Common Coralline (Marine Algae of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Adjacent Islands)

Common Coralline

Corallina officinalis

Summary ⁹

Corallina officinalis is a calcareous red seaweed which grows in the lower and mid-littoral zones on rocky shores.

Introduction ¹⁰

Corallina officinalis is a calcified red seaweed, a coralline alga commonly found in rock pools on seashores around the world. Corallina officinalis belongs to a large group of calcified seaweeds with more than 564 species that are found on seashores and in seas around the world.Corallina officinalis is a jointed or geniculate coralline alga. Other species of coralline algae are crustose species and look like someone has painted the rocks with pink or mauve paint.Other species of coralline algae can form deposits known as maerl beds. These are extremely important habitats for other organisms. Maerl is also commercially exploitable as a source of lime and trace minerals in the agricultural, horticultural and medical industries.

Description ¹¹

Corallina officinalis consists of calcareous, branching, segmented fronds, usually erect, up to 12 cm high but often much shorter. Fronds rise from a calcareous crustose, disk shaped, holdfast about 70 mm in diameter. Fronds consist of a jointed chain of calcareous segments, each becoming wedge shaped higher up the frond. Branches are opposite, resulting in a feather-like appearance. Colour varied, purple, red, pink or yellowish with white knuckles and white extremities. Paler in brightly lit sites. Different colours normally represent light induced stress and degradation of pigments (bleaching). Reproductive organs are urn shaped, usually borne at the tips of the fronds but occasionally laterally on segments. Distinguished from the similar Corallina elongata by the structure of its reproductive bodies which bear horns or antennae and from Jania rubens which branches dichotomously.Also known as 'Cunach Tra' or 'An Fheamainn Choirealach' in Ireland. Growth form can be variable, for example:

stunted specimens occur in high shore pools
much branched forms in the lower littoral
thick elongate forms in sublittoral

In Norway fronds 1-2 cm long recorded in lower littoral in contrast to 10-17 cm long fronds in pools. This variability has resulted in numerous species descriptions that are probably synonymous with Corallina officinalis (Irvine & Chamberlain 1994).

Biology ¹²

Reproduction
Life histories in red seaweeds are complex, and different reproductive structures have their own terminology. In Corallina officinalis male and female reproductive structures are found on separate plants. These structures develop in conceptacles - tiny flask-shaped structures just visible to the naked eye. After fertilisation, diploid spores are released which grow into a phase called the tetrasporophyte. These plants look just like the male and female ones but they develop conceptacles which contain tetrasporangia. Each tetrasporangium contains four spores. When mature, meiosis occurs in the tetrasporangium and haploid tetraspores are released. These grow into male and female plants.

Habitat ¹³

Typically forms a turf in pools and wet gullies from the mid tidal level to the sublittoral fringe. A characteristic algae of rock pools on the middle to lower shore. Occurs as scattered clumps in the sublittoral down to 18 m although it has been recorded down to 29 m in continental Europe. It often flourishes in exposed conditions. Occasionally found on mollusc shells or macroalgae such as Furcellaria.

Habitat ¹⁴

Depth range based on 420 specimens in 2 taxa.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 58 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 155.46
  Temperature range (°C): 11.244 - 24.821
  Nitrate (umol/L): 1.216 - 7.121
  Salinity (PPS): 35.035 - 36.667
  Oxygen (ml/l): 4.848 - 6.339
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.191 - 0.452
  Silicate (umol/l): 2.311 - 5.808

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 0 - 155.46

Temperature range (°C): 11.244 - 24.821

Nitrate (umol/L): 1.216 - 7.121

Salinity (PPS): 35.035 - 36.667

Oxygen (ml/l): 4.848 - 6.339

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.191 - 0.452

Silicate (umol/l): 2.311 - 5.808

Note: this information has not been validated. Check this note. Your feedback is most welcome.