Ecological and morphological profile of floating spherical Cladophora socialis aggregations in central Thailand.

ABSTRACT: The unique beauty of spherical aggregation forming algae has attracted much attention from both the scientific and lay communities. Several aegagropilous seaweeds have been identified to date, including the plants of genus Cladophora and Chaetomorpha. However, this phenomenon remains poorly understood. In July 2013, a mass occurrence of spherical Cladophora aggregations was observed in a salt field reservoir in Central Thailand. The aims of the present study were to describe the habitat of the spherical aggregations and confirm the species. We performed a field survey, internal and external morphological observations, pyrenoid ultrastructure observations, and molecular sequence analysis. Floating spherical Cladophora aggregations (1-8 cm in diameter) were observed in an area ~560 m2, on th

SUBMITTER: Tsutsui I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4405566 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature