Maerl

Maerl off the coast of the Isle of Arran
Calcified remains of maerl, on the "coral beach" in the Isle of Skye
Maerl in Lanildut.
Pieces of popcorn-like maerl from Fuerteventura island.

Maerl (also rhodolith) is a collective name for non-geniculate coralline red algae with a certain growth habit.[1] Maerl grows at a rate of c. 1 mm per year.[2] It accumulates as unattached particles and forms extensive beds in suitable sublittoral sites.[3] The term maerl originally refers to the branched growth form of Lemoine (1910)[4] and rhodolith is a sedimentological or genetic term for both the nodular and branched growth forms (Basso et al., 2015).[5] The terms rhodolith and maerl are used in very similar ways. A study in 2023 clarifies that maerl refers to only living, branched coralline thalli, while rhodolith includes unattached coralline red algae, both dead and alive.[6]

  1. ^ Steneck, R. S. (1986). "The Ecology of Coralline Algal Crusts: Convergent Patterns and Adaptative Strategies". Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. 17: 273–303. doi:10.1146/annurev.es.17.110186.001421. JSTOR 2096997.
  2. ^ Blake, C.; Maggs, C.A. (2003). "Comparative growth rates and internal banding periodicity of maerl species (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from northern Europe". Phycologia. 42 (6): 606–612. Bibcode:2003Phyco..42..606B. doi:10.2216/i0031-8884-42-6-606.1. S2CID 83523566.
  3. ^ Vize, S.; Blake, C.; Hinojosa, G. and Maggs, C.A. 2003. The distribution and composition of maerl beds in Northern Ireland. PMNHS Newsletter No.13 p.26
  4. ^ Lemoine (1910). "Répartition et mode de vie du maërl ( Lithothamnium calcareum) aux environs de Concarneau (Finistère)". Annales de l'Institut Océanographique. 1: 1–29.
  5. ^ Basso (2015). "Monitoring deep Mediterranean rhodolith beds" (PDF). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 26 (3): 549–561. doi:10.1002/aqc.2586.
  6. ^ Costa, Dimítri de Araújo; Dolbeth, Marina; Christoffersen, Martin Lindsey; Zúñiga-Upegui, Pamela Tatiana; Venâncio, Márcia; de Lucena, Reinaldo Farias Paiva (2023-07-11). "An Overview of Rhodoliths: Ecological Importance and Conservation Emergency". Life. 13 (7): 1556. Bibcode:2023Life...13.1556C. doi:10.3390/life13071556. ISSN 2075-1729. PMC 10382044. PMID 37511931.