BIOTIC Species Information for Lithothamnion glaciale
Researched byAngus Jackson Data supplied byMarLIN
Refereed byThis information is not refereed.
Reproduction/Life History
Reproductive typeGonochoristic
Vegetative
 Developmental mechanismSpores (sexual / asexual)
Reproductive SeasonInsufficient information Reproductive LocationInsufficient information
Reproductive frequencyAnnual protracted Regeneration potential No
Life span21-50 years Age at reproductive maturityInsufficient information
Generation timeInsufficient information FecundityInsufficient information
Egg/propagule sizeInsufficient information Fertilization typeInsufficient information
Larvae/Juveniles
Larval/Juvenile dispersal potentialInsufficient information Larval settlement periodInsufficient information
Duration of larval stageNot relevant   
Reproduction Preferences Additional Information
  • Adey, (1970) estimates the life-span of individual plants to be from 10-50 years.
  • Little is known about the reproductive mechanisms of this species. However, sexual reproduction can occur between gonochoristic plants. Asexual reproduction occurs through the formation of spores. In some populations sexual individuals are rare (e.g. in the Gulf of Maine, (Adey, 1966)) and reproduction is mediated mainly if not entirely by the production of asexual conceptacles.
  • Reproduction is probably mainly controlled by temperature (Adey, 1970). In Greenland and Sweden, Lithothamnion glaciale has reproductive conceptacles all year round whereas in Scotland, although conceptacles are common in winter, the plants are sterile in summer (Hall-Spencer, 1994 cited in Birkett et al., 1998)
  • A further form of propagation is by vegetative growth and division of a single thallus into two or more competent individuals that continue to grow. In the other main maerl species that occur round the British Isles (Phymatolithon calcareum and Lithothamnion corallioides), this vegetative growth is the main form of propagation (Irvine & Chamberlain, 1994). Spores can potentially disperse long distances although if dispersal is dependent on vegetative propagation, then distances will be extremely limited.
Reproduction References Adey & Adey, 1973, Adey, 1966, Adey, 1970, Irvine & Chamberlain, 1994, Birkett et al., 1998(a),
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