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Dispersal of Hormosira banksii (phaeophyceae) via detached fragments : reproductive viability and longevity

journal contribution
posted on 2008-10-01, 00:00 authored by Prudence McKenzie, Alecia BellgroveAlecia Bellgrove
Drifting, fertile thalli are well documented to be the primary long-distance dispersal vector for many marine macroalgae, but little information about reproductive viability of drift is known. This study examined the reproductive viability and longevity of floating fragments of the intertidal Australasian fucoid Hormosira banksii (Turner) Decne. Beach wrack surveys and field experiments were conducted to test the model that long-distance dispersal is achieved in H. banksii via floating, fertile fronds. High densities of beach wrack fragments were evident during summer compared to autumn. The majority of beach wrack occurred on sandy beaches rather than rocky shores. Both male and female fragments were present in the beach wrack. Detached fronds were capable of releasing gametes up to 8 weeks after detachment. Beach wrack produced high fertilization rates and recruited successfully onto artificial panels. Results suggest that detached fragments are reproductively viable and that floating, fertile fronds may be an important mechanism for facilitating long-distance dispersal in this species. Nevertheless, the frequency of fronds reaching a suitable habitat and contributing to gene flow between populations, or colonizing new populations, may not be proportional to the total density of beach wrack.

History

Journal

Journal of phycology

Volume

44

Issue

5

Pagination

1108 - 1115

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing

Location

New York, N.Y.

ISSN

0022-3646

eISSN

1529-8817

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2008, Phycological Society of America