title: Biogeographic comparisons of marine algal polyphenolics: evidence against a latitudinal trend.
abstract: Marine allelochemicals generally are present in greater quantity and diversity in tropical than in temperate regions. Marine algal polyphenolics have been reported as an apparent exception to this biogeographic trend, with literature values for phenolic concentrations significantly higher in temperate than in tropical brown algae. In contrast, our results, the first reported for Caribbean brown algae (orders Dictyotales and Fucales), show that many species have high phenolic levels. In addition, both our study and previous studies with north temperate and tropical species demonstrate that there is marked variation in algal phenolic levels within species from different locations. We conclude that high phenolic concentrations occur in species from both temperate and tropical regions, indicating that latitude alone is not a reasonable predictor of plant phenolic concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Graduate College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware, 19958, Lewes, DE, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Targett
authors.affiliation: Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 36528, Dauphin Island, AL, USA.|University of Southern Alabama, 36528, Dauphin Island, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Loren D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Coen
authors.affiliation: Graduate College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware, 19958, Lewes, DE, USA.
authors.forename: Anne A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Boettcher
authors.affiliation: Division of Natural Science and Mathematics, St Mary's College, 20686, St. Mary's City, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Tanner
keywords: Biogeography; Brown algae; Phaeophytes; Phenolics; Plant-herbivore interactions