Posted by msblucow on July 08, 2000 at 15:30:46:
In Reply to: killer weed posted by sea urchin on July 08, 2000 at 05:16:21:
I read the story urchin posted about, and about half way through it, I came across this paragraph...
"Officials can not simply dig up the patches of Caulerpa in the California lagoon. The algae spreads through fragmentation, meaning each small piece of the plant can regenerate anentire new plant. Each plant stem can grow to be nine feet
long, carrying up to 200 fronds. Caulerpa can survive for up to 10 days out of water, reviving and regenerating when high tides or runoff sweep it back into the sea.
Marine biologist Rachel Woodfield, who found the algae in the Agua Hedionda lagoon, said fishing equipment, including nets, hooks, and boat anchors, can help spread the algae. "Even a tiny piece of the algae broken off can regenerate a new plant,
making eradication by mechanical means nearly impossible,"