Tropical macroalgae as pollution indicator organisms
Thorhaug A. 1976. Tropical macroalgae as pollution indicator organisms. Micronesica. 12:49-64
This paper is an attempt in the field and laboratory to accumulate a data base using tropical and subtropical macroalgae as indicator organisms. It is hoped that this would allow rational decision making as to discharges of thermal effluents from power plants as well as contribute to a fundamental understanding of the physiological ecology of tropical benthic macroalgae. The tropical benthic macroalgae have always existed within the narrow temperature regime which defines the sublittoral marine tropics and have never had to evolve any complex mechanisms for dealing with a wide range of temperatures or rapidly changing temperatures. Thus, to predict temperature tolerances that these more primitive algae can withstand, it is not logical to ascertain thermal limits of other freshwater, terrestial or even marine temperate plants above the mean annual high temperature and then apply these to the marine sublittoral tropicals. They must be tested for their own tolerances. It is the thesis of this discussion that the first link in the food web, the sublittoral benthic macroplants may prove to be the most sensitive link to a whole range of other substances as they have to temperature and therefore prove highly valuable indicator organisms. One may reason that since the tropical organisms are already near their upper temperature limit, that their vulnerability to other factors (such as pollutants) may be greater than that of temperate species.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Thorhaug, Anitra
- Units
- BISC
- Keywords
- Algae, Avainvillea, Benthic macrophytes, Biscane Bay FL, Card Sound FL, Chemical factors, Costal waters, destruction, Ecology, Estuary, Halimeda, Human Impact, Life processes, Macroorganisms, Marine Algae, Marine Biology, Microorganisms, Penicillus, Physical factors, Phytoplankton, Plant material, Pollution, Polythermostat, Rhipocephalus, Subtropical macroalgae, Temperature, Tropical macroalgae, tropics, Turkey Point Fl, Udotea, Valonia