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Epiphytic diatom communities on intertidal seaweeds from Iceland

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Abstract

Epiphytic diatom communities on macroalgae from Iceland coastal waters were investigated during July 2005. Ten species of seaweeds have been collected belonging to brown, red and green algae. The analysis of epiphytic diatom community was carried out under scanning electron microscopy. The epiphytic diatom abundances varied from 7 ± 5 to 7524 ± 3491 cells mm−2. Erect growth forms were the most abundant, representing on average 50% of the total diatoms (Achnanthes cf. brevipes var. parvula, Tabularia investiens, T. fasciculata, Hyalosira cf. delicatula, Gomphoseptatum aestuarii, Pseudogomphonema plinskii), followed by adnate (29%) (Cocconeis stauroneiformis, C. scutellum) and motile forms (21%) (Nitzschia cf. amphibia and Navicula perminuta). Highly branched seaweeds with articulated thallus surface, offering a number of microenvironments to be occupied by the epiphytes, showed a high level of colonization, mainly due to erect and motile diatoms. Flat thalli with smooth surface allowed for the growth of mainly erect diatoms.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge Gudmundur Vidir Helgason for his kind hospitality and for providing us all the laboratory support in the Sandgerdi Marine Centre (SMC). A special thanks to Ian Tittley of the Natural History Museum in London and Ruth Nielsen of the Natural History Museum at the University of Copenhagen, which we met at SMC for their help in identifying the seaweed species. Thanks to Claudia Ciniglia who shared with us the experience in Iceland and helped us during sampling. We are indebted to Antonio Pusceddu for his useful suggestions on an early draft of the manuscript. The stay at the SMC was supported by the program “Improving Human Potential: Access to Research Infrastructure” (IHP/ARI) provided by the European Community.

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  1. Department of Marine Sciences, Polytechnical University of the Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy

    Cecilia Totti, Tiziana Romagnoli & Chiara Pennesi

  2. Research Division, Canadian Museum of Nature, PO Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa, ON, KIP 6P4, Canada

    Michel Poulin

  3. Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, University of Bari, via Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy

    Cesira Perrone

  4. Department of Environmental Sciences, 2nd University of Naples, via Vivaldi 43, 81100, Caserta, Italy

    Mario De Stefano

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  1. Cecilia Totti
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Totti, C., Poulin, M., Romagnoli, T. et al. Epiphytic diatom communities on intertidal seaweeds from Iceland. Polar Biol 32, 1681–1691 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-009-0668-4

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