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Dislodgment and attachment strength of the intertidal macroalga Hormosira banksii (Fucales, Phaeophyceae)
journal contribution
posted on 2009-09-01, 00:00 authored by Prudence McKenzie, Alecia BellgroveAlecia BellgroveHormosira banksii is a dominant intertidal alga characterised by limited dispersal of propagules, yet it has a broad distribution throughout temperate Australasia. However, the high abundance of beach wrack of H. banksii on sandy beaches along southwest Victoria, the frequency of frond dislodgment and the force required to break it from the substratum remain unknown. Dislodgment of macroalgae has been shown to influence dispersal processes; therefore, we tested the model that long-distance dispersal of H. banksii is facilitated by weak attachment to the substratum and frequent dislodgment of fertile fronds. We monitored the dislodgment of H. banksii individuals and conducted in situ pull tests to determine the attachment strength of fronds of H. banksii. We further tested whether thallus size or pull direction influenced attachment strength of H. banksii. We found that breakage of vesicles and fronds was a regular event during the survey period and that the mean attachment strength of fronds of H. banksii was weak compared to other intertidal algae. Furthermore, we found that thallus size did not influence the force required to break fronds of H.banksii from the substratum but that the direction that fronds were pulled from the substratum did. We suggest that fronds of H. banksii do drift frequently and that long-distance dispersal is likely to be an important mechanism for the distributional success of this species.
History
Journal
PhycologiaVolume
48Issue
5Pagination
335 - 343Publisher
International Phycological SocietyLocation
Lawrence, Kan.Publisher DOI
ISSN
0031-8884Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2009, International Phycological SocietyUsage metrics
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dislodgmentdispersaldriftingfloatingfucoidintertidalmacroalgaeScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicinePlant SciencesMarine & Freshwater BiologyWAVE-EXPOSUREMORPHOLOGICAL VARIATIONHYDRODYNAMIC-FORCESTURBINARIA-ORNATAFUCUS-VESICULOSUSEGREGIA-MENZIESIISPATIAL VARIATIONECKLONIA-RADIATATURNER DECAISNETHALLUS SIZE
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