Effects of Temperature, Irradiance, and Nutrient Type on the Fragment Growth of Green Tide Alga Cladophora vadorum

The green macroalga Cladophora vadorum bloomed along the coast at Sangrok Beach, Buan, South Korea, in September 2015. To elucidate the cause of bloom, the effects of environmental factors on the vegetative growth of adult fragments were examined. Growth experiments were carried out under different combinations of temperatures and irradiances, and with a single factor of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus). The maximal growth of C. vadorum was reported under the combination of 25°C and 100 μmol photons m⁻²s⁻¹. The species grew under a wide range of N and P concentrations. The growth of C. vadorum peaked at 50 μM PO₄³⁻, 80 μM NH₄⁺, and 100 μM NO₃⁻. Adult fragments formed holdfasts and new branches within 3 days in culture and became adults, showing polarized growth patterns, in 2 weeks. This is the first report showing the development of numerous bladelets from a segment in Cladophora species. The present results indicate that Cladophora blooms appear under growth conditions that are favorable in terms of temperatures, irradiance, and nutrients via fragment growth patterns producing rapid holdfasts and many bladelets.

녹조 대발생종 금발대마디말(Cladophora vadorum)의 절편 생장에 온도, 조도 및 영양염 종류가 미치는 영향