Carrageenan composition in New Zealand species of Gigartina (Rhodophyta): Geographic variation and interspecific differences

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Abstract
Total carrageenan, Κ-carrageenan, and λ-carrageenan content were analysed from 12 species, and μ-carrageenan from 3 species of Gigartina. Five species had no marked variation within the species in total carrageenan, Κ-carrageenan, or λ-carrageenan content when the samples were obtained from ecologically similar localities 3&6° of latitude apart. All sporophytes appear to contain only λ-carrageenan. Low Κ-carrageenan levels in the gametophytes of the narrow, branched G. alveata and G. tuberculosa and the broad, leafy G. atropurpurea may indicate a close relationship. G. decipiens, G. angulata, and G. atrapurpurea are clearly separated from each other by the μ-carrageenan content of their gametophytes.