Maerl beds are sensitive biogenic habitats built by an accumulation of loose-lying, non-geniculate coralline algae. While these habitats are considered hot-spots of marine biodiversity, the number and distribution of maerl-forming species is uncertain because homoplasy and plasticity of morphological characters are common. As a result, species discrimination based on morphological features is n...

By incorporating joints into their otherwise rigid fronds, erect coralline algae have evolved to be as flexible as other seaweeds, which allows them to thrive - and even dominate space - on wave-washed shores around the globe. However, to provide the required flexibility, the joint tissue of Calliarthron cheilosporioides, a representative articulated coralline alga, relies on an extraordinary t...

The 1983-1984 mass mortality of Diadema antillarum produced severe damages on Caribbean reefs contributing to substantial changes in community structure that still persist. Despite the importance of Diadema grazing in structuring coral reefs, available information on current abundances and algal-urchin interactions in Cuba is scarce. We analyzed spatial variations in Diadema abundance and its i...

Rhodoliths are non-geniculate, free-living coralline red algae that can accumulate on the seafloor and form structurally complex benthic habitats supporting diverse communities known as rhodolith beds. We combined in situ collections imagery to quantify variability, over 9 months at two sites, structural complexity biodiversity of a subarctic Lithothamnion glaciale bed. show unconsolidated fram...

Abstract The Los Guájares valley is located about 35 km south of Granada in the Internal Zones Betic Cordillera. Miocene deposits this area consist six sedimentary units separated by unconformities, which are exposed small and laterally discontinuous outcrops overlying metamorphic rocks Alpujárride Complex. lowest unit comprises upper Serravallian marls with planktonic foraminifera filling nept...

The genus Patella (Patellogastropoda, Mollusca) is represented by a group of species exclusive to the Northeast Atlantic Ocean (including Macaronesian archipelagos) and Mediterranean Sea. ulyssiponensis aspera are common in European waters, with first inhabiting continental coast, second endemic archipelagos. However, acceptance these two lineages as separate still highly debated. red coralline...

Macroalgae and filamentous turf algae (FTA) are abundant on degraded coral reefs, and the reproductive responses of corals may indicate sub-lethal stress under these conditions. The percentage of gametogenic stages (PGS) and the maximum diameter of eggs (MDE; or egg size) of Orbicella annularis were used to evaluate the effect of long- (7-10 months) and short-term (2.5 months) FTA removal (trea...

The response of respiration, photosynthesis, and calcification to elevated pCO2 and temperature was investigated in isolation and in combination in the Mediterranean crustose coralline alga Lithophyllum cabiochae. Algae were maintained in aquaria during 1 year at near-ambient conditions of irradiance, at ambient or elevated temperature (+3°C), and at ambient (ca. 400 μatm) or elevated pCO2 (ca....

Although many coral reefs have shifted from coral-to-algal dominance, the consequence of such a transition for coral-algal interactions and their underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. At the microscale, it is unclear how diffusive boundary layers (DBLs) and surface oxygen concentrations at the coral-algal interface vary with algal competitors and competitiveness. Using field observati...

During the chronological ageing process epidermal skin stem cells become less effective, meaning that the renewing and repairing activity of the epidermis is reduced. Moreover, fewer elastic fibres are synthesised, thereby inducing a progressive loss of skin elasticity. The standardised, COSMOS certified Cyanidium caldarium red algae extract, unique in its capability to produce gamma aminobutyr...