Halimeda

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Halimeda is a green macroalgae. It deposits calcium carbonate in its tissues, making it inedible to most herbivores.

Halimeda is responsible for distinctive circular deposits in various parts of the Great Barrier Reef on the north-east coast of Queensland, Australia. Halimeda beds form in the western or lee side of outer shield reefs where flow of nutient-rich water from the open sea allows them to flourish, and are the most extensive, actively accumulating Halimeda beds in the world. The tropical green algal genus Halimeda is one of the best studied examples of pseudo-cryptic diversity within the algae. H.incrassata is revised into two pseudo-cryptic entities described as new species: Halimedia kanaloana and Halimeda heteromporpha, H.incrassata is redefined to encompass a single, monophyletic entity. ^[1]

[edit] References

1. ^ Verbuggen, H., de Clerck, O., N'yeurt, A.D.R., Spalding, H. and Vroom, P.S. 2006. Phylogeny and taxonomy of Halimeda incrassata, including descriptions of H. kanaloana and H. heteromorpha spp. nov. (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta). Eur. J. Phycol. 41: 337 - 362

[edit] External links

• "Deepwater seagrass and Halimeda: lost lawns of the outer shelf",

• Australian Institute of Marine Science, retrieved 10 November 2006

• "Other species of conservation concern",

• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, retrieved 10 November 2006