Project details
One of the more common and thus important intertidal and subtidal marine algae is the red algal genus Laurencia, which is currently represented in NSW waters by 15 species. Only the red algal genera Polysiphonia (with 17) and Ceramium (with 20 plus) occur in larger numbers on this coast. No recent morphological or molecular studies have been undertaken on Laurencia species despite the fact that the genus has been the subject of major worldwide revisions with the result that three genera now represent this complex. Each of these 15 taxa will be reexamined to determine to which genus (Laurencia sensu stricto, Chondrophycus or Osmundea) they belong using both traditional vegetative and reproductive morphological techniques and plastid encoded DNA sequences (rbcL and RUBISCO spacer).