Volume 57, Issue 3

This paper provides the first comprehensive checklist of the seaweeds of Cyprus, based on both literature records and new collections. The total number of species and infraspecific taxa currently accepted is 313, including 53 green algae (Ulvophyceae), 90 brown algae (Phaeophyceae), and 170 red algae (Rhodophyta). Among them, 30 taxa are reported for the first time from Cyprus: 7 green algae, 9 brown algae, and 14 red algae, while 9 taxa are regarded as aliens. In addition, 10 taxa pending confirmation of their presence, 3 excludenda , and 3 inquirenda are briefly discussed.

An updated checklist of the benthic marine algae (seaweeds) of Barbados, Lesser Antilles, is presented, with a total of 308 taxa, consisting of 168 taxa of red algae (Rhodophyta), 49 taxa of brown algae (Ochrophyta), and 91 taxa of green algae (Chlorophyta). Current nomenclature is provided. Obsolete names and taxonomic synonyms are indicated in brackets. The classification is based on contemporary systems increasingly derived from the results of molecular phylogenies. The following eight taxa are newly reported for Barbados: Polysiphonia foetidissima , Hypnea valentiae , Gracilaria cylindrica , Gracilaria intermedia , Sargassum buxifolium , Cladophora laetevirens , Avrainvillea mazei , and Avrainvillea nigricans f. spongiosa .

New Zealand foliose red algae belonging to the family Halymeniaceae were examined with a focus on species that have been placed in the genera Halymenia and Cryptonemia . Phylogenetic analyses of plastid-encoded rbc L and morphological observations were undertaken. Samples from northern New Zealand, referred to as Halymenia latifolia , were compared genetically with H. latifolia from its type locality in France. The New Zealand material was clearly separate from the genus Halymenia and from H. latifolia , and was found to be closely related to Halymenia abyssicola from Mexico. The new genus Amalthea is described to accommodate the New Zealand taxon. Samples referred to Cryptonemia sp. from New Zealand formed a well-supported clade with Cryptonemia rotunda from Korea and Japan. This clade was distinct from the clade containing the generitype Cryptonemia lomation from France and other species of Cryptonemia . We propose a new genus Galene to include three species from New Zealand, two of which are described as new here and transfer Cryptonemia rotunda to this new genus.

We did a survey on macroalgal diversity along a transect off Hansneset (78°39′N, 11°57′E), Kongsfjorden, western Svalbard, between 0- and >15-m depths in 2012/2013. One major intention was to compare our data to a similar study performed in 1996/1998 at the same site and to document possible changes. We identified 58 species of macroalgae, 12 Chlorophyta, 31 Phaeophyceae, and 15 Rhodophyta. One species ( Sphacelorbus nanus ) is a new record for Svalbard. Fourteen species are new records for the Kongsfjorden area. Fertile tetrasporophytes of Turnerella pennyi ( Cruoria phase) and the microscopic Chlorochytrium stage of Spongomorpha aeruginosa are also recorded for the first time from Svalbard. An increase from 20 to 45 species in the littoral in 2012/2013 compared with 1996/1998 was recorded. This study increases the total macroalgal species diversity of Kongsfjorden to 76. While 62 species were found in 1996/1998 and 58 in 2012/2013, only 42 were common to both investigations. We have made some taxonomic annotations to 20 species/genera. Strikingly, we did not find again some red algae, such as Hildenbrandia rubra , Palmaria palmata , Polysiphonia spp., or Scagelia pylaisaei , that had been recorded in 1996/1998. Possible reasons for the changes based on recent knowledge from Kongsfjorden are discussed.

The potential of postharvest culture in low-nutrient conditions was evaluated in terms of enhancement of carrageenan gel quality in the tropical seaweed Eucheuma denticulatum (“spinosum” of commerce) and as an alternative to industrial alkali treatment. Postharvest batch culture of seaweeds with either initially low or high nutrient concentrations (both ending with low nutrient concentrations) produced native carrageenans that had significantly higher gel strengths (48 g cm -2 in both treatments) than those treated with continuous culture in high nutrient concentrations (18 g cm -2 ). The gel strength of native carrageenans from batch-cultured seaweeds was also significantly higher than that of both native and alkali-treated carrageenans from seaweeds that had not undergone postharvest culture (11 and 29 g cm -2 , respectively). The mechanism indicated for the enhancement of carrageenan gel quality involves stopping the production of precursor (galactose-6-sulfate) and converting the preexisting precursor to 3,6-anhydrogalactose units through in vivo enzymatic action. Postharvest batch culture with low nutrient concentrations is considered to be an eco-friendly alternative to industrial alkali treatment in the enhancement of carrageenan gel quality.

Changes in phytoplankton community composition related to salinity, allochthonous matter, and nutrients were found in the mixing zone that extended from the outflow of the lower Yenisei River into the Yenisei Gulf and Kara Sea in Russia. The highest cell abundance (140–662×10 3 cells m -3 ), biomass (138–950 mg m -3 ) and species diversity were found in the freshwater area (i.e., the lower reaches of the Yenisei River). The river-sea transition was marked by a decrease in the relative abundance of green algae and cyanobacteria, but an increase in chrysophyte algae. The ratio of freshwater and marine phytoplankton species was quantified in each habitat. The results contribute to our understanding of biological processes in the estuaries of large rivers flowing into the shelf zone of the Arctic Ocean.