''Rhodochorton'' is a genus of filamentous
red alga
Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), make up one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta comprises one of the largest Phylum, phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 recognized species within over 900 Genus, genera amidst ongoing taxon ...
adapted to low light levels. It may form tufts or a thin purple "turf" up to 5 millimetres high. The filaments branch infrequently, usually at the tips.
Morphology
In most species of ''Rhodochorton'', the
spore
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...
does not persist in the mature plant; instead, a basal web of filaments acts as a
holdfast
Holdfast most often refers to:
*Holdfast (biology), a root-like structure that anchors aquatic sessile organisms to their substrate
*Holdfast (tool), a tool used to secure a workpiece to a workbench or anvil
Holdfast or hold fast may also refer t ...
. Indeed, all ''Rhodochorton'' species have distinct basal threads, usually forming a disc, and upright threads, which are typically thinner.
[ Lateral branches usually occur at or near the top of the patent cell, and branching is concentrated towards the tips of threads.][
]
Ecology
The organism may encrust bare rock surfaces, or be epiphytic
An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...
upon frondose
Frondosity (from Latin ''frondÅsus'' meaning 'leafy') is the property of an organism that normally flourishes with fronds or leaf-like structures.
Many frondose organisms are thalloid and lack the organization of tissues into organs, with the ...
algae - particularly ''Laminaria hyperborea
''Laminaria hyperborea'' is a species of large brown alga, a kelp in the family Laminariaceae, also known by the common names of tangle and cuvie. It is found in the sublittoral zone of the northern Atlantic Ocean. A variety, ''Laminaria hyperb ...
''. It typically grows in the shadow of these larger algae, in the intertidal zone
The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various ...
,[
It reproduces in winter using ]tetrasporangia
Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), make up one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 recognized species within over 900 genera amidst ongoing taxonomic revisions. ...
and don't bear any monosporangia. ''Rhodochorton'' is typically marine, but ''R. investiens'' dwells in fresh water.Sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that involves a complex life cycle in which a gamete ( haploid reproductive cells, such as a sperm or egg cell) with a single set of chromosomes combines with another gamete to produce a zygote tha ...
has never been observed.gastropod
Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...
s and amphipod
Amphipoda () is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods () range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 10,700 amphipod species cur ...
s, but amazingly fragments of the algae are able to pass through the grazers' digestive tracts alive - grazing may actually form a mode of dispersal for the organism.[
]
Life history
'' Rhodochorton investiens'' displays a relatively simple life cycle for a red alga.