BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Ceramium virgatum
All Taxonomy Biology Distribution Reproduction

Researched by	Dr Keith Hiscock and Paolo Pizzolla	Data supplied by	MarLIN
Refereed by	Dr Fabio Rindi
General Biology
Growth form	Filiform	Feeding method	Photoautotroph
Mobility/Movement	Permanent attachment	Environmental position	Epifloral Epilithic Epiphytic Epibenthic
Typical food types	Not relevant	Habit	Attached
Bioturbator	Not relevant	Flexibility	High (>45 degrees)
Fragility	Intermediate	Size	Medium-large(21-50cm)
Height		Growth Rate	Insufficient information
Adult dispersal potential	None	Dependency	Independent
Sociability	Solitary
Toxic/Poisonous?	No
General Biology Additional Information	Ceramium virgatum colonizes rock and algal habitats from the midshore in rockpools to the open shore near to low water level and in the shallow subtidal (see Maggs & Hommersand, 1993). It also grows attached to the leaves of Zostera marina (see, for instance, Whelan & Cullinane, 1985). It occurs on bedrock through to pebbles. Dickinson (1963) notes that the species is either perennial or pseudoperennial. Settlement onto new surfaces can be rapid. For instance, panels were colonized within a month of being placed in Langstone Harbour (Brown et al., 2001)
Biology References	Dickinson, 1963, Brown et al., 2001, Maggs & Hommersand, 1993, Edwards, 1973, Whelan & Cullinane, 1985,