• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.389-394
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• 2001

During austral summer 1998 we examined the impacts of artificial UV-B and solar radiation on chlorophyll a content and fresh weight of four species of Antarctic red algae namely, Georgiella confluens, Iridaea cordata, Pantoneura plocamioides and Porphyra endiviifolium. These subject species were taken in consideration of clear demarcations of their vertical distribution and classified as shallow water group (Iridaea and Porphyra) and deep water group (Georgiella and Pantoneura). When irradiated with artificial UV-B at the irradiance of $2.0Wm^{-2}$ the shallow water inhabitants were much more resistant than the algae from deep water the fresh weight of which was reduced by 40-50% relative to control apart from loss of pigmentation. Direct solar radiation was lethal to the deep water group with a sign of complete bleaching whereas the shallow water group did not show any change in the physiological parameters. We were unable to discriminate difference in the algal sensitivity between UV-filtered and UV-transparent treatments since samples tested were either all unaffected or dead. Spectrophotometric measurements of methanolic extracts revealed a strong absorption peak in the UV range in the shallow water group of algae, Iridaea and Porphyra, but not in the deep water counterparts. Species difference in sensitivity to artificial UV-B and solar radiation is discussed in relation to biochemical and morphological characteristics and the role of the radiation in the algal vertical distribution is suggested from ecological perspective.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.129-137
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• 2016

This study aimed to isolate and characterize sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) from Iridaea cordata and evaluate their anticancer activity. SPs of the Antarctic red seaweed were obtained by $CaCl_2$ (SP1) and ethanol precipitations (SP2) following diluted acid extraction at room temperature. Yields of SP1 and SP2 were approximately 14% and 23%, respectively, of the dry weight of red seaweed. The average molecular mass of the SP1 and SP2 was estimated about $1.84{\times}10^3$ and $1.42{\times}10^3kDa$, respectively, by size-fractionation High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). From the High-Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography-Pulsed Amperometric Detection (HPAEC-PAD) analysis, the main monosaccharide was galactose with glucose and fucose as minor components. The sulfate content of SP2 (40.4%) was slightly higher than that of SP1 (33.8%). The FT-IR spectra also showed characteristic band of carrageenan-like sulfated polysaccharides. Taken together the SPs are thought to be carrageenan-like sulfated galactan. The polysaccharides (SPs) from I. cordata exhibited weak antitumor activity against PC-3 (prostate cancer), HeLa (cervical cancer), and HT-29 (human colon adenocarcinoma). To our knowledge, this is the first data on biological activity of the Antarctic red seaweed I. cordata.

• ALGAE
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2002

Three dominant rocky intertidal macroalgae, the fucoids Fucus gardneri and Pelvetiopsis limitata (Phaeophyta) and the red alga Mazzaella cornucopiae (= Iridaea cornucopiae) on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada were used in a series of field experiments to examine interspecific interactions. These experiments showed complex patterns which included an interchange of negative (inhibition) and positive (facilitation) interactions depending on neighbor distance. Less fucoid recruitment occurred in the plots with greater percent cover of a turfforming red alga, M. cornucopiae. However, experimentally removing Mazzaella turf (the turf was considered to be "blocking" fucoid recruits or "shading" growing recruits) did not increase recruitment. This result indicated that there may be another factor(s) involved in the survivorship of juvenile fucoids in the turf-removed plots. Morphological differences in adult plants between Mazzaella and the two fucoids resulted in another type of interaction; these began when fucoids successfully settled and grew nearby or within the red algal turf. By monitoring microhabitat at the individual plant level for two years, I found that survivorship of fucoid recruits showed different species-specific patterns. The patterns also varied as the microhabitat changed from Mazzaella turf edge to open space. For F. gardneri, longevity of P.limitata at all distances tested was similar. A reason for greater longevity of F. gardneri individuals at edge microhabitats may be that these sites have one side open to light and nutrients and another site that buffers them from desiccation and wave impact. In the Mazzaella-Fucus interaction, neighbor distance was a key factor in determining whether the outcome of the interaction would be competition or facilitation (or protection). This study provides experimental evidence that detectable biological interactions occur in this upper intertidal algal community where physical conditions are usually severe, and also indicates the importance of small scale examination in understanding macroalgal interactions in intertidal habitats.