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Centroceras, the ‘missile’-launching marine red alga

Abstract

VEGETATIVE reproduction by specialised structures is very rare in the red algae. Dixon1 has listed two cases among freshwater species and two unconfirmed reports from the nineteenth century among marine species. I report here that the marine red alga Centroceras produces missile-shaped propagules which are carried away by ocean currents.

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References

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LIPKIN, Y. Centroceras, the ‘missile’-launching marine red alga. Nature 270, 48–49 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/270048a0

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