Phyllospora comosa
| Phyllospora comosa | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
| Clade: | SAR |
| Clade: | Stramenopiles |
| Phylum: | Gyrista |
| Subphylum: | Ochrophytina |
| Class: | Phaeophyceae |
| Order: | Fucales |
| Family: | Seirococcaceae |
| Genus: | Phyllospora |
| Species: | P. comosa
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| Binomial name | |
| Phyllospora comosa (Labillardière) C.Agardh, 1839
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Phyllospora comosa, known as crayweed, is a species of brown algae in the Seirococcaceae family. It forms temperate seaweed forests that are important as habitat for many marine species and also for producing oxygen and capturing atmospheric carbon.
Taxonomy
[edit]Phyllospora comosa is commonly known as crayweed.[1] It is a species of brown algae in the Seirococcaceae family.[2]
Description
[edit]Crayweed grows up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in length and forms dense, shallow forests.[3][2]
Distribution
[edit]Crayweed is found in the oceans around Australia and New Zealand.[2] It is abundant in cooler waters along the south-eastern coastline of Australia, around Tasmania and in South Australia. It occurs to a depth of around five metres (16 ft) on the east coast and farther south to about three metres (9.8 ft). On some Tasmanian coasts it can occur depths of at 18 metres (59 ft). It used to occur around Sydney, but disappeared from metropolitan areas under pressure from human activities during the 1970s and 1980s.[3]
The algae have a central main axis, usually up to 3 m (9.8 ft) 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 (7.9–11.8 in) of the branches.[3]
Ecological significance
[edit]Crayweed forests are important as habitat for many marine species and also for producing oxygen and capturing atmospheric carbon.[3]
Conservation efforts in Sydney
[edit]A conservation effort known as "Operation Crayweed" has been working to re-establish the species in the waters around Sydney.[3] Transplants have been established at sites including Malabar, Coogee, Little Bay, Freshwater, and Bondi; other transplants were being planned for Newport and Dee Why as of January 2020[update].[4]
In 2022 Operation Crayweed was absorbed into a larger biodiversity restoration project, led by the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, called Project Restore,[5] with funding from the NSW Government.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ 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. Alt URL
- ^ a b c M.D. Guiry. "Phyllospora comosa (Labillardière) C.Agardh". AlgaeBase. National University of Ireland, Galway. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "The Crayweed Project". Operation Crayweed.
- ^ Mitchell, Georgina (19 January 2020). "The conservation effort returning lost seaweed to Sydney's shores". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Project Restore: restoration of seascapes in Sydney Harbour". UNSW. Centre for Marine Science and Innovation. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ "Massive funding boost to support marine biodiversity and restoration". This Week At Macquarie University. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Coleman, Melinda A.; Kelaher, Brendan P. (17 April 2009). "Connectivity among fragmented populations of a habitat-forming alga, Phyllospora comosa (Phaeophyceae, Fucales) on an urbanised coast". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 381: 63–70. Bibcode:2009MEPS..381...63C. doi:10.3354/meps07977.
- 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. S2CID 18989411.
- Shepherd, Scoresby, Graham Edgar (eds), and CSIRO., (2013) Issuing Body. Ecology of Australian Temperate Reefs: The Unique South Collingwood, Victoria, CSIRO. ISBN 9781486300099
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