Variación espacial y temporal en la producción de gametangios en la macroalga exótica Codium fragile subsp. tomentosoides (Chlorophyta: Bryopsidales) en el submareal de Caldera, Chile

Abstract

The macroalga Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides is characterized by exclusive asexual reproduction through parthenogenesis. We describe the spatial (within thallus) and temporal (seasonal) variability in the abundance of reproductive structures (gametangia) in specimens of C. fragile collected from the subtidal zone of Caldera, Chile. Gametangia are more frequent on newer sections of the thallus (apical and middle), increasing during austral springsummer, and with thallus size (i.e., length and number of dichotomies). Given that apical fragments are highly buoyant and thallus fragmentation increases during the summer, drifting fragments may be important dispersal vectors contributing to the spread of this species to new sites.