Coral reefs are among Earth’s best-studied ecosystems, yet the degree to which large predators influence the ecology of coral reefs remains an open and contentious question. Recent studies indicate the consumptive effects of large reef predators are too diffuse to elicit trophic cascades. Here, we provide evidence that such predators can produce non-consumptive (fear) effects that flow through herbivores to shape the distribution of seaweed on a coral reef.
An innovator at Kenya’s Lake Victoria has turned an invasion of water hyacinth into a business opportunity, making paper from the weed that he sells in local shops.
Harvesting seaweed 'forests' and feeding them into large underwater digesters could one day meet the world's energy needs, with nine per cent of the ocean floor being enough to replace fossil fuels
Ocean acidification can alter competitive dynamics between species. Although calcareous species recruited and grew at similar rates to fleshy seaweeds in ambient and low pH conditions, at later stages, in low pH, they were rapidly overgrown. These results suggest that changes in competitive balance could indirectly lead to profound ecosystem changes in an acidified ocean.
Gandhinagar:In an oblique attempt to keep its vegetarian banner high, the Gujarat government is meandering into a so far unexplored area to fight higher malnutrition levels.
Well-placed Sachivalaya sources said the government is working out a complete plan of seaweed cultivation. Small farmers living next to the sea shore can venture into this cultivation in a big way, not just to earn highvalue-added incomes the produce can give, but also to improve nutrition. A top state official said the move comes close on the heels of a meeting chief minister Narendra Modi took some time back,
Many tropical marine macroalgae are reported from all three ocean basins, though these very wide distributions may simply be an artifact resulting from inadequate taxonomy that fails to take into account cryptic diversity. Alternatively, pantropical distributions challenge the belief of limited intrinsic dispersal capacity of marine seaweeds and the effectiveness of the north-south oriented continents as dispersal barriers. We aimed to re-assess the distribution of two allegedly circumtropical brown algae, Dictyota ciliolata and D.
Prospecting macroalgae (seaweeds) as feedstocks for bioconversion into biofuels and commodity chemical compounds is limited primarily by the availability of tractable microorganisms that can metabolize alginate polysaccharides. Here, we present the discovery of a 36–kilo–base pair DNA fragment from Vibrio splendidus encoding enzymes for alginate transport and metabolism. The genomic integration of this ensemble, together with an engineered system for extracellular alginate depolymerization, generated a microbial platform that can simultaneously degrade, uptake, and metabolize alginate.
bio-invasion:The exotic seaweed seen on Krusadai Island.
CHENNAI: Coral colonies in the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve are facing serious threat from an invasive seaweed, which is spreading rapidly, say marine researchers, who are worried about the phenomenon.
The bio-invasion by the sea weed, Kappaphycus alvarezii, was spread over only 10 square metres in 2008 in three islands
THE Gulf of Mannar National Marine Park authorities have decided to raise eco-friendly seaweeds to protect marine wealth as well as marine organisms.
A large quantity of seaweeds are located in Rameswaram, Pamban, Mandapam, Valinokkam, Periyapattinam, Keelakarai, Devipattinam among other areas. According to experts, seaweeds including gracilaria edulis (kanji
This study presents foliar application effect of Kappaphycus alvarezii (5-15%) extract on yield and seed quality of greengram at flowering stage. Application of K. alvarezii (conc. 10.0%) significantly increased seed yield (30.11%) compared to control,due to increase in yield of pods, weight of pods as well as seed yield per plant and 100 seed weight.
