E. Carrington et al., Life history phases and the biomechanical properties of the red alga Chondrus crispus (Rhodophyta), J PHYCOLOGY, 37(5), 2001, pp. 699-704
Chondrus crispus Stackhouse alternates between two isomorphic life history
phases that differ in cell-wall phycocolloid composition. It has been long
hypothesized that the gametophyte, with strong-gelling kappa-type carrageen
ans, is mechanically superior to the tetrasporophyte, with nongelling lambd
a-type carrageenans, which could contribute to the observed gametophytic do
minance in many wave-swept environments. Standard mechanical tests were per
formed on distal tissues of C crispus sampled from a range of environments
in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, using a tensometer equipped with a video
extensometer. Life history phase was by far the most important determinant
of mechanical properties, whereas environmental factors had only modest in
fluence (vertical distribution) or no effect (exposure); gametophytic dista
l tissues were 43% stronger, 21% more extensible, and 21% stiffer than tetr
asporophytic distal tissues. However, the superior strength of gametophytic
tissues was not evident at the stipe/holdfast junction (where breakage typ
ically occurs), and the two phases were equally susceptible to dislodgment
by a given force. The primary ecophysiological role of carrageenans in C cr
ispus may not be the provision of a structure to resist wave action.