DOI : https://doi.org/10.4490/algae.2013.28.3.241

Algae. 2013; 28(3): 241-266.

doi: https://doi.org/10.4490/algae.2013.28.3.241

Observations on some mangrove-associated algae from the western Pacific (Guam, Chuuk, Kosrae, and Pohnpei)

John A. West^1,*, Mitsunobu Kamiya², Susan Loiseaux de Goër³, Ulf Karsten⁴ and Giuseppe C. Zuccarello⁵

¹School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia ²Department of Marine Bioscience, Faculty of Biotechnology, Fukui Prefectural University, 1-1 Gakuencho, Obama, Fukui 917-0003, Japan ³11 Rue des Moguerou, 29680 Roscoff, France ⁴Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 3, D-18057 Rostock, Germany ⁵School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P. O. Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

The mangrove algal flora of Guam and the Federated States of Micronesia has been poorly explored. We add to our knowledge of this region by observations of collections from these regions. This paper presents new and additional records of: Rhodophyta-Acrochaetium globosum, Colaconema sp., Caulacanthus indicus, Bostrychia moritziana / B. radicans, B. radicosa, B. simpliciuscula, B. kelanensis and B. tenella, Murrayella periclados, and Caloglossa ogasawaraensis; Chlorophyta-Boodleopsis carolinensis; and Phaeophyceae-Dictyota adnata, Dictyotopsis propagulifera, and Canistrocarpus cervicornis. Most specimens were cultured to investigate their reproductive biology and many specimens were further identified using molecular data. Low molecular weight carbohydrates (dulcitol, sorbitol, and digeneaside) were identified in samples of B. radicosa and B. simpliciuscula. We also present data on manganese-rich deposits found on B. simpliciuscula and B. tenella in culture, possibly formed by epiphytic bacteria.

Keywords : Chlorophyta; Chuuk; Guam; Kosrae; low-molecular-weight-carbohydrates; manganese-deposits; molecular phylogeny; Phaeophyceae; Pohnpei; Rhodophyta