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Updated: Feb 13, 2026

In Vitro Reconstitution of Light-harvesting Complexes of Plants and Green Algae
Published on: October 10, 2014
GAMETE RELEASE IS INCREASED BY CALM CONDITIONS IN THE COENOCYTIC GREEN ALGA BRYOPSIS (CHLOROPHYTA)
Svetlana R Speransky1, Susan H Brawley1, William A Halteman1
1School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469-5722Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469.
Abstract:
Water motion did not inhibit gamete release in cultures of the coenocytic green alga Bryopsis plumosa (Hudson) C. Agardh; however, the number of gametangia that released gametes increased significantly under transiently calm conditions. This stimulatory effect of calm conditions in the laboratory was found in isolates from two different areas of the Maine coast. The isolates were all monoecious, but strong differences in levels of fertilization, numbers of male and female gametes remaining following fertilization, and levels of polygamy (=zygotes formed by fusions of more than two gametes) were observed among isolates. These data support the hypothesis that organisms with external fertilization are able to sense and respond to water motion in ways that favor reproductive success.
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