1986/11/01 by Robert S. Steneck, R S Steneck · 4 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Cephalopods and Marine Biology #Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies #Marine and coastal plant biology
paper · doi:10.1146/annurev.es.17.110186.001421
openalex publication_date 1986/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Although crustose coralline algae (Rhodophyta, Corallinaceae) are among the most abundant marine organisms to live on hard substratum within the photic zone, relatively little is known about their ecology at the species level. This is due in part to difficulties in identification; strong similarities in appearance exist among phylogenetically distant taxa. The study of such convergent morphological and anatomical properties of corallines provides insight into interpreting the adaptive value of some characters or the strategies (55) of some of these plants. Crustose corallines are nonarticulated calcareous red algae that commonly grow prostrate on hard substrata and as epibionts on other plants and animals. Although these algae are globally abundant (18, 109), until recently most coralline research has been taxonomic. Early ecological accounts were largely confined to distributional studies. In the 1960s and 1970s, interest in the ecology of corallines grew as problems with their taxonomy were resolved. The corallines were generally recognized to be abundant (26, 43, 44, 69, 71, 96) and geologically important (14, 18, 74). It was suggested that once obstacles arising from taxonomic problems are generally overcome, it seems likely that the group will be included more often in ecological studies or may even become 'popular subjects' (18). However,