Allgemein

Phlorotannin concentration in kelp affects consumption by mussels: Gretchen McCarthy PhD student

Phlorotannins are long polymers of phloroglucinol which provide antiherbivore deterrence from grazers and are found exclusively in the class Phaeophyceae. Little is known about how these compounds may affect consumption rates of kelp-derived detrital material by suspension feeders. In the present study we compared seasonal phlorotannin concentrations in eleven species of Phaeophyceae among five kelp…

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Growth of Greenshell mussels co-cultured with Ecklonia kelp: Fiona MacKechnie PhD student

Macroalgal detritus has been widely reported as an important source of nutrition in many species of marine bivalves, especially in temperate regions. Consequently, it could be expected that the commercial culture of the mussel Perna canaliculus may benefit from co-culturing with the common kelp Ecklonia radiata in New Zealand. To test this hypothesis a 3-month mesocosm experiment was conducted…

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