Ceramium Sp. - N/A

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Ceramium virgatum - England 3
Ceramium virgatum
(Wikimedia)1
Ceramium rubrum Helgoland
Ceramium rubrum
(Wikimedia)2
A descriptive alt text for the third image.
Caption for Image 3
(Wikimedia)3

"Ceramium occurs very commonly between tide levels and in deeper water being especially abundant along the Mediterranean coast. Some species may also thrive well in river water. The richly branched uniaxial plant body is recognizable from the banded appearance and the tong-like forking of the apical region of the branches, these are considered very valuable diagnostic characters (Fig. 122B and Fig. 123A, C & F)." (1) "Discrimination of separate species of Ceramium is often difficult. This species {Ceramium virgatum} can be identified with certainty only by careful microscopic observation and in the field can be easily confused with other species of Ceramium with similar morphology..."(4)

"Currently, there are over 180 species recognized for the genus Ceramium, which are widely distributed throughout subtidal and intertidal habitats around the world (Maggs and Hommersand 1993; Maggs et al. 2002; Sears 2002; Gabrielson et al. 2006; Guiry and Guiry 2014). However, due to the complications associated with morphological‐based species identifications and rampant phenotypic plasticity in this genus, the taxonomic status, as well as current understanding of biogeographical distributions for many reported species, is uncertain or problematic for many species (Maggs and Hommersand 1993; Maggs et al. 2002)." (3)

Local Species

Figure 122B
(1)
Figure 123A
(1)

(3)
"(above) Shared morphological attributes in some individuals of C. secundatum and C. virgatum. (A) Gross morphology, cortication, and branching detail of C. secundatum (GWS030046). Scale bar = 1 cm. (B) Gross morphology, cortication, and branching detail of C. virgatum (GWS003615). Scale bar = 1 cm." (3)

Other/Industrial Applications

Hydrocolloids: Red algae are the world's primary source of the hydrocolloids agar and carrageenan. These complex polysaccharides are extracted and used globally as gelling agents, stabilizers, and thickeners in a vast array of products, including ice cream, toothpaste, cosmetics, and laboratory culture media. (52) While Ceramium does produce these compounds, commercial extraction typically focuses on other, larger red algae that can be harvested in greater bulk. (60)

Antifouling Agents: "Epiphytes and fouling organisms induce problems in aquaculture, reducing yield of open-water and on-shore farms. By weighing down materials, fouling can also cause equipment failure. The presence of Ceramium botryocarpum (Rhodophyta, Ceramiales) in tank cultures (Innovalg, France) significantly limits the establishment of opportunist green algae such as Cladophora, Bryopsis or Ulva usually disturbing the cultures. In order to demonstrate the antifouling activity of substances released by C. botryocarpum, the activities of different extracts have been tested on representative marine species such as marine bacteria, phytoplankton, and spores of macroalgae. The extracts from spring strongly inhibit the development of marine bacteria, phytoplankton and spores of Ulva at concentrations between 25 and 150 μg mL− 1. These results confirm the presence of active substances in C. botryocarpum. No significative trend on the variation in the antifouling activity from September to July has been highlighted. Compared with toxic biocides commonly used in antifouling paints, natural extracts of Ceramium present no cytotoxicity. Active substances from C. botryocarpum could be used to fight against bacterial and algal fouling problems in aquaculture systems." (67)

Bioindicators of Pollution: Some species of Ceramium are highly effective at absorbing and accumulating substances from the surrounding water. This trait makes them valuable as bioindicators for environmental monitoring. For instance, Ceramium ciliatum var. robustum has been identified as a remarkable biological indicator for mercury pollution, as its tissues concentrate the heavy metal to levels that directly reflect the contamination in the local water body. (68) By analyzing the tissues of these algae, scientists can gain a clear and cost-effective picture of coastal water quality.

Medicinal Use

The most exciting modern applications for Ceramium are in the fields of medicine and pharmacology. Marine algae have evolved a sophisticated chemical arsenal to defend against pathogens, deter herbivores, and cope with environmental stressors like UV radiation. This has made them a rich source for "bioprospecting"—the search for novel, naturally derived chemical compounds with therapeutic potential. (52)

Ceramium species have been found to contain a variety of potent bioactive compounds:

Polysaccharides: Like other red algae, Ceramium produces sulfated polysaccharides such as agar and carrageenans. (52) These compounds are not only important industrially but have also demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties in laboratory studies. (61)

Antioxidants: Ceramium is rich in phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and carotenoids (such as β-carotene), which are powerful antioxidants. (52) These molecules can neutralize harmful free radicals in the body, which are implicated in aging and a range of chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. (52)

Antimicrobial Agents: Extracts from Ceramium have shown significant antibiotic activity. One species was noted to contain antibiotic substances that arrest the growth of bacteria.(24) More recent studies on Ceramium rubrum have demonstrated that its extracts can inhibit the growth of several pathogenic bacteria, including some multidrug-resistant strains, suggesting its potential as a source for new antibiotics. (59)

Anti-inflammatory Compounds: Chronic inflammation is a key factor in many diseases. Bioactive compounds from Ceramium and other algae have been shown to modulate the body's inflammatory pathways, reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. (52)

Novel Compounds: Research continues to uncover new molecules from the genus. For example, monomeric and dimeric bromophenols with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities have been isolated from a Ceramium species, representing a class of compounds with significant therapeutic potential. (65)

Ceramium rubrum

"The importance of this marine alga was revealed by recent researches, which indicate it a good quality agar producer, [1]. In nature, Ceramium rubrum produces large amounts of organic substance (vegetal biomass), which provides food for aquatic animals, phytophagus fish etc, [2]. In addition, the algae eliminate oxygen into the water, which is vital for the breathing of plants and animals, see fig. 1. Economically, marine algae can be used for various purposes, such as: in agriculture, in pharmaceutical and food industry, as they are rich in organic substances, sugars and active principles, [2]. Recent investigations pointed out that, out of the numerous red algae species, Ceramium rubrum is the only one with strong antibiotic properties on Gram+ bacteria, the testing being made on Bacillus subtilis. Probably, this happens due to the appreciable amount of sulphurous crystals in the thalle cells, which are known to have inhibitory properties on the Gram+ cells. This way, the tests showed the inhibitory properties of the alga are not efficient on Gram- bacteria, though." (60)

"The outcome of the tests on Ceramium rubrum show that high antioxidant activity is most intense being to 72 hours, work that could be used for purposes of capitalization of these species in the treatment of degenerative diseases." (60)

Anti-viral: "An extract from the red marine alga Ceramium rubrum (Huds.) Ag. from the Bulgarian Black Sea seacoast considerably inhibited the reproduction of influenza viruses type A and B in vitro and in ovo. The virus-induced cytopathogenic effect (CPE), infectious virus yields and the production of hemagglutinin were all reduced at non-toxic concentrations of the extract. The virus-inhibitory effect was selective, dose-related and strain-specific; selectivity indices ranged 9.5–68.3. The inhibition affected adsorption as well as the intracellular stages of viral replication. The extract inhibited also the reproduction of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and type 2 in cell cultures. The preparation exhibited a strong HSV-inactivating activity." (Serkedjieva, Julia, 2004)

Non-local Species

Ceramium virgatum - "Found on most suitable shores around Britain and Ireland." "Ceramium virgatum is both epilithic and epiphytic, often growing on the stipes and fronds of Fucus spp., Mastocarpus stellatus and Laminaria hyperborea as well as on the leaves of Zostera marina in the subtidal. It is frequent on Codium fragile subsp. Tomentosoides in intertidal rockpools (F. Rindi, pers. comm.)."(4)

References

Image References