Of dinner plate, cochlear and pacman corallines: seven common intertidal encrusting red seaweeds of the Cape Peninsula

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Date

2001

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Botanical Society of South Africa

Abstract

In the fifth and final part of this series of articles on common intertidal seaweeds of the Cape Peninsula, we look at encrusting coralline algae. These encrusting coralline and red seaweeds are widespread in shallow waters in all the world’s oceans, where they often cover close to 100% of rocky substrates. Nowhere are they more important than in the ecology of coral reefs. Not only do encrusting coralline algae help cement the reef together, but they make up a considerable portion of the mass of the reef itself and are important primary products and food for certain herbivores.

Description

Keywords

Cape Peninsula, Encrusting coralline algae, Herbivores, Red seaweeds, Rocky substrates

Citation

Maneveldt, G.W. & Frans, R. (2001). Of dinner plate, cochlear and pacman corallines: seven common intertidal encrusting red seaweeds of the Cape Peninsula. Veld & Flora, 87(3): 134-135