E. Delcampo et al., DEGRADATIVE DISEASE IN ULVA-RIGIDA (CHLOROPHYCEAE) ASSOCIATED WITH ACROCHAETE-GENICULATA (CHLOROPHYCEAE), Journal of phycology, 34(1), 1998, pp. 160-166
A destructive disease affecting tank-cultivated Ulva rigida C. Agardh.
was characterized by green spots, initially located at the base of th
e thalli, that spread through the host thallus and gradually caused pe
rforations of the frond. The endophytic filamentous green alga Acrocha
ete geniculata (Gardner) O'Kelly was identified as the causative agent
of the disease. The effects of this infection on the host varied from
minor injuries to gross frond destruction. Advanced stages of infecti
on resulted in frond wrinkling and severe tissue loss. These symptoms
were caused by a primary compaction of the host cells due to a direct
effect of the endophyte followed by secondary bacterial infections tha
t became part of the degradative process initiated by the algal pathog
en. Co-cultivation of healthy and diseased fronds resulted in transfer
of the infection within 2 weeks; however, attempts to infect the host
in the laboratory with actively reproducing suspensions of the endoph
yte were unsuccessful.