Shocking red algal mat due to new rock-loving species

Samuel Payler, contributor

(Image: Image: Yichi Zhang)

The red mess strewn over the slopes of Mount Gongga, China, is not the work of an angry god, but rather the result of otherwise-harmless algae.

Related algae have long lived here, but only in 2005 did this vast red algal mat appear, becoming a spectacular local tourist attraction. Now Guoxiang Liu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and colleagues have discovered that this was the result of a newly discovered variety of the algae Trentepohlia jolithus that suddenly expanded.

Why did it happen? Uniquely, this variety only grows on local rocks. In recent years, large debris flows combined with human activity, such as road construction, have exposed vast swathes of fresh native rock, ripe for the algae to colonise - and the mat has remained.

The mat's shocking red colour is related to organic pigments in the algae called carotenoids. These offer protection from UV radiation, allowing the algae to live in high altitude regions.

(Image: Guoxiang Liu)

Does the magnificent site have a future? Much in the same way a garden lawn will begin to grow wild if left unkempt, algal communities colonising fresh rock will inevitably be succeeded by other organisms that might compete with the algae. However, the area is constantly subject to further debris flows, meaning the mat may persist as fresh rock habitats emerge.

Journal reference: PLoS One, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0037725

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/2183c141/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A120C0A70Cshocking0Ered0Ealgal0Emat0Edue0Eto0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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