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Organic aggregates formed by benthopleustophyte brown alga Acinetospora crinita (Acinetosporaceae, Ectocarpales)
Author(s) -
Giani Michele,
Sartoni Gianfranco,
Nuccio Caterina,
Berto Daniela,
Ferrari Carla Rita,
Najdek Mirjana,
Sist Paola,
Urbani Ranieri
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/jpy.12413
Subject(s) - benthic zone , algae , brown algae , biology , diatom , green algae , organic matter , nutrient , botany , fatty acid , ecology , biochemistry
This work presents the elemental, polysaccharide, and fatty acid compositions of benthic aggregates formed by the filamentous brown alga Acinetospora crinita , which are widely spread on the rocky bottoms of the Mediterranean Sea. The aggregates can be characterized as mineralized centers in which regeneration of nutrients and recycling of dissolved organic matter actively occur and favor the development of an abundant phytoplankton community. Analyses of the stable isotopes of C and N display their marine origin and could provide evidence of the processes that occur inside/outside of the aggregates. The monosaccharide compositions of Adriatic and Tyrrhenian mucilages produced by brown alga A. crinita were quite similar. In particular, the Adriatic sample compositions resembled the average composition of the Tyrrhenian high molecular weight exopolymers, and the observed differences could be ascribed to different degradation stages. The fatty acid patterns found for the aggregates were similar to those observed in the isolated A. crinita algae with variable contributions from embedded diatom species. The bacterial contribution to the fatty acid pool was quite low, most likely due to the known poor conditions for their heterotrophic growth.