Phyllospora comosa
| Crayweed | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Phylum: | Heterokontophyta |
| Class: | Phaeophyceae |
| Order: | Fucales |
| Family: | Seirococcaceae |
| Genus: | Phyllospora |
| Species: | P. comosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Phyllospora comosa (Labillardière) C.Agardh, 1839 | |
Crayweed[1] (Phyllospora comosa) is a species of brown algae in the Seirococcaceae family. It is found in the oceans around Australia and New Zealand.[2]
In Australia, Phyllospora comosa is abundant in cooler waters along the south-eastern coastline, around Tasmania and in South Australia. It occurs to a depth of around 5 m (east coast) and farther south to about 3 m, but it can be found on some Tasmanian coasts at 18 m depth. It used to occur around Sydney but has disappeared and now it is being re-established under the Crayweed Restoration Project. It grows up to 2.5 m in length and forms dense, shallow forests. The algae have a central main axis, usually up to 3 m long, which bear many branches, along their length, with closely arranged, leaf-like laterals. Some laterals have conceptacles, in which develop cells which produce sperm and eggs. The strongly seasonal growth of the algae depends on the length of daylight; it occurs from apical cells and is restricted to the top 20–30 cm of the branches.
References
- ↑ Gannon, Megan (17 January 2014). "Sydney's Bald Reef Gets a Seaweed Transplant". LiveScience. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. "Phyllospora comosa (Labillardière) C.Agardh". AlgaeBase. National University of Ireland, Galway. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- Ecology of Australian Temperate Reefs: The Unique South by Scoresby Shepherd
Further reading
- Marzinelli, E.M; Campbell, A.H; Verges, A. (April 2014). "Restoring seaweeds: does the declining fucoid Phyllospora comosa support different biodiversity than other habitats?". Journal of Applied Phycology. 26 (2): 1090. doi:10.1007/s10811-013-0158-5.
- Coleman, Melinda A.; Kelaher, Brendan P. (April 17, 2009). "Connectivity among fragmented populations of a habitat-forming alga, Phyllospora comosa (Phaeophyceae, Fucales) on an urbanised coast". Marine Ecology Progress Series (2009). 381: 63–70. doi:10.3354/meps07977.