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Impaired growth and reproductive capacity in marine rockweeds following prolonged environmental contaminant exposure

  • Jessie F. Lauze

    Jessie F. Lauze received her MS in Biology from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA, in 2016 while studying the impact of long term contamination on macroalgal ecology and development. She is currently working toward a PhD at Durham University, UK, where she is studying growth and population genetics of Ulva spp.

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    and Whitney E. Hable

    Whitney E. Hable is a Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA. She received a PhD in Genetics at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Her current research focuses on understanding the cellular mechanisms of polarization, growth and development within the fucoid brown algae, and the role the environment plays in these processes.

Published/Copyright: March 30, 2017

Abstract

Intertidal macroalgae are resilient organisms, withstanding daily fluctuations in temperature, salinity and air exposure. These sessile seaweeds are exposed to anthropogenic pollution as an additional stressor in their natural habitat alongside coastal waterways, which are often adjacent to industrial centers. One such habitat in the New Bedford Harbor in Massachusetts has been recognized by government agencies as a site of National Priority after several decades of polychlorinated biphenyl and metal discharge. Research has focused on the effects of these contaminants among large-scale trophic cascades, with less emphasis on sessile primary productivity. Macroalgal members of the community were the focus of this study and were used to evaluate the presence and effect of environmental contaminants. Contaminants prominent in highly polluted regions of the harbor were elevated in tissue samples. Field surveys evaluating density and biomass were conducted in five areas of varying contamination and indicated a drastic inhibition of colonization with increasing contaminant load. No differences were detected between sites in terms of oocyte production in a single receptacle, but only individuals from less contaminated regions released those oocytes. Potential causes of decreased population size may therefore be reduction in individual biomass and a decreased ability to release eggs.

About the authors

Jessie F. Lauze

Jessie F. Lauze received her MS in Biology from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA, in 2016 while studying the impact of long term contamination on macroalgal ecology and development. She is currently working toward a PhD at Durham University, UK, where she is studying growth and population genetics of Ulva spp.

Whitney E. Hable

Whitney E. Hable is a Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA. She received a PhD in Genetics at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Her current research focuses on understanding the cellular mechanisms of polarization, growth and development within the fucoid brown algae, and the role the environment plays in these processes.

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Received: 2016-7-7
Accepted: 2017-2-28
Published Online: 2017-3-30
Published in Print: 2017-4-24

©2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. In this issue
  3. Editorial
  4. Phycomorph: macroalgal development and morphogenesis
  5. Reproduction
  6. Seaweed reproductive biology: environmental and genetic controls
  7. Interactions of daylength, temperature and nutrients affect thresholds for life stage transitions in the kelp Laminaria digitata (Phaeophyceae)
  8. Cell structure and microtubule organisation during gametogenesis of Ulva mutabilis Føyn (Chlorophyta)
  9. Impaired growth and reproductive capacity in marine rockweeds following prolonged environmental contaminant exposure
  10. Delayed growth and cell division in embryos of Fucus vesiculosus after parental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and metals
  11. Development and morphogenesis
  12. Phytohormones in red seaweeds: a technical review of methods for analysis and a consideration of genomic data
  13. Morphological changes with depth in the calcareous brown alga Padina pavonica
  14. Studying mesoalgal structures: a non-destructive approach based on confocal laser scanning microscopy
  15. Morphogenesis of Ulva mutabilis (Chlorophyta) induced by Maribacter species (Bacteroidetes, Flavobacteriaceae)
  16. Techniques and applications
  17. Biotechnological applications of the red alga Furcellaria lumbricalis and its cultivation potential in the Baltic Sea
  18. Carbohydrate-based phenotyping of the green macroalga Ulva fasciata using near-infrared spectrometry: potential implications for marine biorefinery
  19. Texture analysis of Laminaria digitata (Phaeophyceae) thallus reveals trade-off between tissue tensile strength and toughness along lamina
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