Caulerpa taxifolia
| Caulerpa taxifolia | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Viridiplantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Class: | Bryopsidophyceae |
| Order: | Bryopsidales |
| Family: | Caulerpaceae |
| Genus: | Caulerpa |
| Species: | C. taxifolia |
| Binomial name | |
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Caulerpa taxifolia (M. Vahl) C. Agardh, 1817 |
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Caulerpa taxifolia is a species of seaweed, an alga of the genus Caulerpa. Native to the Indian Ocean, it is widely used ornamentally in aquariums, because it is considered attractive and neat in arrangement, and is easy to establish and care for. The alga has a stem (rhizome) which spreads horizontally just above the seafloor. From this stem grow vertical fern-like pinnae, whose blades are flat like those of the yew (Taxus), hence the species name taxifolia.
It is one of two algae on the list of the world's 100 worst invasive species compiled by the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Unlike most aquarium macro algae, C. taxifolia has the appearance of a vascular plant with "leaves" arranged neatly up stalks, like a fern. Behind this appearance, the plant is a typical macro alga, without the vascular system to transmit nutrients and cells that plants originally evolved on land have. Caulerpa taxifolia is single celled organism, however this is often over looked because of its complexity and size.
Caulerpa taxifolia has been described as storing in its "leaves" a single chemical, 'caulerpicin', that is noxious to fish and other would-be predators, though not toxic to the water around it. This is in contrast to plants which produce a variety of toxins, but in reduced amounts. On the other hand, studies have found that there is reduced pollution and toxicity in waters where it grows invasively, as around port cities in the Mediterranean. Original concerns about it reducing biodiversity of fauna have also been allayed, as species counts have shown this remains about the same.
In 1980, the staff at the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart, Germany found that a specific strain of this alga thrived in cold aquarium environments. Selective breeding under exposure to both chemicals and ultra-violet light produced even hardier Caulerpa strains. When it eventually found its way into the Mediterranean, widespread concern developed that the plant threatened to alter the entire ecosystem by crowding out native seaweed while being inedible to animals.
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Wikipedia