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A SEM Study of Epilithic and Endolithic Algae and Cyanophytes in Coquina Beach Rock of North Central Florida

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

N. C. Love
Affiliation:
University of Florida Department of Botany, Gainesville, FL32611
K. L. Kelley
Affiliation:
University of Florida ICBR EM Core Lab, Gainesville, FL32611
J. S. Davis
Affiliation:
University of Florida Department of Botany, Gainesville, FL32611
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Extract

The eastern coast of north central Florida is home to a habitat unique in the southeastern United States. Some areas of the north to north-central Florida beaches consist of outcroppings of coquina, a beach rock formed by shell fragments and sand held together by a calcareous cement. The major constituents of coquina are shell fragments of the surf clam Donax variabilis, while fragments of Area sp. and Dinocardium sp. are also generally present. These same shell fragments are also found loose comprising most of the beach “sand” in this area. The coquina serves as a substrate for a variety of attatched seaweeds and fouling organisms. Microalgae and cyanophytes of interest to this study can be classified as either epilithic or endolithic. Epilithic microorganisms inhabit the surface, using the rock primarily as a site of attatchment. The endolithic microorganisms are those algae and cyanophytes that actively bore into the coquina rock's shell fragments.

Type
Microorganisms: The Good, The Bad, The Unusual
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America

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References

References:

1.Humm, H. 1952. Notes on the marine algae of Florida. 1. The intertidal rocks at Marineland. Florida State University Studies No. 7, 18.Google Scholar
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