Cultivating Palmaria palmata - Bord Iascaigh Mhara

Appendix 4 - Glossary
Carposporangium, carposporangia (pl.): Carpospore-producing cell cluster of red algae.
Carpospore: A spore released from a carposporangium of a red alga.
Carposporophyte: Microscopic diploid life phase of red algae, which develops attached to the female
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gametophyte.
Dichotomous: Type of branching where a growing point divides into two equal growing points, which can, in
turn, divide into a further two new growing points.
Diploid: Having twice the basic (i.e. haploid) number of chromosomes (2n).
Distal: Away from the base or point of attachment (e.g., the tip of a branch relative to its point of origin on the
axis); also the converse of proximal.
Endophyte: An organism living within another plant which can have beneficial or harmful effects on the host
plant.
Epifauna: Aquatic animals living on or attached to the surface of algae, other animals or the seabed.
Epiphyte: An organism hat grows on another plant in a non-parasitic relationship.
Euphotic zone: Upper layer of a water body, which receives sufficient light to satisfy the requirements
for photosynthesis, and can be inhabited by autotrophic algae and plants.
Eutrophication: Process in which a water body becomes overloaded with inorganic nutrients, such as
nitrate, ammonium and phosphate. This can cause planktonic blooms and massive growth of certain seaweeds
(e.g. green tides), and possibly subsequent oxygen depletion of the water body.
Frond: Leaf-like or erect portion of a thallus; often used to define the entire erect portion of a foliaceous
or foliose thallus other than the attachment structure.
Gamete: A cell (sperm or egg) capable of fusing with the complementary gamete to form a zygote.
Gametophyte: Haploid phase of the life cycle of a seaweed which produces gametes.
Haploid: Having one complete set (n) of chromosomes.
Holdfast: Disc or root-like structure with which an alga attaches to the substratum.
Hydrocolloids: Generic term for commercially important polysaccharides extracted from seaweeds
(phycocolloids) and higher plants.
Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture, IMTA: The concept of IMTA is provision of by-products/wastes from one
culture species as feed or fertiliser input for another/other species. Fed aquaculture (e.g. fish or