduate study in oceanography and limnology and continue researching the effects of oceanic climate change on marine species and ecosystems.

Kylla M. Benes

Kylla M. Benes is a PhD candidate at the University of California, Irvine, in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She was awarded a MSc from California State University, Northridge, in 2006 for research on secondary succession in kelp forest algal communities. Broadly, she is interested in causes and consequences of changes in biodiversity, particularly intraspecific diversity. Currently, her research focuses on nutrient physiology, local adaptation, and population structure of intertidal seaweeds.

Brendan Gillis

Brendan Gillis received a BA from Boston University and a MSc from Northeastern University’s Department of Biology. His research focused on the effects of climate change on seaweed biodiversity and species interactions.

Christine Ramsay-Newton

Christine Ramsay-Newton was awarded a PhD in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center for her work on the ecology surrounding invasive seaweeds. She also received her MSc from the University of Rhode Island for her research on estuarine ecology, specifically the impacts of macroalgal blooms on salt marsh habitats. Her research interests include algal ecology, estuarine ecology, invasive species, and invertebrate ecology.

Valerie Perini

Valerie Perini is an educator with expertise in marine biology and outdoor education. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Biology at Northeastern University. For her master’s thesis project, she worked with Dr. Matthew Bracken collecting longitudinal data documenting nutrient availability in intertidal communities in the Southern Gulf of Maine and quantifying the impacts of nutrient fluctuations on primary producers, herbivores, and community-wide nutrient cycling. Currently, as the Senior Outreach Educator at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center, Valerie leverages her dual passions for marine biology and science communication to share cutting edge marine science research with students, educators, and the general public via planning and leading outdoor education programs and public events as well as developing web content highlighting scientific research.

Michael J. Wynne

Michael J. Wynne is Emeritus Professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He earned his PhD in Botany at the University of California, Berkeley. He spent most of his professional career at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He co-authored (with H.C. Bold) the textbook Introduction to the algae: structure and reproduction (1978, 1985). He co-edited (with C.S. Lobban) the books Biology of seaweeds (1981) and (with D.J. Garbary) Prominent phycologists of the 20th century (1996). He authored Portraits of marine algae: an historical perspective (2007) and The red algal families Delesseriaceae and Sarcomeniaceae (2014). He produced A checklist of benthic marine algae of the tropical and subtropical Western Atlantic (1986, 1998, 2005, 2011).

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. James Douglass for help with fieldwork and Dr. Matthew Bracken for use of field equipment and laboratory space and instrumentation. Comments from M. Dring and two anonymous reviewers greatly improved the original manuscript.

References

Andersen, R.A. 2004. Biology and systematics of heterokont and haptophyte algae. Am. J. Bot. 91: 1508–1522.10.3732/ajb.91.10.1508Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Bailey, J.C., R.R. Bidigare, S.J. Christensen and R.A. Andersen. 1998. Phaeothamniophyceae Classis Nova: a new lineage of Chromophytes based upon photsynthetic pigments, rbcL sequence analysis and ultrastructure. Protist149: 245–263.10.1016/S1434-4610(98)70032-XSearch in Google Scholar

Borum, J. 1985. Development of epiphytic communities on eelgrass (Zostera marina) along a nutrient gradient in a Danish estuary. Mar. Biol. 87: 211–218.10.1007/BF00539431Search in Google Scholar

Borum, J. 1987. Dynamics of epiphyton on Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) leaves: relative roles of algal growth, herbivory, and substratum turnover. Limnol. Oceangr. 32: 986–992.10.4319/lo.1987.32.4.0986Search in Google Scholar

Borum, J., H. Kaas and S. Wium-Andersen. 1984. Biomass variation and autotrophic production of an epiphyte-macrophyte community in a coastal Danish area: II. Epiphyte species composition, biomass and production. Ophelia23: 165–179.10.1080/00785326.1984.10426612Search in Google Scholar

Chapman, A.R.O. and J.E. Lindley. 1980. Seasonal growth of Laminaria solidungula in the Canadian High Arctic in relation to irradiance and dissolved nutrient concentrations. Mar. Bio. 57: 1–5.10.1007/BF00420961Search in Google Scholar

Chen, L.C-M., J. McLachlan and J.S. Craigie. 1974. The fine structure of the marine chrysophycean alga Phaeosaccion collinsii. Can. J. Bot.52: 1621–1624.10.1139/b74-213Search in Google Scholar

Collins, F.S. 1900. Preliminary lists of New England plants – v. Marine algae. Rhodora 2: 41–52.Search in Google Scholar

Craigie, J.S., C. Leigh, L.C.-M. Chen and J. McLachlan. 1971. Pigments, polysaccharides, and photosynthetic products of Phaeosaccion collinsii. Can. J. Bot.49: 1067–1074.10.1139/b71-152Search in Google Scholar

Easterling, D.R., G. Meehl, C. Parmesan, S. Changnon, T. Karl and L. Mearns. 2000. Climate extremes: observations, modeling, and impacts. Science289: 2068–2074.10.1126/science.289.5487.2068Search in Google Scholar

Farlow, W.G. 1882. Notes on New England algae. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 9: 65–68.10.2307/2477007Search in Google Scholar

Fitzgerald, G.P. 1969. Some factors in the competition or antagonism among bacteria, algae, and aquatic weeds. J. Phycol. 5: 351–359.10.1111/j.1529-8817.1969.tb02625.xSearch in Google Scholar

Guiry, M.D. and G.M Guiry. 2015. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 27 April 2015.Search in Google Scholar

Harlin, M.M. and B. Thorne-Miller. 1981. Nutrient enrichment of seagrass beds in a Rhode Island coastal lagoon. Mar. Bio 65: 221–229.10.1007/BF00397115Search in Google Scholar

IPCC, 2013. Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group 1 to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A.Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley eds. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1535.Search in Google Scholar

Jernakoff, P., A. Brearley and J. Nielsen. 1996. Factors affecting grazer-epiphyte interactions in temperate seagrass meadows. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Annu. Rev. 34: 109–162.Search in Google Scholar

Kai, A., Y. Yoshii, T. Nakayama and I. Inouye. 2008. Aurearenophyceae classis nova, a new class of heterokontophyta based on a new marine unicellular alga Aurearena cruciata gen. et sp. nov. inhabiting sandy beaches. Protist 159: 435–457.10.1016/j.protis.2007.12.003Search in Google Scholar

Kawai, H. 1989. First report of Phaeosaccion collinsii Farlow (Chrysophyceae, Sarcinochrysidales) from Japan. Jpn. J. Phycol.37: 239–243.Search in Google Scholar

McLachlan, J., L.C.-M. Chen, T. Edelstein and J.S. Craigie. 1971. Observations on Phaeosaccion collinsii in culture. Can. J. Bot. 49: 563–566.10.1139/b71-088Search in Google Scholar

Meinshausen, M., S. Smith, K. Calvin, J. Daniel, M. Kainuma, J-F. Lamaraque, K. Matsumoto, S. Montzka, S. Raper, K. Riahi, A. Thomson, G. Velders and D. van Vuuren. 2011. The RCP greenhouse gas concentrations and their extension from 1765 to 2300. Climate Change 109: 213–241.10.1007/s10584-011-0156-zSearch in Google Scholar

Mills, K.E., A. Pershing, C. Brown, Y. Chen, F. Chiang, D.S. Holland, S. Lehuta, J. Nye, J. Sun, A. Thomas and R.A. Wahle. 2013. Fisheries management in a changing climate. Oceanography26: 191–195.10.5670/oceanog.2013.27Search in Google Scholar

Neckles, H., R. Wetzel and R. Orth. 1993. Relative effects of nutrient enrichment and grazing on epiphyte-macrophyte (Zostera marina L.) dynamics. Oecologia 93: 285–295.10.1007/BF00317683Search in Google Scholar

Olesen, B. and K. Sand-Jensen. 1994. Demography of shallow eelgrass (Zostera marina) populations – shoot dynamics and biomass development. J. Ecol. 82: 379–390.10.2307/2261305Search in Google Scholar

Penhale, P.A. 1977. Macrophyte-epiphyte biomass and productivity in an eelgrass (Zosteramarina L.) community. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 26: 211–224.10.1016/0022-0981(77)90109-5Search in Google Scholar

Phillips, G.L., D. Eminson and B. Moss. 1978. A mechanism to account for macrophyte decline in progressively eutrophicated freshwaters. Aquat. Bot. 4: 103–126.10.1016/0304-3770(78)90012-8Search in Google Scholar

R Core Team. 2013. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. http://www.R-project.org/.Search in Google Scholar

Reyes, J. and M. Sansón. 2001. Biomass and production of the epiphytes on the leaves of Cymodocea nodosa in the Canary Islands. Bot. Mar. 44: 307–313.10.1515/BOT.2001.039Search in Google Scholar

Taylor, W.R. 1957. Marine algae of the northeastern coast of North America. pp. [i]-vii, [1]-509, 60 pls. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.10.3998/mpub.12946796Search in Google Scholar

Trautman, D.A. and M. Borowitzka. 1999. The distribution of the epiphytic organisms on Posidonia australis and P. sinuosa, two seagrasses with differing leaf morphology. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser. 179: 215–229.10.3354/meps179215Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2015-2-21

Accepted: 2015-5-28

Published Online: 2015-7-8

Published in Print: 2015-8-1

You are currently not able to access this content.

Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2015-0019

Keywords for this article

ephemeral algae; epiphytic algae; Phaeosaccion collinsii; Zostera marina