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Knowledge on the seaweeds of eastern Sorsogon in the Philippines is uneven. Not only is eastern Sorsogon among the areas of high seaweed diversity but locals there have interacted with seaweeds for ages. Despite seaweeds’ assumed importance to Sorsoganon, ethnobotanical records are missing. In this study, we documented the traditional knowledge on seaweed use and determined the rate of knowledge transmission among the locals of eastern Sorsogon. Vernacular names and modes of preparation were given of the 12 identified species bearing culinary and medicinal importance. Ten species were eaten while three were used therapeutically. Based on ethnobotanical indices, Caulerpa chemnitzia ecad turbinata and Gelidiella acerosa were the most important seaweeds. The least cited was Caulerpa racemosa. Our study demonstrated that most of the seaweed resources in eastern Sorsogon remain largely untapped, as the identified ethnotaxa were only about 5% of the total seaweed species diversity reported for the area. The seaweed knowledge in eastern Sorsogon appeared to be homogenous across age groups with primary sources of knowledge biased towards female relatives (mothers and grandmothers) and to children as inheritors. Cessation of seaweed knowledge may come at a potential cost, as a significant fraction of the population did not transmit their knowledge to others. Our study furthered the interest in providing sophisticated resource management recommendations that consider the relationships of traditional and scientific knowledge of seaweed selection and use in eastern Sorsogon and beyond.

Collectively known as eucheumatoids, Eucheuma denticulatum, Kappaphycus alvarezii, K. malesianus, and K. striatus are the main farmed seaweed species in the Philippines. The success of seaweed farming for over five decades in the country is due, in part, to the high diversity of cultivars maintained by the Filipino farmers. Notwithstanding the fact that many eucheumatoid cultivars are presently (and consistently) recognized by the Filipino farmers, there has been no attempt to summarize the current state of the local traditional knowledge about the diversity of this seaweed group, especially with reference to the taxonomy, cultivar designation and distribution. Factors based on present day local knowledge on the eucheumatoid cultivars and what is known on genetic identification in the Philippines were also discussed. A total of 66 cultivars recognized across 58 provinces in the Philippines were documented. Most of these cultivars were morphologically identified as either K. alvarezii or K. striatus, however, the majority were yet to be genetically identified. In part, due to higher demand of kappa-carrageenan extract as compared from the iota type, K. alvarezii and K. striatus were widely cultivated in the Philippines than that of E. denticulatum. Only in the southern Philippines that K. malesianus is currently cultivated. The diverse cultivars identified in this study suggest that the Filipino farmers possess important traditional knowledge that can be useful for future crop selection and breeding.

The term 'Satoyama' refers to traditional and unique secondary forests in Japan that occupy intermediate zones between villages ('sato') and hills or mountains ('yama'). Satoyama landscapes help sustain ecosystem services and the diversity of secondary natural environments. As Japan relies more heavily on foreign timber imports, the traditional role of Satoyama in providing forest products has diminished, and this has led to their abandonment and poor management. The chemical behavior of cations, anions, and dissolved organic matter in throughfall and stemflow from one such threatened Satoyama system in central Japan was investigated. From autumn to winter, the atmospheric deposition of sulfates and nitrates was 2.5–6.0 times higher compared to the amounts in summer due to the intrusion of air masses from the Asian continent. The dissolved organic matter in the throughfall and stemflow was composed mainly of humic substances and protein derivatives. The deposition fluxes of dissolved organic carbon from throughfall (7.31–10.1 g m−2 a−1) and stemflow (1.79–3.84 g m−2 a−1) in this study were within ranges seen in temperate forests in previous studies. The deposition flux of sulfates was low compared to that in other forest types because canopy interaction was lower, suggesting higher canopy openness than in primary forests. If a shift from a mixed species Satoyama forest to a conifer-dominated forest occurs after the mass mortality of oak, the deposition flux of dissolved organic carbon and K+ might decrease by 33% and 62%, respectively, while NO3− might increase by 20%. In the near future, the degradation of Satoyama landscapes might change the levels of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen loads, resulting in imbalances in river-ocean linkages affecting forested catchments and aquatic ecosystems in Japan.

The complex geographic and temporal origins of chicken domestication have attracted wide interest in molecular phylogeny and phylogeographic studies as they continue to be debated up to this day. In particular, the population dynamics and lineage-specific divergence time estimates of chickens in Southeast Asia (SEA) and the Pacific region are not well studied. Here, we analyzed 519 complete mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and identified 133 haplotypes with 70 variable sites. We documented 82.7% geographically unique haplotypes distributed across major haplogroups except for haplogroup C, suggesting high polymorphism among studied individuals. Mainland SEA (MSEA) chickens have higher overall genetic diversity than island SEA (ISEA) chickens. Phylogenetic trees and median-joining network revealed evidence of a new divergent matrilineage (i.e., haplogroup V) as a sister-clade of haplogroup C. The maximum clade credibility tree estimated the earlier coalescence age of ancestral D-lineage (i.e., sub-haplogroup D2) of continental chickens (3.7 kya; 95% HPD 1985–4835 years) while island populations diverged later at 2.1 kya (95% HPD 1467–2815 years). This evidence of earlier coalescence age of haplogroup D ancestral matriline exemplified dispersal patterns to the ISEA, and thereafter the island clade diversified as a distinct group.

Taxonomy, species diversity, and geographical distribution of the marine brown algal genus Padina (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) from tropical South-East Asian waters were investigated through a combi...

Species of marine algae have been found to contain a high diversity of sterols and fatty acids. This study aims to investigate the sterol and fatty acid potentials of two brown algae, Padina australis and Stoechospermum marginatum, and one red alga, Ahnfeltiopsis pygmaea, collected from the coast of Chabahar Bay, southeastern Iran. The analysis showed that total sterol content varied from 218.21 mg/100 g in P. australis to 374.19 mg/100 g dry weight (DW) in S. marginatum. Sitostanol was the most abundant sterol in the three species of algae. Sitostanol (90.34 mg/100 g) and campestanol (0.07 mg/100 g) contents of S. marginatum were higher than those in P. australis and A. pygmaea. Analysis of fatty acid profiles indicated that total fatty acid contents of the three algae species varied from 0.69% in S. marginatum to 1.52% of DW in P. australis. The percentages of SFA (saturated fatty acid) were measured from 32.36% in S. marginatum to 51.23% in A. pygmaea. The content of MUFA was also different from 12.53% in A. pygmaea to 19.72% in P. australis. Significant differences were observed in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content from 34.23% in A. pygmaea to 40.40% in P. australis. Arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20: 5n-3) were predominant in the samples, with the highest levels measured in A. pygmaea and S. marginatum. Maximum ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids was seen in P. australis. The results of this study demonstrate the valuable potential of the three macroalgal species from one of the less studied coasts in Iran.

Samples were collected from Arpangasia and Kholpetua rivers within the Sundarbans in Bangladesh during February to March and December 2018. Among several forms was found a tightly prostrate brown alga occurring on moist parts of mangrove plants and clayey soil. Flattened brownish thalli tightly attached to pneumatophores and lower parts of mangrove trunks, spreading and branching dichotomously, sometimes overlapping and attached by means of unbranched marginal and sub-marginal rhizoids were collected. Distinct marginal sori are well developed in fertile specimens. On the basis of these characters, the sample has been identified as Dictyota adnata Zanardini which is herein reported as a new record for Bangladesh.

The marine algal flora of eastern Sorsogon has been intensively collected and is generally considered as the richest in the Philippines. A trend of species records in the area has been dominated by rhodophytes (red algae) with significantly fewer similar studies for other algal groups (green and brown algae). In this study we present an updated catalogue of the green seaweeds (Ulvophyceae) of eastern Sorsogon. A checklist, including notes on taxonomy, is given of the 103 species. Twenty-six species are newly recorded locally of which five represent new records for the Philippines: Avrainvillea amadelpha, Caulerpa buginensis, an unidentified Caulerpa species, Codium cf. latum, and one taxon new to science. The new species is described as Halimeda magnicuneata Verbruggen et Dumilag based on morpho-anatomy and DNA sequence data. The number of ulvophycean species recorded in eastern Sorsogon is found to be the highest in the Philippines. This may be a result of the high collection effort in the region, as well as eastern Sorsogon’s diverse habitats providing favourable conditions for a wide range of seaweed species.

The Philippines is a mega-diverse country that lies at the crossroads of past human migrations in the Asia-Pacific region and is believed to have never been connected to the Asian continent, even during the major sea-level subsidence of the Quaternary. As a result, the history of pig dispersal in the Philippines remains controversial, due to limited molecular studies and absence of archaeological evidence of pig domestication. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of 184 complete mitochondrial DNA D-loop region from Philippine pigs to elucidate their early dispersal history by performing a phylogenetic comparison with wild boars and domestic pigs worldwide. The results showed a demographic signal of the ancestry of Philippine pigs that had a close genetic relationship with those from the mainland Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, suggesting gene flow that may have resulted from human migration and trade. Here we have suggested two possible dispersal routes. One parallels the Neolithic expansion in Island Southeast Asia and Oceania via Northeast Asia, the other from the mainland Southeast Asia, into Palawan and Sulu Archipelago as early as prehistoric times via the Sundaic Region. Despite geographic barriers to migration, numerous genetic lineages have persisted across the Philippine islands, even justifying the recognition of a Philippine Lanyu subclade. The prehistoric population history suggests a demographic expansion that coincided with the interglacial periods of the Pleistocene and may have spread from the southern regions into the eastern and central regions of the Philippines. The intriguing signal of discrepancy discovered between the ancestral pattern and distribution range of the numerous endemic Philippine wild pigs opens a challenging new approach to illuminate complexity among these animals. Our study has contributed significantly towards completing the sparse molecular studies on Philippine pigs, an essential for creating win-win conservation measures.

Little is known about the genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of seaweeds in Southeast Asia particularly for Halymenia species. Herein, molecular analyses based on DNA sequences of the COI-5P and rbcL were performed to assess the genetic structure within the foliose Halymenia species H. malaysiana in Malaysia and the Philippines. A total of ten COI-5P haplotypes and eight rbcL haplotypes were recognized from 42 specimens of H. malaysiana examined in this study. The genetic diversities of H. malaysiana were relatively higher based on the COI-5P sequences compared with the rbcL sequences. The results showed that populations from Peninsular Malaysia (East, South, and West coast) were genetically homogenous and exhibited low level of genetic divergence from populations from East Malaysia. In contrast, populations from the Philippines were distinct from Malaysian populations. Site-specific distribution was also evident in the Philippine populations of H. malaysiana.

The genusHalophilashows the highest species diversity within the seagrass genera. Southeast Asian countries where several boundary lines exist were considered as the origin of seagrasses. We hypothesize that the boundary lines, such as Wallace’s and Lydekker’s Lines, may act as marine geographic barriers to the population structure ofHalophila major. Seagrass samples were collected at three islands in Vietnamese waters and analyzed by the molecular maker ITS. These sequences were compared with published ITS sequences from seagrasses collected in the whole region of interest. In this study, we reveal the haplotype and nucleotide diversity, linking population genetics, phylogeography, phylogenetics and estimation of relative divergence times ofH.majorand other members of theHalophilagenus. The morphological characters show variation. The results of the ITS marker analysis reveal smaller groups ofH.majorfrom Myanmar, Shoalwater Bay (Australia) and Okinawa (Japan) with high supporting values. The remaining groups including Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Two Peoples Bay (Australia) and Tokushima (Japan) showed low supporting values. The Wallacea region shows the highest haplotype and also nucleotide diversity. Non-significant differences were found among regions, but significant differences were presented among populations. The relative divergence times between some members of sectionHalophilawere estimated 2.15–6.64 Mya.

The respiratory infection COVID-19 caused by the virus SARS CoV-2 has continued to be a major health problem worldwide and has caused more than a million mortalities. Even if the development of COVID-19 vaccines has shown much progress, efforts to find novel, natural anti-viral drugs should be pursued. Halymenia durvillei is a marine red alga widely distributed around Southeast Asia. This study aimed to develop new anti SARS CoV-2 compounds from ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts of H. durvillei via a computational approach, focusing onthe inhibitory action against the main protease (3CL-Mpro). In this study, 37 compounds were extracted and identified by GC–MS analysis. The potentials of compounds 1–2 tetradecandiol and E,E,Z-1,3,12-nonadecatriene-5,14-diol were identified for therapeutic purposes based on our pharmacophore study, while cholest-5-En-3-Ol (3.Beta.)- had a high fitness score in molecular docking studies both in monomer and dimer state compared to the N3 inhibitor and remdesivir affinity scores. As these compounds show competitive affinity scores against the 3CL-Mpro, these natural compounds may be effective for the treatment of COVID-19 infection. The ADME and pharmacokinetic studies should also be employed to assess the ability of the natural compounds as oral drugs. These promising results have shown the potentials of H. durvillei as an alternative drug in addressing COVID-19 infection. Accordingly, further studies should explore the effectiveness of these active compounds.

Epiphytic algae in mangrove forests contribute to high productivity in these unique mangrove ecosystems. A general survey of mangrove-associated macroalgae was conducted during February&ndash, March (dry season) and November&ndash, December (wet season) in the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest, Bangladesh. Different macroalgae were collected from mangrove pneumatophores, roots, and branches of trees. During this survey, a small and inconspicuous species of Chondria was encountered from the upper-middle of the intertidal zone in the Malancha River (22&deg, 5&prime, 11.37&Prime, N and 89&deg, 13&prime, 12.37&Prime, E). External&ndash, internal anatomical traits were examined and the sample was identified as Chondria intertexta Silva, a new record for the algal flora of Bangladesh. Furthermore, its geographical distribution and some other ecological notes are also discussed.

Giant clams (tridacnid shellfishes) contain threatened species and represent important fishery resources. They establish a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae (Symbiodinium) by receiving photosynthetic products from these symbiotic algae. Symbiodinium are divided into various phylotypes (A–I); each physiological character attributed to a certain phylotype may be different and may affect infectivity with clams. However, lack of information related to Symbiodinium diversities in giant clams causes difficulties in the culture of these clams, especially during the artificial infection process of Symbiodinium sources to clam larvae, which leads to an extremely low success rate in establishing infection. In this report, we have developed a multiplex PCR method, suitable for analyzing Symbiodinium phylotypes in giant clams. We have designed new specific PCR primer sets for three phylotypes (A, C and D) that give different product sizes and thus are distinguishable from each other on an electrophoresis gel. The method is reliable, highly sensitive and most practicable for aquaculture using one PCR reaction. We also performed a trial case of the method for extracted Symbiodinium DNA from clams and revealed an unexpected heterogeneity of phylotypes even though the clams tested were kept in the same pond.

Seagrass meadows are fragile ecosystems in the coastal zone. Natural disasters, land reclamation and various human activities seem to exert negative impacts on the distribution and biological performance of seagrass beds in Vietnam. In this present study, satellite Landsat TM/OLI image analysis was applied to determine changes in seagrass distribution at Van Phong Bay, Vietnam in the last 30 years. The maximum likelihood decision rule was used to extract seagrass bed distribution data. The error matrix using the in situ reference data for HLM image classification was 81–95% accurate, and Kappa coefficients were between 0.72 and 0.91. The results indicated that 186.2 ha (or 35.8%) of the original seagrass beds were lost in the last three decades at Van Phong Bay, and decline in each specific site may have been due to different causes. Typhoons may have caused the loss of seagrass beds at open-sea sites whereas aquaculture activities, excavation and terrigenous obliteration may have caused such losses in protected sites.

The role of female farmers has increased in recent years to supplement family income in many rural households. This research involved female farmers engaged in processing kai algae in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand studied by the population parameters technique. An interview schedule with open-ended and closed questions and descriptive statistics were used. The responses were scored on a five point Likert’s scale ranging from ‘very strongly agree (5)’ to ‘very strongly disagree (1)’ in order to assess the level of participation among respondents. Results of this study revealed that female farmers were mostly between 51 and 60 years old (33.2%), and most of them were members of the locally organized kai algal processing group (86.6%) of the village. Their educational attainment was low with 60.0% of respondents completing primary education and comprising a family of 3 to 4 members. Monthly income for most of them (43.3%) ranged between 5001 and 10,000 Thai Baht (100 THB = 2.83 US$). The participation of female farmers in group activities got established strongly within five areas, namely: 1) planning process (budget planning, mean = 4.27); 2) group production and implementation process (all production responsibility, mean = 4.47), 3) group activities evaluation process (group activities’ suggestion and improvement for the management, mean = 4.34); 4) selling activities (booth set up and exhibition, mean = 4.40); and 5) benefit distribution (benefit management for group member, mean = 4.53). The respondents indicated that the raw material was insufficient for the whole year production due to the highly seasonal nature of the algae. Moreover, the group needed more logistic and financial support for marketing and promotion both inside and outside the province.

Despite the large number of species discovered in Halymenia, many remain poorly known due to the scarce information available. In order to facilitate species discrimination of foliose Halymenia species in Southeast Asia, molecular analysis and morphological studies were made on Halymenia collections from Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The rbcL phylogenetic analyses showed that there are at least six taxa of foliose Halymenia occurring in Southeast Asia. Among the six taxa, a new species, Halymenia malaysiana P.-L. Tan, P.-E. Lim, S.-M. Lin et S.-M. Phang, is proposed based on both rbcL sequence analyses and morphological observations. Halymenia malaysiana is characterized by thalli possessing oblong or suborbiculate blades with a supple cartilaginous structure and gelatinous (slimy) texture, arising from a small discoid holdfast without a stipe, abruptly expanding into a broad blade and having a smooth surface with sinusoidally undulated margins. The phylogenetic analyses also revealed that Halymenia is a polyphyletic genus, which requires further taxonomic studies.

The phylogeny of the three species that comprise the genus Betaphycus Doty in Silva, Basson and Moe and their phylogenetic relationships with other eucheumatoids are still unresolved. In this study, the utility of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) marker in resolving their relationships was evaluated. Analyses of the COI sequences from Betaphycus philippinensis Doty and Betaphycus speciosus (Sonder) Doty ex Silva specimens collected from their type localities (Sorsogon, Philippines and Western Australia, respectively) revealed that the two species formed a well-supported clade distinct from Eucheuma J. Agardh and Kappaphycus Doty ex Silva. The genotyped specimens of B. philippinensis were observed to exhibit dorsal protuberances, a characteristic which has been regarded as a key diagnostic feature of Betaphycus gelatinus (Esper) Doty ex Silva. This observation raised the possibility that these two taxa are conspecific. In addition, B. philippinensis specimens were also observed to exhibit morphological features that could be used to distinguish the species from other eucheumatoids, such as the location tetrasporangial nemathecium in the thallus and the presence of apical or lateral pit connections in the tetraspores. The species referred to in the literature as “B. gelatinus” (as Eucheuma gelatinae) collected from northwestern Philippines was identified as a species of Eucheuma based on molecular and morphological evidence. The phylogenetic relationships of this species with other related eucheumatoid taxa were also determined.

Increasing coastal urbanisation has resulted in the extensive conversion of natural habitats with manmadehard structures, such as seawalls, which tend to support communities with low biodiversity. While seawallsare often colonised by species that can be found on natural rocky shores, some studies have shown that theircommunity structure and dynamics are markedly different. However, relative to rocky shores, ecological researchon seawalls is limited, and this is especially so in the tropics. To our knowledge, no research to date has examined,in the context of artificial coastal defences, the ecological succession of communities on substrates of varyingcomplexity near the equator. Hence, the aim of the present study is to quantify the patterns of algal succession on‘simple’ and ‘complex’ concrete tiles and granite controls mounted onto seawalls at two offshore sites in Singapore(Pulau Hantu and Kusu Island). Our results revealed the development of an algal assemblage that is typical ofmany tropical rocky shores; i.e., ephemeral green turfs succeeded by high cover of a grazer-resistant mat of erectand encrusting algae with the foliose macroalgal functional group poorly represented. All treatments developedmacroalgal cover by the first month. Final mollusc assemblage structure after one year was also quantified, asmolluscs are important consumers in structuring algal assemblages. While the succession trajectories were similarat both sites, the rates of succession differed. The transitions from ephemeral green turfs to the mixture of redand brown macroalgal assemblages, as well as the development of encrusting coralline and non-coralline algae,occurred two months later at Pulau Hantu (the more sheltered site). Granite controls did not support foliose orarticulated calcareous algal functional groups within the sampling period, probably due to material and structural/topographical differences. Documenting such small-scale spatial patterns of algal distribution represents the firststep towards a better understanding of the processes occurring in artificial habitats—and this should ultimatelyaid their reconciliation.

Species discrimination within the gigartinalean red algal genus Hypnea has been controversial. To help resolve the controversy and explore phylogeny within the genus, we determined rbcL sequences from 30 specimens of 23 species within the genus, cox1 from 22 specimens of 10 species, and psaA from 16 species. We describe H. caespitosa as a new species characterized by a relatively slender main axis; a pulvinate growth habit with entangled, anastomosing, and subulate uppermost branches; and unilaterally borne tetrasporangial sori. The new species occurs in the warm waters of Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore. The phylogenetic trees of rbcL, psaA, and cox1 sequences showed a distant relationship of H. caespitosa to H. pannosa J. Agardh from Baja California and the marked differentiation from other similar species. The rbcL + psaA tree supported monophyly of the genus with high bootstrap values and posterior probabilities. The analysis revealed three clades within the genus, corresponding to three sections, namely, Virgatae, Spinuligerae, and Pulvinatae first recognized by J. G. Agardh. Exceptions were H. japonica T. Tanaka in Pulvinatae and H. spinella (C. Agardh) Kutz. in Spinuligerae.

Diversity, abundance and distribution of intertidal macroalgae were investigated in relation to environmental conditions (site, shore level, salinity, temperature, NO3- and ) in Sirinart Marine National Park, Phuket province, Thailand, from January to November 2004. The shores were divided into 3 categories by shore level: upper, mid and lower shores; and 3 sampling sites: sites 1, 2 and 3. A total of 52 species of macroalgae were recorded. Nine species are considered to be new records for the Thai marine flora. The average diversity index of macroalgae differed slightly among sites: 0.92±0.07 (mean±SE), 1.00±0.13 and 0.94±0.16 for site 1, site 2 and site 3, respectively. There was significant difference in abundance of macroalgae among sites and seasons. Lyngbya majuscula and Padina australis were the most abundant species. Their percentage covers were 31.66±7.21% and 27.77±4.67% in site 2 at mid shore level during March 2004 and in site 3 at mid shore level during November 2004, respectively.

This monographic study presents morphological descriptions of eight species of Padina collected from the Visayas and Mindanao regions of southern Philippines, including distributions of each species and a taxonomic key for all the species examined. Of these species, three are new records for the Philippines, namely: P. fernandeziana Skottsberg and Levring, P. jonesii Tsuda and P. moffittiana Abbott and Huisman. One species, P. antillarum (Kutzing) Piccone, represents a new nomenclatural record, which is applied to a Philippine species for the first time. Four species previously reported in the Philippines are reconfirmed and described P. australis Hauck, P. minor Yamada, P. boryana Thivy and P. sanctae-crucis Borgesen. All eight species studied have distromatic thalli, except for P. antillarum which is tetrastromatic. Three of these have indusiate sporangia, namely: P. sanctae-crucis, P. moffittianaand P. fernandeziana.

One freshwater red alga, Batrachospermum hirosei Ratnabapathy et Kumano, is recorded for the first time from the Philippines. It was found to be attached on the submerged stones near the river in Palogtoc Falls, San Roque, Bulusan, Sorsogon Province. In this study, morphological and reproductive structures of B. hirosei are described in detail. We also discuss the biogeographic issue of this entity.

We investigated the reproductive morphology of representative material corresponding to the type species of each of the described genera presently placed in synonymy under Gracilaria. From these observations and published studies of recognized genera, 10 species groups are identified in the Gracilariaceae based on spermatangial type and cystocarp development. Actual or potential generic names are given in brackets after each group: 1) abscissa group (Melanthalia), 2) flabellata group (Curdiea), 3) lemaneiformis group (Gracilariopsis), 4) chilensis group, 5) edulis group (Plocaria/Polycavernosa), 6) urvillei group (Hydropuntia), 7) crassissima group, 8) salicornia group (Corallopsis), 9) gracilis group, and 10) bursa-pastoris group (Gracilaria). Tyleiophora was shown to belong to the bursa-pastoris group. The type species of the parasitic genera Gracilariophila and Congracilaria are closely related to their host species. Species assemblages recognized here based on morphological evidence received moderate to strong bootstrap support in recently published molecular phylogenies. Further studies may show that some groups correspond to genera, whereas others do not merit generic status.

A phylogeny has been inferred from parsimony and likelihood analyses of plastid rbc L DNA sequences for seven recognized and six undescribed species of Gracilariopsis ( Gp. ) (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta). New descriptions and illustrations of cystocarp morphology are provided for four Gracilariopsis species from North and South America. The generitype, Gp. sjoestedtii (Kylin) Dawson, is reinstated to include plants distributed from British Columbia to Pacific Baja California, and the name is corrected to Gp. andersonii (Grunow) Dawson. Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis (Bory) Dawson, Acleto et Foldvik is shown not to have a worldwide distribution but to be restricted to the vicinity of Peru. Gracilariopsis costaricensis is recognized with the provision that it may prove to be conspecific with Gp. lemaneiformis. Gracilariopsis “lemaneiformis” from North and South Carolina is described as a new species, Gp. carolinensis Liao et Hommersand sp. nov. Gracilariopsis longissima (Gmelin) Steentoft, Irvine et Farnham from Western Europe and the Mediterranean Sea and Gp. tenuifrons (Bird et Oliveira) Fredericq et Hommersand from the Caribbean Sea and Brazil are recognized. Entities that have been referred to Gp. “lemaneiformis” from China and Japan constitute an undescribed species that is related to Gp. heteroclada Zhang et Xia. An invasive species from the Gulf of California, Mexico, and South Australia that has been assigned to Gp. “lemaneiformis” is resolved in a clade that includes Gp. longissima. Four undescribed species are included in the molecular analyses. The systematics of Gracilariopsis is discussed in the light of the morphological and molecular evidence.

This study aims to determine consumer knowledge about organic foods and the reasons why buyers patronize or reject organic food products in Bangkok. It also relates such consumption patterns with the consumers’ understanding and points of view towards organic food as well as their demographic and socio-economic profiles. Data were collected from 130 randomly selected organic food consumers in a huge Bangkok supermarket using semi-structured questionnaires. Results showed that more than half of the respondents have purchased organic fruits, rice and vegetables in the past. The key reasons given for these purchases include expectations of healthier lifestyle and long-term contribution towards a more sustainable environment. Results have shown that surveyed organic consumers tend to have higher educational and family income levels, bigger family size and older than those who have never bought any organic products. The primary obstacles cited in the purchase of organic products include persistent confusion in interpreting organic food labels and the general lack of organic product information.

A green spotted Japanese sillago (Sillago japonica) was caught by a fisherman and brought to the laboratory for pathological inspection. The green spots were abundant on the lateral line and more extensively so within the mouth cavity. In both sites, green spots were embedded within the fish flesh and formed 2-3mm dome-shaped colonies. SEM revealed these colonies to harbor numerous unknown cells with small, surface warts (ornamentations). Molecular analysis showed the cells were Desmodesmus (D. komarekii), a common freshwater coccoid green alga found in ponds and rivers worldwide. It is uncertain how the host fish came to be infected with the alga which was not merely attached externally but embedded within the flesh and inside the mouth cavity. This is the first case of parasitic form of coccoid green algae in marine fish and provides new insights into the variable nature of green algae.

The vegetative and reproductive morphology and anatomy of Halymenia specimens from the Philippines were studied and four species recognised: H. dilatata Zanardini, H. durvillei Bory de Saint-Vincent, H. maculata J. Agardh and H. porphyraeformis Parkinson. As many Halymenia taxa have previously been reported from the western Pacific and Malayan region, specimens from neighbouring regions and type material of the most relevant taxa were compared with the collections from the Philippines. From these studies, H. ceylanica Harvey ex Kützing, H. durvillei var. denudata Weber-van Bosse, H. durvillei var. edentata Weber-van Bosse, H. formosa Harvey ex Kützing, H. microcarpa (Montagne) P. Silva and H. venusta Borgesen are considered to be synonyms of H. durvillei. H. porphyraeformis is reported from the region for the first time, but was found in earlier collections identified as the superficially similar H. dilatata.

The marine benthic red algae of Motupore Island and vicinity (Port Moresby area, Papua New Guinea [PNG]) are documented and 36 of the 161 species are illustrated. All records are listed with bibliographic, biogeographic, taxonomic and nomenclatural comments. Apart from several undescribed taxa, which we are in the process of describing separately, none is endemic to the island at this stage. The discovery of the east Australian species Gracilaria rhodymenioides represents a substantial range extension as does Ceramium lentiforme from New South Wales. One species of Gibsmithia also represents a significant range extension from its Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and southern Great Barrier Reef distributions. Platoma ardreanum is reported from outside its Hawaiian distribution for the first time, and the Caribbean Renouxia antillana represents a major range extension for the Pacific. Forty-four species appear to be newly recorded for the PNG marine flora and 108 are new records for the Island itself. Because all collections were taken during the month of July, many seasonal entities may be missing from this list and the total marine flora is not yet known. Moreover, because previous records are quite detailed with respect to epiphytic and turf algae, we have not concentrated on these species. The non-geniculate coralline algae have only been collected sporadically as part of this survey.

The western section of the Philippine archipelago comprising the frontier island of Palawan and numerous islands within the vast Sulu Sea basin is least known in terms of its marine biota. The Smithsonian Institution Philippines Expedition (SIPHILEXP) collected thousands of marine samples to document the rich marine biodiversity there. Collections of marine benthic algae were made from the small islets of the Cuyo Islands located in the northern section of the Sulu Sea. This paper documents 17 species and one form of brown algae (Phaeophyceae) grouped into nine genera and five families. All except three taxa are new records for the locality. The classification and nomenclature of each species follow currently accepted systems. Extensive remarks on the peculiarities of each species are provided. Compared to the marine flora of other regions of the Indo-Pacific, the brown algal flora of the Cuyo Islands is potentially as diverse, but owing to some species that are commonly found elsewhere and were not accounted for in this survey, the rich diversity of the marine flora here cannot be fully appreciated. The available information represents a valuable contribution to the knowledge of marine brown algal diversity in this poorly known region of the Philippines.

Background Members of the calcified red algal genus, Galaxaura, are distributed predominantly in warm temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions worldwide. The capacity of these algae to form calcified thalli could play a critical role in the carbon cycle of these ecosystems. Previous studies have suggested that the reported species diversity of Galaxaura may be exaggerated due to a lack of knowledge regarding external morphological differences between gametophytic and tetrasporophytic plants (or among different life stages) of a single species. Results To examine this issue, this study collected specimens of two morphologically distinct Galaxaura from Taiwan and the Philippines. These specimens were initially identified as two species (G. pacifica Tanaka and G. filamentosa Chou ex Taylor) based on their morphological features. Our molecular analyses, however, unexpectedly showed that these two specimens shared 100% identical rbc L sequences, indicating that they represented a single species comprising two distinct external morphologies. Furthermore, our extensive observations and molecular analyses on several specimens from different locations in southern Taiwan has revealed that these morphological differences could be due to seasonal variation. Conclusions This study proposes that G. “filamentosa” from the Philippines could represent the remnants of the lower villous part of older gametophytic plants of G. pacifica after senescence of the upper smooth part of the thallus. As such we propose that these two previously distinct algal species from the northwest Pacific Ocean as a single species, G. pacifica. This study shows that the biodiversity of the calcified red algae Galaxaura could be overestimated without the assistance of molecular tools. Additionally, this study provides insights into the biodiversity and unique biology of the calcified red algae Galaxaura.