Cystoseira abies marina (Gmelin) C. Agardh (Phaeophyceae) en el Mediterraneo Iberico

Hs, MURCIA: Murcia, Cala del Burro, 29 m de profundidad, 3-VIII-1989, J. Soto and A. Gómez Garreta, BCF 6090, 6091. Dos ejemplares recolectados en el transcurso de una inmersión con escafandra autónoma.

Catalogo de la flora bentonica marina de las Islas Baleares II: Phaeophyceae, Chlorophyceae

Este catálogo incluye 79 Feofíceas y 68 Clorofíceas que pertenecen a la flora bentónica balear. La flora bentónica marina de las Baleares, a causa de la elevada temperatura del agua, presenta cierta tropicalidad, carácter que queda reflejado en el elevado valor del índice R/P.

Drought tolerance and light requirements of high and low sublittoral species of Mediterranean macroalgae of the genus Cystoseira C. Agardh (Fucales, Phaeophyceae)

Article sobre la tolerància a la sequera i les necessitats de llum d'espècies de l'alt i baix sublitoral de macroalgues de la Mediterrània del gènere Cystoseira C. Agardh (Fucales, Phaeophyceae)

Effects of the sewage pollution in the structure and dynamics of the community of Cystoseira mediterranea (Fucales, Phaeophyceae)

We performed a study on the specific composition, structure, and dynamics of two Cystoseira mediterranea communities from the north-western Mediterranean submitted to different degrees of pollution. The structural complexity (species richness, specific distribution, and species and pattern diversity) and biomass production were lower in the polluted site. In this station, opportunistic algae (mainly Ulva rigida) loomed, and Mesophyllum lichenoides and some encrusting brown algae increased their cover. Other species (Jania rubens, and some Ceramiales) decreased their abundance when compared with the polluted site

Marine benthic algae of Namibia

The first comprehensive study of the marine algal flora of Namibia including descriptions and illustrations of most species is presented. The main objective of this work is to report a flora that, until now, has scarcely been studied. The work compiles all the available information on the marine benthic flora of Namibia and provides new data about it composition and biogeography, as well as detailed descriptions and remarks of most of its species. The samples on which this study is based were collected between 1986 and 1989 in the eulittoral and the upper sublittoral zones of the north half of the Namibian coast. According to the present data, the marine benthic flora of Namibia comprises 196 taxa (147 Rhodophyceae, 20 Phaeophyceae, 15 Ulvophyceae, 6 Cladophorophyceae and 8 Bryopsidophyceae), 21 of which has not been recorded from this coasts. This temperate flora is mainly characterized by a low number of species, a low proportion of Phaeophyceae and a high degree of endemism. Concerning the species number, the flora is quite poor due to both the scarce availability of colonizable substratum and the low diversity of habitats. On the other hand, the low proportion of Phaeophyceae is the reason for which the R/P and (R+C)/P ratios take disproportionately high values and so they are not useful in this geographical area. As regards the degree of endemism, the marine benthic flora of Namibia includes quite a high number of taxa endemic to southern Africa (55 taxa; 28.1% of the flora); 25 of these 55 taxa (12.8% of the flora) are endemic to the biogeographic Benguela Marine Province and only Acrosorium cincinnatum is endemic to the Namibian coasts.

Antimicrobial Activity of Iberian macroalgae

The antibacterial and antifungal activity of 82 marine macroalgae (18 Chlorophyceae, 25 Phaeophyceae and 39 Rhodophyceae) was studied to evaluate their potential for being used as natural preservatives in the cosmetic industry. The bioactivity was analysed from crude extracts of fresh and lyophilised samples against three Gram-positive bacteria, two Gram-negative bacteria and one yeast using the agar diffusion technique. The samples were collected seasonally from Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of the Iberian Peninsula. Of the macroalgae analysed, 67% were active against at least one of the six test microorganisms. The highest percentage of active taxa was found in Phaeophyceae (84%), followed by Rhodophyceae (67%) and Chlorophyceae (44%). Nevertheless, red algae had both the highest values and the broadest spectrum of bioactivity. In particular, Bonnemaisonia asparagoides, Bonnemaisonia hamifera, Asparagopsis armata and Falkenbergia rufolanosa (Bonnemaisoniales) were the most active taxa. Bacillus cereus was the most sensitive test microorganism and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most resistant. The highest percentages of active taxa from Phaeophyceae and Rhodophyceae were found in autumn, whereas they were found in summer for Chlorophyceae.