Marine Green Macroalgae Codexery

Caulerpa

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Caulerpa

Nhobgood Nick Hobgood · via Wikipedia: Caulerpa · CC BY-SA 3.0

Green seaweeds belonging to the family Caulerpaceae, the genus Caulerpa is composed of single cells containing many nuclei, a trait that places them among the world's largest single cells.[1] The genus name derives from the Ancient Greek words "kaulos" (stalk) and "herpo" (to creep), referring to its creeping stem-like thallus.[2] Tropical regions are the primary habitat for these seaweeds, though their range can also reach into temperate zones.[3]

Scientific classification

  1. CladeEukaryota
  2. CladeArchaeplastida
  3. CladeViridiplantae
  4. ClassUlvophyceae
  5. OrderBryopsidales
  6. FamilyCaulerpaceae
  7. GenusCaulerpa

Named by J.V. Lamouroux, 1809

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Caulerpa (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Type species
Caulerpa prolifera

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

Jean Vincent Lamouroux first described the genus Caulerpa in 1809.[4] The invasive strain of Caulerpa taxifolia was released into the Mediterranean Sea by the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco by 1984.[5] A constant circulation of cytoplasm, supported by microtubules, enables Caulerpa species to maintain their large cell size; this phenomenon was documented by 1967.[6] When a Caulerpa cell is cut, its cytoplasm does not escape, and the regeneration process is polarized: rhizoids form at the lower end and fronds at the upper end.[7]

The thallus of this genus is multinucleate and siphonous, meaning that cell walls do not separate the thallus and its nuclei.[8] Inward-growing extensions of the cell wall, called trabeculae, traverse the central lumen of the siphons in Caulerpa.[8] The Caribbean, the Indo-Malay region, and southern Australia are the areas with the highest species diversity, and most species in southern Australia are endemic.[3] Edible Caulerpa species include Caulerpa lentillifera and Caulerpa racemosa, which are commonly consumed under the name "sea grapes".[9]

What the cited sources add

The Center for Invasive Species Research reports that the invasive Caulerpa strain can survive out of water in moist conditions for up to 10 days.[5] Native fish that eat Caulerpa accumulate caulerpenyne toxins in their flesh, making them unsuitable for human consumption.[5] A 2024 RNZ article states that a one-square-meter patch of exotic caulerpa found near Goat Island Marine Reserve was destroyed by chlorine treatment.[10] The RNZ article notes that the treatment eliminated all viable exotic caulerpa in that patch.[10]

The PROSEA account on Caulerpa lentillifera reports that sexual reproduction has not yet been observed in South-East Asia.[11] Bleaching of Caulerpa might result from reproduction, as all contents are used in producing motile reproductive cells.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Caulerpa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ranjan, "An intracellular transcriptomic atlas of the giant coenocyte Caulerpa taxifolia", PLOS Genetics, January 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Caulerpa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bold, "Introduction to the algae", Prentice-Hall, 1985, p. 229 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Caulerpa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Prud'Homme Van Reine, "Species and ecads of Caulerpa (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta) in Malesia (South-East Asia): Taxonomy, biogeography and biodiversity", Netherlands Journal of Aquatic Ecology, October 1996, p. 83–98; Zubia, "Concise review of the genus Caulerpa J.V. Lamouroux", Journal of Applied Phycology, 2019-07-23, p. 23–39 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Caulerpa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Zubia, "Concise review of the genus Caulerpa J.V. Lamouroux", Journal of Applied Phycology, 2019-07-23, p. 23–39; Draisma, "A re-assessment of the infra-generic classification of the genusCaulerpa(Caulerpaceae, Chlorophyta) inferred from a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny", Journal of Phycology, 2014-10-09, p. 1020–1034; Cremen, "Reassessment of the classification of Bryopsidales (Chlorophyta) based on chloroplast phylogenomic analyses", Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, January 2019, p. 397–405 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Hoddle, "Caulerpa Taxifolia or Killer Alga", Center for Invasive Species Research, University of California Riverside, 2021. facts only, no text reused. cisr.ucr.edu
  6. Wikipedia, "Caulerpa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sabnis, "Cytoplasmic streaming and microtubules in the coenocytic marine alga, Caulerpa prolifera.", Journal of Cell Science, December 1967, p. 465–72 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Caulerpa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jacobs, "Caulerpa", Scientific American, December 1994, p. 100 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Caulerpa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Coneva, "Plant architecture without multicellularity: quandaries over patterning and the soma-germline divide in siphonous algae", Frontiers in Plant Science, 2015-04-24, p. 287 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Caulerpa" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Paul, "Comparative production and nutritional value of "sea grapes" — the tropical green seaweeds Caulerpa lentillifera and C. racemosa", Journal of Applied Phycology, 21 December 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. "Invasive seaweed caulerpa, found close to Goat Island Marine Reserve, destroyed", RNZ, 22 June 2024. facts only, no text reused. rnz.co.nz
  11. Trono, "Caulerpa lentillifera (PROSEA)", Pl@ntUse. facts only, no text reused. uses.plantnet-project.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Caulerpa (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

More in Marine Green Macroalgae

Caulerpa brachypusCaulerpa cupressoidesCaulerpa lentilliferaCaulerpa proliferaCaulerpa racemosaCaulerpa sedoidesCaulerpa serrulataCaulerpa sertularioidesCaulerpa webbianaPenicillus (alga)RhipiliopsisUdotea

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. To which biological family does the Caulerpa belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Caulerpaceae.

2. Who first scientifically described the Caulerpa?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Jean Vincent Lamouroux.

3. To which biological order does the Caulerpa belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Bryopsidales.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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