Scientists have made an exciting discovery while studying the genetic diversity of maerl – a type of red algae – off the coast of south-west England and Wales.
The researchers mapped areas where it’s possible to find the two species of maerl: Phylithothamnion calcareum and Lithothamnion corallioides and shared footage of the stunning bright pink beds on Instagram.
But they found something surprising in the Fal estuary, near St Mawes, Cornwall. These waters were home to both species of algae but they noticed two variants within the P. calcareum they found. One of these is enormous – hence the name – growing up to three times as big as the other variant.
“We have called this ‘Godzilla maerl’ and so far, we can find no evidence of P. calcareum maerl being this big in Europe,” says project lead Dr Tom Jenkins, a researcher at the University of Exeter, in a statement. “It appears to be found only in St Mawes.”
Their findings also showed that this Godzilla maerl has low genetic diversity, which could put it at higher risk from threats. Their findings are published in Evolutionary Applications.
“High genetic diversity or clonality – where we see lots of clones – can be used as proxies for how resilient each population of maerl might be to future change,” says Jenkins. “The more variation in a site, the greater the chance that the population may be better equipped to respond to those changes."
Maerl beds play an important role in the ecosystem. They provide important nursery habitats for juvenile animals and help to capture carbon.
“The longevity of maerl beds can be measured in centuries, if not millennia," says Professor Jamie Stevens, a researcher in Exeter’s Department of Biosciences. “It is the most phenomenal of structures and its value to commercially important crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs, should not be underestimated.”
Top image: Jade Roberts / Exeter Marine, Mark Milburn, Open Planet / Silverback Films, Matt Slater / Cornwall Wildlife Trust
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