Carbon economy and nutrition of the alloparasitic red alga Harveyella mirabilis

Rhodomela confervoides (Huds.) Silva (Ceramiales: Rhodophyta) infected with the alloparasitic Harveyella mirabilis (Reinsch) Reinke (Cryptonemiales: Rhodophyta) was investigated with particular regard to rates of carbon fixation, patterns of soluble and insoluble assimilates, and transfer of reduced carbon from the photoautotrophic basiphyte to the fully heterotrophic epiphyte by means of ¹⁴C-labelling experiments. Gross carbon input by photosynthesis in Rh. confervoides accounted for about 53 g Cd^-1 when based on a biological unit (average individual of 200 mg fresh weight). Some 3% of the remaining net carbon gain (equivalent to about 0.7 g Cd^-1) was transferred from Rh. confervoides to its alloparasite, H. mirabilis (biological unit 0.5 mg fresh weight). Chromatographic examination showed that soluble ¹⁴C was translocated to and stored by H. mirabilis as mannosidoglycerate (=digeneaside) and probably a variety of amino acids. A certain proportion of soluble radiocarbon imported is converted by H. mirabilis to glycerolgalactoside (=floridoside). The bulk of imported ¹⁴C was recovered from the polymeric fraction, mainly from floridean starch.