Home Life Sciences Morphological changes with depth in the calcareous brown alga Padina pavonica
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Morphological changes with depth in the calcareous brown alga Padina pavonica

  • Katharina Bürger

    Katharina Bürger studied marine Biology at the University of Vienna and worked on this project for her Master’s thesis under the supervision of Dr. Michael Schagerl. She is a self-employed Biologist in bat conservation and currently the coordinator of the Association of Bat Conservation and Bat Research in Lower Austria.

         , Elisabeth L. Clifford

    Elisabeth L. Clifford is currently a PhD student at the University of Vienna. Her research focuses on the bioavailability and importance of taurine, an amino-acid like compound, as a substrate for heterotrophic prokaryotes throughout the water column in contrasting marine environments (open water versus coasts). In general, her research interests encompass marine molecular and microbial ecology, biogeochemical fluxes as well as chemical communication signaling and interactions in marine food webs.

         and Michael Schagerl

    Michael Schagerl is Professor at the University of Vienna; research fields are phycology and aquatic ecology. Special interests are ecophysiology, autecology and taxonomy of algae living in diverse habitats from springs to the sea and their role in food webs. In recent years, his research group has focused on saline-alkaline lakes and their biota.

     EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: March 15, 2017
Botanica Marina
From the journal Botanica Marina Volume 60 Issue 2

Abstract

The calcareous brown alga Padina pavonica (L.) Thivy (Phaeophyceae, Dictyotales) is common worldwide in the sublittoral of warm-temperate coasts. We studied its distribution and changes of morphology and thallus anatomy along a light gradient. Specimens were collected at different depths in the Bay of Calvi (Corsica, Mediterranean) during spring and autumn. We sampled individuals for mapping and recorded a significant decrease of both coverage and number of individuals with depth, but an increase in frond size. Frond thickness and cell volumes (cell length, height, width) were measured and compared to irradiance levels and between two seasons. Fronds in spring were small and thick and contained larger cells than specimens collected in autumn. Additionally, fronds from shallow areas were thicker than those from deeper areas. Fronds always consisted of three cell layers, and both surfaces were calcified. A carbonate cover (carbonate content per unit dry mass and frond area) was present on both surfaces in both seasons, with a significantly lower cover in spring. In spring, the beginning of the growing season for Padina, the growth rates at sheltered and exposed sites and from different depths were all similar, averaging 0.45 mm day−1.

Keywords: anatomy; calcification; cell volume; growth rate; mapping; Padina pavonica

About the authors

Katharina Bürger

Katharina Bürger studied marine Biology at the University of Vienna and worked on this project for her Master’s thesis under the supervision of Dr. Michael Schagerl. She is a self-employed Biologist in bat conservation and currently the coordinator of the Association of Bat Conservation and Bat Research in Lower Austria.

Elisabeth L. Clifford

Elisabeth L. Clifford is currently a PhD student at the University of Vienna. Her research focuses on the bioavailability and importance of taurine, an amino-acid like compound, as a substrate for heterotrophic prokaryotes throughout the water column in contrasting marine environments (open water versus coasts). In general, her research interests encompass marine molecular and microbial ecology, biogeochemical fluxes as well as chemical communication signaling and interactions in marine food webs.

Michael Schagerl

Michael Schagerl is Professor at the University of Vienna; research fields are phycology and aquatic ecology. Special interests are ecophysiology, autecology and taxonomy of algae living in diverse habitats from springs to the sea and their role in food webs. In recent years, his research group has focused on saline-alkaline lakes and their biota.

Acknowledgments

We thank G. Draxler and A. Hannak for technical equipment and assistance in plant anatomy, J. Hannak and S. Kompatscher for their helping hands in the field (mapping), and the Stareso team for local support and providing scuba diving gear. Analysis and manuscript preparation were partly supported by the Phycomorph project (COST Action FA1406).

References

Airoldi, L. 2000. Responses of algae with different life histories to temporal and spatial variability of disturbances in subtidal reefs. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 195: 81–92.10.3354/meps195081Search in Google Scholar

Balata, D. and L. Piazzi. 2008. Patterns of diversity in rocky subtidal macroalgal assemblages in relation to depth. Bot. Mar. 51: 464–471.10.1515/BOT.2008.068Search in Google Scholar

Bischof, K., R. Rautenberger, L. Brey and J.L. Pérez-Lloréns. 2006. Physiological acclimation to gradients of solar irradiance within mats of the filamentous green macroalga Chaetomorpha linum from southern Spain. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 306: 165–175.10.3354/meps306165Search in Google Scholar

Bitter, G. 1899. Zur Anatomie und Physiologie von Padina pavonia. Ber. Dt. Bot. Ges. 17: 255–274.Search in Google Scholar

Borowitzka, M.A. and A.W.D. Larkum. 1977. Calcification in the green alga Halimeda. I. An ultrastructure study of thallus development. J. Phycol. 13: 6–16.10.1111/j.1529-8817.1977.tb02879.xSearch in Google Scholar

Borowitzka, M.A., A.W.D. Larkum and C.D. Nockolds. 1974. A scanning microscope study of the structure and organization of the calcium carbonate deposits of algae. Phycologia 13: 195–203.10.2216/i0031-8884-13-3-195.1Search in Google Scholar

Braune, W. 2008. Meeresalgen: Ein Farbbildführer zu den verbreiteten benthischen Grün-, Braun- und Rotalgen der Weltmeere. Gantner publ. house, Switzerland. pp. 596.Search in Google Scholar

Carter, P.W. 1927. The life-history of Padina pavonia. I. The structure and cytology of the tetrasporangial plant. Ann. Bot. XLI (CLXI): 139–159.10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a090060Search in Google Scholar

Chapman, V.J. and D.J. Chapman. 1973. The Algae. 2nd edition. MacMillan Press Ltd., London. p. 196.Search in Google Scholar

Creed, J.C., T.A. Norton and J.M. Kain. 1997. Intraspecific competition in Fucus serratus germlings: The interaction of light, nutrients and density. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 212: 211–223.10.1016/S0022-0981(96)02748-7Search in Google Scholar

De Beer, D. and A.W.D Larkum. 2001. Photosynthesis and calcification in the calcifying algae Halimeda discoidea studied with microsensors. Plant Cell Environ. 24: 1209–1217.10.1046/j.1365-3040.2001.00772.xSearch in Google Scholar

De los Santos, C.B., J. Pérez-Lloréns and J.J. Vergara. 2009. Photosynthesis and growth in macroalgae: linking functional-form and power-scaling approaches. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 377: 112–122.10.3354/meps07844Search in Google Scholar

Doust, J.L. and L.L. Doust. 1990. Plant reproductive ecology: patterns and strategies. Oxford University Press, Canada. p. 275.Search in Google Scholar

Einav, R., S. Breckle and S. Beer. 1995. Ecophysiological adaptation strategies of some intertidal marine macroalgae of the Israeli Mediterranean coast. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 125: 219–228.10.3354/meps125219Search in Google Scholar

Enriquez, S., S. Agustí and C.M. Duarte. 1994. Light absorption by marine macrophytes. Oecologia 98: 121–129.10.1007/BF00341462Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Enríquez, S., C.M. Duarte and K. Sand-Jensen. 1995. Patterns in the photosynthetic metabolism of Mediterranean macrophytes. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 119: 243–252.10.3354/meps119243Search in Google Scholar

Fritsch, F.E. 1965. The structure and the reproduction of the algae. Volume 2, Cambridge University Press, London. pp. 305–307.Search in Google Scholar

Gil-Díaz, T., R. Haroun, F. Tuya, S. Betancor and M.A.Viera-Rodríguez. 2014. Effects of ocean acidification on the brown alga Padina pavonica: Decalcification due to acute and chronic events. PLoS One 9: e108630.10.1371/journal.pone.0108630Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

Goodsell, P.J., A.J. Underwood and M.G. Chapman. 2009. Evidence necessary for taxa to be reliable indicators of environmental conditions or impacts. Mar Poll Bull. 58: 323–331.10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.10.011Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Gómez Garreta, A., J.R. Lluch, C.B.M. Martí and A.R.M. Siguan. 2007. On the presence of fertile gametophytes of Padina pavonica (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) from the Iberian coasts. Anales de Jardín Botánica de Madrid. 64: 27–33.10.3989/ajbm.2007.v64.i1.48Search in Google Scholar

Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry. 2016. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 08 July 2016.Search in Google Scholar

Hall-Spencer, J.M., L.R. Pettit, L.A. Newcomb, E. Carrington, C.W. Smart, M.B. Hart1 and M. Milazzo. 2015. It will take more than seaweed to deal with ocean acidification. Eur. J. Phycol. 50: 198.Search in Google Scholar

Han, T., Y.-S. Han, J.M. Kain and D.-P. Häder. 2003. Thallus differentiation of photosynthesis, growth, reproduction, and UV-B sensitivity in the green alga Ulva pertusa (Chlorophyceae). J. Phycol. 39: 712–721.10.1046/j.1529-8817.2003.02155.xSearch in Google Scholar

Hay, M.E. 1986. Functional geometry of seaweeds: ecological consequences of thallus layering and shape in contrasting light environments. On the Economy of Plant Form and Function. Chapter 19. Cambridge University Press, New York, USA. pp. 635–666.Search in Google Scholar

Herbert, R.J.H., L. Ma, A. Marston, W.F. Farnham, I. Tittley and R.C. Cornes. 2016. The calcareous brown alga Padina pavonica in southern Britain: population change and tenacity over 300 years. Mar. Biol. 163: 46–61.10.1007/s00227-015-2805-7Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

Hereu, B. 2006. Depletion of palatable algae by sea urchins and fishes in a Mediterranean subtidal community. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 313: 95–103.10.3354/meps313095Search in Google Scholar

Johansen, H.W. 1981. Coralline algae, a first synthesis. CRC, Boca Raton, FL, USA. pp. 193–208.Search in Google Scholar

King, R.J. and W. Schramm. 1976. Photosynthetic rates of benthic marine algae in relation to light intensity and seasonal variations. Mar. Biol. 37: 215–222.10.1007/BF00387606Search in Google Scholar

Littler, M.M. and K.E. Arnold. 1982. Primary productivity of marine macroalgal functional-form groups from southwestern North America. J. Phycol. 18: 307–311.10.1111/j.1529-8817.1982.tb03188.xSearch in Google Scholar

Littler, M.M. and D.S. Littler. 1980. The evolution of thallus form and survival strategies in benthic marine macroalgae: field and laboratory tests of a functional form model. Am. Nat. 116: 25–44.10.1086/283610Search in Google Scholar

Littler, M.M., D.S. Littler and P.R. Taylor. 1983. Evolutionary strategies in a tropical barrier reef system: functional from groups of marine macroalgae. J. Phycol. 19: 229–237.10.1111/j.0022-3646.1983.00229.xSearch in Google Scholar

Lüning, K. 1985. Meeresbotanik. Verbreitung, Ökophysiologie und Nutzung der marinen Makroalgen. Thieme, Stuttgart, New York.Search in Google Scholar

Lüning. K. and M.J. Dring. 1985. Action spectra and spectral quantum yield of photosynthesis in marine macroalgae with thin and thick thalli. Mar. Biol. 87: 119–129.10.1007/BF00539419Search in Google Scholar

Markager, S. and K. Sand-Jensen. 1992. Light requirements and depth zonation of marine macroalgae. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 88: 83–92.10.3354/meps088083Search in Google Scholar

McConnaughey, A.T. 1998. Acid secretion, calcification, and photosynthetic carbon concentrating mechanisms. Can. J. Bot. 76: 1119–1126.10.1139/b98-066Search in Google Scholar

McConnaughey, A.T. and J.F. Whelan. 1997. Calcification generates protons for nutrient and bicarbonate uptake. Earth Sci. Rev. 42: 95–117.10.1016/S0012-8252(96)00036-0Search in Google Scholar

Ogden, J.C. and P.S. Lobel. 1978. The role of herbivorous fishes and urchins in coral reef communities. Environ. Biol. Fish. 3: 49–63.10.1007/BF00006308Search in Google Scholar

Okazaki, M., A. Pentecost, Y. Tanaka and M. Miyata. 1986. A study of calcium carbonate deposition in the genus Padina (Phaeophyceae, Dictyotales). Brit. Phycol. J. 21: 217–224.10.1080/00071618600650251Search in Google Scholar

Padilla, D.K. 1989. Algal structural defenses: form and calcification in resistance to tropical limpets. Ecology 70: 835–842.10.2307/1941352Search in Google Scholar

Padilla, D.K. and B.J. Allen. 2000. Paradigm lost: reconsidering functional form and group hypotheses in marine ecology. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 250: 207–221.10.1016/S0022-0981(00)00197-0Search in Google Scholar

Piazzi, L., G. Pardi, D. Balata, E. Cecchi and F. Cinelli. 2002. Seasonal dynamics of a subtidal north-western Mediterranean macroalgal community in relation to depth and substrate inclination. Bot. Mar. 45: 243–252.10.1515/BOT.2002.023Search in Google Scholar

Ramon, E. and I. Friedmann. 1966. The gametophyte of Padina in the Mediterranean. Proc. Int. Seaweed Symp. 5: 183–196.10.1016/B978-0-08-011841-3.50031-8Search in Google Scholar

Raven, J.A., F.A. Smith and S.M. Glidewell. 1979. Photosynthetic capacities and biological strategies of giant-celled and small-celled macro-algae. New Phytol. 83: 299–309.10.1111/j.1469-8137.1979.tb07455.xSearch in Google Scholar

Reinke, J. 1878. Entwicklungsgeschichtliche Untersuchungen über die Dictyotaceen des Golfs von Neapel. Nova Acta Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Germanicae Naturae Curiosorum 40: 1–56.Search in Google Scholar

Rinne H., S. Salovius-Laurén and J. Mattila. 2011. The occurrence and depth penetration of macroalgae along environmental gradients in the northern Baltic Sea. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 94: 182–191.10.1016/j.ecss.2011.06.010Search in Google Scholar

Sala, E. and C.F. Boudouresque. 1997. The role of fishes in the organization of a Mediterranean sublittoral community. I. Algal communities. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 212: 25–44.10.1016/S0022-0981(96)02745-1Search in Google Scholar

Steneck, R.S. 1982. A limpet-coralline alga association: adaptations and defenses between a selective herbivore and its prey. Ecology 63: 507–522.10.2307/1938967Search in Google Scholar

Thornber, C.S. 2006. Functional properties of the isomorphic biphasic algal life cycle. Integr. Comp. Biol. 46: 605–614.10.1093/icb/icl018Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Trono, G.C. 1997. Field guide and atlas of the seaweeds resources of the Philippines. Bookmark. Makati City.Search in Google Scholar

Turna, İ.İ., Ö.O. Ertan, M. Cormaci and G. Furnari. 2002. Seasonal variations in the biomass of macroalgal communities from the Gulf of Antalya (north-eastern Mediterranean). Turkish J. Bot. 26: 19–29.Search in Google Scholar

Valladares F., S. Matesanz, F. Guilhaumon, M.B. Araújo, L. Balaguer, M. Benito-Garzón, W. Cornwell, E. Gianoli, M. van Kleunen, D.E. Naya, A.B. Nicotra, H. Poorter and M.A. Zavala. 2014. The effects of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation on forecasts of species range shifts under climate change. Ecol. Lett. 17: 1351–1364.10.1111/ele.12348Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Van den Hoek, C., H.M. Jahns and D.G. Mann. 1993. Algen. Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, New York. Kapitel 1: Abteilung Heterokontophyta – Klasse 9: Phaeophyceae. pp. 152–153.Search in Google Scholar

Wolcott, B.D. 2007. Mechanical size limitation and life-history strategy of an intertidal seaweed. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 338: 1–10.10.3354/meps338001Search in Google Scholar

Wynne, M.J. and O. de Clerck. 1999. First reports of Padina antillarum and P.glabra from Florida, with a key to the western Atlantic species of the genus. Caribb. J. Sci. 35: 286–295.Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2016-7-8
Accepted: 2017-2-3
Published Online: 2017-3-15
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
https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2016-0069
Keywords for this article
anatomy; calcification; cell volume; growth rate; mapping; Padina pavonica

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
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 30.12.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/bot-2016-0069/html
Scroll to top button