Peyssonnelia is a type of red alga, or seaweed, that is named after Jean-André Peyssonnel. He was a naturalist, which means he studied plants and animals.
This kind of alga can get pretty big – around 20 cm in size. You might hear some people call it Rumoi-iwanokawa, Mayoi-iwanokawa, or Akase-iwanokawa.
Peyssonnelia also makes something called tetraspores.
Where Does Peyssonnelia Fit in The World of Algae?
Peyssonnelia is part of a bigger group of red algae called Florideophyceae. It’s in an order called Peyssonneliales and a family called Peyssonneliaceae.
There are 89 different kinds of Peyssonnelia that we know about right now. The biggest type of Peyssonnelia is called Peyssonnelia squamaria.
Are There Other Algae that Are Kind of Like Peyssonnelia?
Yes, there are! Some people think that the types of algae called Cruoriella and Cruoriopsis are part of Peyssonnelia.
But a scientist named Krayesky did a study in 2007 that said they’re not.
What Does Peyssonnelia Look Like?
Peyssonnelia is a crusty, flat alga that sticks to things with single or many-celled roots called rhizoids. It can be partly or fully covered with a kind of calcium carbonate called aragonite.
The cells in Peyssonnelia are arranged in 2 or 3 layers. The bottom layer, or hypothallus, is flat and lies close to the thing it’s attached to. The top layer, or perithallus, stands up in little filaments.
In some types of Peyssonnelia, there’s a middle layer called a mesothallus.
These algae are different from other red algae because their reproductive parts are only found in little bumps on the surface called nemathecia.
Where Can You Find Peyssonnelia?
You can find Peyssonnelia all over the world, from the cold waters of the Arctic to the warm waters of the tropics.
What Kind of Places Does Peyssonnelia Live In?
Peyssonnelia lives in shallow waters near the shore and also in deep waters, as far down as 288 meters in the Bahamas.
This makes them some of the deepest living things that can do photosynthesis.
Because Peyssonnelia is covered in calcium carbonate, it can help build coral reefs. But, it’s also in danger from ocean acidification, which is when the ocean becomes too acidic.
Can Peyssonnelia Deal with Acidification?
In 2018, a study found that Peyssonnelia squamaria could handle more acid in the ocean.
Even though the calcium carbonate on it decreased, it was able to do photosynthesis even better. This means that it might be able to deal with an ocean that’s getting more acidic.
What Kind of Life Cycle Does Peyssonnelia Have?
There is not much known about the life cycle of Peyssonnelia. But, a study in Spain found that most types of Peyssonnelia had fertile tetrasporophytes in the fall.
This suggests that fall is the time when they reproduce the most, followed by spring.
From what is seen in the labs, tetraspores grow into discs that can get up to 300 um in 10 days. Then, they develop into carposporangia.
What’s in Peyssonnelia?
In 2009, a study found that some types of Peyssonnelia have chemicals called peyssonoic acids A-B (1-2).
These chemicals can stop bacteria and fungi that make marine algae sick. They can also stop human ovarian cancer cells from growing.
This means that there might be drugs in Peyssonnelia that we could use to treat diseases.
Can We Grow Peyssonnelia?
Right now, there is not much known about how to grow Peyssonnelia or how we could use it.
But, with more research, we might be able to find out more.
What Are Some of The Species of Peyssonnelia?
Given below are some of the species of Peyssonnelia:
- Peyssonnelia abyssica,
- Peyssonnelia antiqua,
- Peyssonnelia armorica,
- Peyssonnelia asiatica,
- Peyssonnelia atropurpurea,
- Peyssonnelia balanicola,
- Peyssonnelia bicolor,
- Peyssonnelia boergesenii,
- Peyssonnelia bornetii,
- Peyssonnelia boudouresquei,
- Peyssonnelia calcea,
- Peyssonnelia capensis,
- Peyssonnelia caulifera,
- Peyssonnelia clarionensis,
- Peyssonnelia conchicola,
- Peyssonnelia coriacea,
- Peyssonnelia crispata,
- Peyssonnelia dawsonii,
- Peyssonnelia delicata,
- Peyssonnelia distenda,
- Peyssonnelia dubyi,
- Peyssonnelia evae,
- Peyssonnelia flavescens,
- Peyssonnelia foliosa,
- Peyssonnelia foveolata, etc.
There are 89 types of Peyssonnelia that we know about right now.
You can check out what this plant looks like over here.
Peyssonnelia Characteristics
| Required Lighting: | Low |
| Required Water Flow: | Moderate |
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Order: | Peyssonneliales |
| Family: | Peyssonneliaceae |
| Genus: | Peyssonnelia |
| Scientific Name: | Peyssonnelia |
| Also Known As: | Rumoi-iwanokawa, Mayoi-iwanokawa, Akase-iwanokawa |
| Conservation Status: | Unknown |