| | Constancea 83.13: Cladophora hawaiiana |
 | | Microdictyon is primarily distinguished from Cladophora by its planar thallus with secondary anastomoses, but both features are also found in Cladophora to some degree, although apparently not in combination. |
 | | 1994) and, indeed, Microdictyon was shown to be closely related to Cladophora section Boodleoides, leading to the hypothesis (earlier proposed by Hoek 1982, 1984) that Microdictyon evolved by the flattening of an ancestor with a morphology similar to Cladophora liebetruthii Grunow (i.e., with secondary anastomoses and branching in three dimensions). |
 | | At present the distinction between Microdictyon and Cladophora appears to be one of degree; if the thallus is planar with regular secondary anastomoses then the plant is a Microdictyon; if the thallus is planar without anastomoses, or spongiose with anastomoses, it is a Cladophora. |
| ucjeps.berkeley.edu /constancea/83/huisman_abbott/C_hawaiiana.html (2106 words) |