Abstract
Most of the agar production in the world now comes from terete species of Gracilariaceae, a notoriously difficult group with regard to species circumscription. We have studied different populations of such algae from Brazil and from abroad in order to ascertain their identity and relationship. We based our taxonomic concepts on traditional morphological markers and attempted crosses between putatively interspecific and geographically isolated intraspecific populations. Data from the crosses helped in the recognition of genera and species with convergent morphologies and between disjunct populations. Our results show that configuration of male reproductive structures and some features of cystocarp anatomy are reliable taxonomic characters whereas some morphological features, such as gross thallus morphology and branching pattern, are not.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bird, C. J. & J. McLachlan, 1982. Some underutilized taxonomic criteria in Gracilaria (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales). Bot. mar. 25: 557–562.
Bird, C. J. & J. McLachlan, 1984. Taxonomy of Gracilaria: evaluation of some aspects of reproductive structure. Proc. int. Seaweed Symp. 11:207–211.
Bird, C. J. & E. C. de Oliveira, 1986. Gracilaria tenuifrons sp. nov. (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta), a species from the tropical western Atlantic with superficial spermatangia. Phycologia 25: 313–320.
Bird, C. J. & E. L. Rice, 1990. Recent approaches to the taxonomy of the Gracilariaceae (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) and the Gracilaria verrucosa problem. Proc. int. Seaweed Symp. 13: 111–118.
Bird, C. J., E. C. de Oliveira & J. McLachlan, 1986. Gracilaria cornea, the correct name for the western Atlantic alga hitherto known as G. debilis (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales). Can. J. Bot. 64: 2045–2051.
Bird, C. J., J. P. van der Meer & J. McLachlan, 1982. A comment on Gracilaria verrucosa (Huds.) Papenf. (Rhodophyta: Gigartinales). J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 62: 453–459.
Bird, C. J., E. L. Rice, C. A. Murphy & M. A. Ragan, 1992. Phylogenetic relationships in the Gracilariales (Rhodophyta) as determined by 18S rDNA sequences. Phycologia 31: 510–522.
Bird, C. J., M. A. Ragan, A. T. Critchley, E. L. Rice & R. R. Gutell, 1994. Molecular relationships among the Gracilariaceae (Rhodophyta): further observations on some undetermined species. Eur. J. Phycol. 29: 195–202.
Brown, L. M. & J. McLachlan, 1982. Atypical carotenoids for the Rhodophyceae in the genus Gracilaria (Gigartinales). Phycologia 21: 9–16.
Chapman, A. R. O., T. Edelstein & P. J. Power, 1977. Studies on Gracilaria. I. Morphological and anatomical variation in samples from the Lower Gulf of St. Lawrence and New England. Bot. mar. 20: 149–153.
Craigie, J. S., Z. C. Wen & J. P. van der Meer, 1984. Interspecific, intraspecific and nutritionally-determined variations in the composition of agars from Gracilaria spp. Bot. mar. 27: 55–61.
Dutcher, J. A., D. F. Kapraun & R. K. Sizemore, 1990. Inter- and intraspecific variation of nuclear DNA reassociation kinetics in the Gracilariales (Rhodophyta). J. applied Phycol. 2: 259–267.
Fredericq, S. & M. H. Hommersand, 1989a. Comparative morphology and taxonomic status of Gracilariopsis (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta). J. Phycol. 25: 228–241.
Fredericq, S. & M. H. Hommersand, 1989b. Proposal of the Gracilariales, ord. nov. (Rhodophyta) based on an analysis of the reproductive development of Gracilaria verrucosa. J. Phycol. 25: 213–227.
Goff, L., D. A. Moon & A. W. Coleman, 1994. Molecular delineation of species and relationships in the red algal agarophytes Gracilariopsis and Gracilaria (Gracilariales). J. Phycol. 30: 521–537.
Kim, M. S., I. K. Lee & S. M. Boo, 1993. Phenology and morphology on Gracilaria verrucosa (Rhodophyta) on the west coast of Korea: a statistical approach. Jap. J. Phycol. 41: 345–350.
Magne, F., 1964. Recherches caryologiques chez les Floridées (Rhodophycées). Cah. Biol. mar. 5: 461–671.
McHugh, D. J., 1991. Worldwide distribution of commercial resources of seaweeds including Gelidium. Hydrobiologia 221: 19–29.
Norris, R. E., 1985. Studies on Gracilaria Grev. (Gracilariaceae, Rhodophyta) from the Gulf of California, Mexico. In I. A. Abbott & J. N. Norris (eds), Taxonomy of Economic Seaweeds. California Sea Grant College Program, La Jolla, California: 123–135.
Oliveira, E. C. de, 1977. Algas marinhas bentônicas do Brasil. Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 407 pp.
Oliveira, E. C. de, 1984. Taxonomic criteria in the genus Gracilaria Grev. (Rhodophyta): An experience with the western Atlantic species. Proc. int. Seaweed Symp. 11: 55–58.
Oliveira, E. C. de, E. M. Piastino, 1994. Gracilariaceae. In I. Akatsuka (ed.), Biology of Economic Algae. SPB Academic Publishing bv, The Hague: 185–226.
Piastino, E. M. & E. C. de Oliveira, 1988. Sterility barriers among species of Gracilaria (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales) from the São Paulo littoral, Brazil. Br. phycol. J. 23: 267–271.
Piastino, E. M. & E. C. de Oliveira, 1990. Crossing experiments as an aid to the taxonomic recognition of the agarophytes Gracilaria. In E. C. Oliveira & N. Kautsky (eds), Cultivation of seaweeds in Latin America. Univ. S. Paulo, S. Paulo: 127–133.
Reading, R. P. & C. W. Schneider, 1986. On the male conceptacles of two terete species of Gracilaria (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales) from North Carolina. J. Phycol. 22: 395–398.
Taylor, W. R., 1960. Marine algae of the eastern tropical and subtropical coasts of the Americas. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 870 pp.
Yamamoto, H., 1978. Systematic and anatomical study of the genus Gracilaria in Japan. Mem. Fac. Fish., Hokkaido Univ. 25: 97–152.
Zhang, J. & B. Xia, 1984. Some problems in the taxonomy of Chinese species of Gracilaria (Rhodophyta). Proc. int. Seaweed Symp. 11:59–62.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this paper
Cite this paper
Plastino, E.M., Oliveira, E.C. (1996). Approaches to the identification of terete Brazilian Gracilariaceae (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta). In: Lindstrom, S.C., Chapman, D.J. (eds) Fifteenth International Seaweed Symposium. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 116. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1659-3_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1659-3_19
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7242-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1659-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive