Tropical green seaweeds are important components of shallow reef, grassbed, and mangrove habitats.

The players: Halimeda, Penicillus, Udotea, Rhipocephalus, Caulerpa.

 

Characteristics

Large

Siphonous

Common

 

Ecological Roles

Food

Shelter

Competitor

Source of sediment

Patterns of reproduction:

Vegetative reproduction

Fragmentation

New growth from runner

 

Sexual reproduction

Haploid gametes

Monoecious vs dioecious

Release into water column

Death

 

Factors that promote fertilization....

Gamete concentration..... timing is everything

Other considerations:

Gamete size

Gamete behavior

What we know:

Timing and appearance of sexual reproduction

Changes in local population size

Gamete size

Gamete behavior

 

What we don't know:

Triggers and Cues

Fertilization rates

What's next

Experiments

Observations

Research opportunities for undergraduates.