Deepest Known Plant Life Discovered on an Uncharted Seamount

Littler, Mark M.; Littler, Diane S.; Blair, S. M.; Norris, James N.

doi:10.1126/science.227.4682.57

Cited by 263 publications

(144 citation statements)

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“…The deepest known alga is a rhodolith-forming coralline red algal species discovered on an uncharted seamount at 268 m depth in the Bahamas (Littler et al 1985). Little is known about the diversity of non-geniculate coralline red algae from Brazil deep water (Amado-Filho et al 2007;Villas-Boas et al 2009) in general and of rhodolith-forming species in particular.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New records of rhodolith-forming species (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from deep water in Espírito Santo State, Brazil

et al. 2011

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Little is known about the diversity of nongeniculate coralline red algae (Rhodophyta, Corallinophycidae) from deep waters in Brazil. Most surveys undertaken in this country have been carried out in shallow waters. In 1994, however, the REVIZEE program surveyed the sustainable living resources potential of the Brazilian exclusive economic zone to depths of 500 m. In the present study, the rhodolith-forming coralline algae from the continental shelf of Espírito Santo State were identified. Samples were taken from 54 to 60 m depth by dredging during ship cruises in 1997. Three rhodolith-forming species were found: Spongites yendoi (Foslie) Chamberlain, Lithothamnion muelleri Lenormand ex Rosanoff and Lithothamnion glaciale Kjellman. These records extend the distribution ranges of these species into Brazilian waters and extend the depth distribution of non-geniculate coralline red algae into Brazilian water to 58 m.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New records of rhodolith-forming species (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from deep water in Espírito Santo State, Brazil

et al. 2011

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“…In the tropical western Atlantic (inclusive of Florida, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Bermuda), only a handful of other submersiblebased studies have been conducted in reef environments in water greater than 50 m depth: these include the results of Lang (1974), Huston (1985), and Fricke and Meischner (1985) from Florida; Lang et al (1975) and Liddell and Olhurst (1988) from Jamaica; Littler et al (1985Littler et al ( , 1986, Blair and Norris (1988), Liddell et al (1997), and Norris and Olsen (1991) from the Bahamas; and Ballantine (1990) from Puerto Rico. Mac intyre et al (1991) reported a handful of algal species collected from Barbados on the basis of two submersible dives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mac intyre et al (1991) reported a handful of algal species collected from Barbados on the basis of two submersible dives. Littler et al (1985) reported the deepest known macroalga (to 268 m), an unidentified Corallinales. In a more recent paper based on deployment of a drop camera, Friedlander et al (2014: "Deep Reefs," paragraph 2) reported the presence of crustose coralline algae "from 312 m depth (and probably from 382 m)" at Pitcairn Island (Pacific Ocean), although specimens presumably were not obtained.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mesophotic, Coral Reef-Associated, Marine Algal Flora of Puerto Rico, Caribbean Sea

Ballantine¹,

Torres²,

Aponte³

2016

Smithsonian Contributions to Botany

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s m i t h s o n i a n c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o b o t a n y • n u m b e r 1 0 5 Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press Smithsonian Institution Scholarly PressThe Mesophotic, Coral Reef-Associated, Marine Algal Flora of Puerto Rico, Caribbean Sea David L. Ballantine, Hector Ruiz Torres, and Nilda E. Aponte SERIES PUBLICATIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONEmphasis upon publication as a means of "diffusing knowledge" was expressed by the first Secretary of the Smithsonian. In his formal plan for the Institution, Joseph Henry outlined a program that included the following statement: "It is proposed to publish a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of knowledge." This theme of basic research has been adhered to through the years by thousands of titles issued in series publications under the Smithsonian imprint, commencing with Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge in 1848 and continuing with the following active series: s m i t h s o n i a n c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o b o t a n y • n u m b e r 1 0 5The Cover images, from left to right: Edge of insular shelf, offshore from La Parguera; technical divers' descent to the mesophotic; bottom habit, edge of insular shelf, "Weinberg," offshore from La Parguera. Published by SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION SCHOLARLY PRESS

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“…This broad taxonomic group is present in virtually every coastal ecosystem, from highly illuminated, intertidal regions to extremely light-limited habitats like rock crevices or depths of 250 m (Johansen, 1981;Littler et al, 1985;Payri et al, 2001;Burdett et al, 2014). The ecological significance of coralline algae varies from playing a fundamental role as ecosystem engineers of highly diverse communities (Foster, 2001;Steller et al, 2003) to being the preferred substrate for settlement of invertebrate larvae (Heyward and Negri, 1999;Williams et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Light Absorption in Coralline Algae (Rhodophyta): A Morphological and Functional Approach to Understanding Species Distribution in a Coral Reef Lagoon

Vásquez-Elizondo

Enríquez

2017

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Red coralline algae are a cosmopolitan group with the ability to precipitate CaCO 3 within the walls of their vegetative cells. The resultant carbonate structure is key for explaining their ecological success, as it provides protection against herbivores and resistance to water motion. However, its potential contribution to enhance thallus light absorption efficiency through multiple light scattering on algal skeleton, similar to the effect documented for scleractinian corals, has not been yet investigated. Here, we initiate this analysis, characterizing thallus optical properties of three coralline species, which differed in pigment content and thallus mass area (TMA, gDW m −2 ). The three species, the rhodolith Neogoniolithon sp., the crustose coralline alga (CCA), Lithothamnion sp., and the articulated alga Amphiroa tribulus, represent the more distinctive coralline growth-forms and are able to colonize contrasting light environments in Caribbean coral reefs. The thicker thalli of the rhodoliths were the most efficient light collectors, as evidenced by their higher pigment absorption efficiency (a * Chla ; m 2 mgChla −1 ) and photosynthetic rates per unit area. This could explain rhodolith success in oligotrophic, highly illuminated reef environments. In contrast, the thinner thalli of the CCA, a low-light specialist, showed the highest metabolic rates normalized to mass and the highest light absorption efficiencies per unit mass (a * M ; m 2 gdw −1 ). Therefore, the ecological success of the CCA in cryptic habitats within the reef cannot be explained only by its low-light physiology, but also by its capacity to reduce the structural costs of their thalli, and thus of its new growth. Lastly, the ecological success of Amphiroa tribulus, which displayed intermediate values for the efficiency of light absorption, metabolic rates and TMA, was explained by its ability to construct the largest light collectors (algal canopies) thanks to the presence of flexible, non-calcified segments (genicula). This ability enables enhanced photosynthetic and carbonate production at the organism/canopy level. The resulting fragile canopy survives best within the protection provided by colonies of the lettuce coral Agaricia agaricites. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the utility of optical traits as powerful tools to investigate differences in the competitive abilities, abundances and niche distribution among algal species and/or growth-forms.

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Deepest Known Plant Life Discovered on an Uncharted Seamount

Cited by 263 publications

References 10 publications

New records of rhodolith-forming species (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from deep water in Espírito Santo State, Brazil

New records of rhodolith-forming species (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from deep water in Espírito Santo State, Brazil

The Mesophotic, Coral Reef-Associated, Marine Algal Flora of Puerto Rico, Caribbean Sea

Light Absorption in Coralline Algae (Rhodophyta): A Morphological and Functional Approach to Understanding Species Distribution in a Coral Reef Lagoon

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