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The collection is continually growing, and is estimated to increase by about 1500 specimens in the next
ten years. |
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With the vast range of Pacific rim collections, the algal herbarium is a valuable resource for anyone interested in biodiversity changes over time, potential seaweed invasions, and localized areas for which we have specialized voucher collections. |
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David Chapman
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The world of seaweeds is dynamic and diverse, and our algal collection is a perfect illustration of that world. The algae collection at CCBER serves as a key support function for those involved in biodiversity, ecology, and biogeography. The algal herbarium consists of nearly 6500 specimens. Approximately 85% come from countries of the Pacific Rim: the western United States, Chile, Pacific Mexico, South Australia, Queensland, New Zealand, and Japan. The remaining 15% come from the eastern United States, Jamaica, Britain, Scandinavia, continental Europe, and South Africa. The collection also includes specimens from the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on permanent loan, and duplicates of specimens held in other foreign institutions, e.g. University of Adelaide (Australia), University of British Columbia, Institute of Jamaica, and University of Goteborg (Sweden). The Holmes diatom collection, also housed in the algal herbarium, is an invaluable depository of diatom biodiversity from many lacustrine and oceanic environments from which former UCSB professor Robert Holmes collected.
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| Undaria pinnatifida* |
Botryocladia pseudodichotoma |
Plocamium pacificum |
Callophyllis Plabellulata** |
*In Japan, this common kelp is known as “Wakame.” In the last 25 years it has been accidentally introduced to Australia, New Zealand, France, Great Britain, Argentina and Southern California.
**Sea comb is the preferred diet of the Sea Hare. The red pigment in the seaweed is the source of the purple ink secreted by the Sea Hare. |
Besides being wide-ranging geographically, the algal collection is diverse in terms of the time frame over which the collections were made. The Santa Barbara collection of Lorenzo Gordon Yates in the late 1800s is the first collection from this area. The California collection spans the last 80 years, while many other specimens come from collections made predominantly in the middle of last century. The algal collection also boasts three exsiccatae sets from New Zealand, Scandinavia and British Columbia. Such sets are very valuable because they frequently represent baseline collections for early algal floras of a region. Also in our herbarium are collections that formed the basis for published algal floras of such regions as Jamaica, Oregon, Virginia, and California (the earliest published flora).
With the vast range of Pacific rim collections, the algal herbarium is a valuable resource for anyone interested in biodiversity changes over time, potential seaweed invasions, and localized areas for which we have specialized voucher collections. While our collections certainly have taxonomic value, mainly for identification purposes, their significance and usefulness will increase as research expands into non-taxonomic realms. The collections are already an integral part of the teaching program, giving students an opportunity to learn about and observe biodiversity, structural variations, and adaptations to various environments.
The collection is continually growing, and is estimated to increase by about 1500 specimens over the next ten years. This would include not only general biogeographic collections, but also special voucher collections, such as the invasive Wakame kelp, Undaria, as it continues its expansion throughout the southern California region.
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