''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated
filament
The word filament, which is descended from Latin ''filum'' meaning " thread", is used in English for a variety of thread-like structures, including:
Astronomy
* Galaxy filament, the largest known cosmic structures in the universe
* Solar filament ...
ous
Ulvophyceae
The Ulvophyceae or ulvophytes are a class of green algae, distinguished mainly on the basis of ultrastructural morphology, life cycle and molecular phylogenetic data.Graham LE, Graham JM, Wilcox LW (2009) ''Algae''. 2nd Edition. Benjamin Cummin ...
(
green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is affected by habitat, age and environmental conditions. Unlike ''
Spirogyra'' the filaments of ''Cladophora'' branch and do not undergo conjugation. There are two multicellular stages in its life cycle – a
haploid gametophyte and a
diploid sporophyte
A sporophyte () is the diploid multicellular stage in the life cycle of a plant or alga which produces asexual spores. This stage alternates with a multicellular haploid gametophyte phase.
Life cycle
The sporophyte develops from the zygote p ...
– which look highly similar. The only way to tell the two stages apart is to either count their
chromosomes, or examine their offspring. The haploid gametophyte produces haploid gametes by
mitosis and the diploid sporophyte produces haploid spores by
meiosis. The only visible difference between the gametes and spores of ''Cladophora'' is that the gametes have two
flagella and the spores have four. The ''Cladophora'' species can be a major nuisance causing major alteration to
benthic
The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...
conditions linked particularly with increased
phosphorus loading.
Cladophora balls
''Cladophora'' balls are formed from the filaments of the alga which are photosynthetic. Large numbers of these balls were thrown ashore in Devon, England. They had an average diameter of 2.5 cm and several million balls were found forming a layer.
This is not to be confused with
marimo, which, though formerly part of ''Cladophora'', is now called ''Aegagropila linnaei''.
Laotian Mekong weed
In
Laos, ''Cladophora''
spp.
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexe ...
(ໄຄ "river weed" or more precisely ໄຄຫີນ "rock river weed") are commonly eaten as a delicacy and usually known in English under the name "Mekong weed". The algae grow on underwater rocks and thrive in clear spots of water in the
Mekong
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annual ...
river basin. They are harvested 1 to 5 months a year and most often eaten in dry sheets (ໄຄແຜ່ນ
kaipen
Kaipen ( lo, ໄຄແຜ່ນ, khai phaen, ) is a Laotian snack made of fresh water green algae, garlic, vegetables, and sesame seeds.
''Kaipen'' is produced in northern Laos and is especially popular in the city of Luang Prabang. During the ...
-kháy sheets-), similar to Crispy Chinese Seaweed or Japanese
nori
Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, made from species of the red algae genus '' Pyropia'', including ''P. yezonesis'' and '' P. tenera''. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is often used to wrap rolls of sushi or ...
, though much cruder in their format.
Luang Prabang's speciality is dry khai with sesame (
kaipen
Kaipen ( lo, ໄຄແຜ່ນ, khai phaen, ) is a Laotian snack made of fresh water green algae, garlic, vegetables, and sesame seeds.
''Kaipen'' is produced in northern Laos and is especially popular in the city of Luang Prabang. During the ...
), while
Vang Vieng
Vang may refer to:
People
Vang is a common surname among Hmong Americans, including
* Vang Pao (1929–2011), Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States
* Ka Vang (born 1975), writer ...
is famous for its roasted kháy sheets. They can be eaten in strips as an
appetizer
An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the ...
, with a meal or as a snack with Beer Lao. Luang Prabang kháy sheets
kaipen
Kaipen ( lo, ໄຄແຜ່ນ, khai phaen, ) is a Laotian snack made of fresh water green algae, garlic, vegetables, and sesame seeds.
''Kaipen'' is produced in northern Laos and is especially popular in the city of Luang Prabang. During the ...
are the most readily available form of Mekong weed and are famous throughout the country and in the neighbouring
Isaan, though difficult to find beyond
Vientiane. Mekong weed can also be eaten raw, in soups, or cooked in
steamed curries ( lo, ຫມົກໄຄ, ).
''Cladophora'' as an asset and a nuisance
The genus ''Cladophora'' is
cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
and accordingly infestations cannot often be regarded logically as being invasive. Where they occur they may at various times be seen as beneficial, as a nuisance, or an outright pest.
Modest growth of ''Cladophora'' is generally harmless; the growth is an important food for many fish and other aquatic animals, as a buffer for the sequestration of nutrients in the water body and for protection of some aquatic organisms from solar
ultraviolet radiation.
Where ''Cladophora'' becomes a pest is generally where special circumstances cause such drastic overgrowth that
algal bloom
An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine water systems. It is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from the algae's pigments. The term ''algae'' encompass ...
s develop and form floating mats. Typical examples include where
hypertrophication or high mortality of rival organisms produce high concentrations of dissolved phosphorus. Extensive floating mats prevent circulation that is necessary for the aeration of deeper water and, by blocking the light, they kill photosynthesising organisms growing beneath. The mats interfere with the fishing industry by clogging nets and preventing the use of lines. Where they wash ashore the masses of rotting material reduce shoreline property values along water bodies such as the
Great Lakes in the United States.
[Great Lakes Science Center, ]
/ref>
Quagga mussel
The quagga mussel (''Dreissena rostriformis'', also known as ''Dreissena bugensis'' or ''Dreissena rostriformis bugensis'') is a species (or subspecies) of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Dreissenidae. It has an aver ...
populations have increased tremendously during the same time frame as the blooming of ''Cladophora'', though their ecological relationships are not yet clear and may be complex.
Diversity
Species include:
*''Cladophora albida
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is ...
''
*'' Cladophora aokii''
*'' Cladophora brasiliana''
*'' Cladophora catenata''
*'' Cladophora coelothrix''
*'' Cladophora columbiana''
*'' Cladophora crispata''
*'' Cladophora dalmatica''
*''Cladophora fracta
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is a ...
''
*''Cladophora glomerata
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is ...
''
*''Cladophora graminea
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is ...
''
*''Cladophora montagneana
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is ...
''
*''Cladophora ordinata
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is a ...
''
*''Cladophora prolifera
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is ...
''
*''Cladophora rivularis
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is a ...
''
*''Cladophora rupestris
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is a ...
''
*''Cladophora scopaeformis
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is a ...
''
*''Cladophora sericea
''Cladophora'' is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae (green algae). The genus ''Cladophora'' contains many species that are very hard to tell apart and classify, mainly because of the great variation in their appearances, which is ...
''
*'' Cladophora socialis''
*''Cladophora vagabunda
''Cladophora vagabunda'' is a species of marine green algae in the family Cladophoraceae
Cladophoraceae are a family of green algae in the order the Cladophorales.See the NCBI
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is pa ...
''
'' Aegagropila linnaei'' (marimo) was formerly placed here as ''Cladophora aegagropila''
References
*
*
''Cladophora'' Index.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
*Marsin, P. and J. Tomasz. (2005). Introductory studies on the morphology of the genus ''Cladophora'' from the Gulf of Gdańsk. ''Ocean. Hydrob. Studies'', 34(Supl.3): 187-193
External links
Images
of ''Cladophora'' at AlgaeBase
AlgaeBase is a global species database of information on all groups of algae, both seaweed, marine and freshwater algae, freshwater, as well as sea-grass.
History
AlgaeBase began in March 1996, founded by Michael D. Guiry, Michael Guiry. Text ...
{{Taxonbar, from=Q311264
Cladophoraceae
Cladophorales genera
Taxa named by Friedrich Traugott Kützing