PARTICULATE ORGANIC MATTER AS AN ALTERNATIVE NUTRIENT SOURCE FOR TROPICAL SARGASSUM SPECIES (FUCALES, PHAEOPHYCEAE)

Large Fucales are abundant on coastal coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, but are often limited by the availability of inorganic nutrients. Particle loads in these reef waters are high, which is generally perceived as detrimental for aquatic plants due to a reduction of light. Here, I provide evidence that several abundant Sargassum species supplement their nutrient supply with nutrients derived from the layer of particulate matter (PM) deposited on their thalli. In experiments involving removal or addition of PM, growth rates of Sargassum spp. were up to 180% higher when particles were present on the thalli. Tissue nitrogen and phosphorus levels of thalli with a surface PM layer were 10%–30% higher than those of thalli without PM. The amount of PM deposited in situ on thalli of five species of brown algae ranged from 0.6 to 0.9 g C org ·g −1 dry weight alga, depending on the species’ morphology. I suggest that a nutrient‐rich diffusive boundary layer is created on the thallus surface by an epiphytic microbial community that remineralizes the particulate nutrients. When algal growth is nutrient limited, the use of particle‐derived nutrients as a source alternative to nutrients in the water column may outweigh any potential adverse effects of the thallus particle layer.