On Apr 5, 1:44 pm, (Richard Sexton) wrote:
In article .com,

wrote:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi...-3646.1991.001...

"An online subscription or single article purchase is required to access this article:

Tease.

From the abstract:

"We hypothesize that the hydrophobic cuticle on actively growing Scirpus culms retards the development of precursors for attachment by periphytic algae. Upon senescence of the culm and loss of epidermal integrity, colonization of culm surfaces by periphytic algae may occur in a manner similar to that on artificial substrata."

I get the impression that algae grew bettter on the non-plant media than on plants
unti the leaves got old but that the difference between old and new leaf algae growth
was not well understood - just a hypothesis at this juncture.

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I think given our observations in planted tanks and with specific
references to poor plant health/growth, that a healthy cuticle is a
good cuticle.

While a hypothesis, it's still a good one that matches well and there
is correlation to support it, but more test are required.

If you could do something to disrupt the target for the alga's
attachment sensory to cuticles, then no algae would attach to plants.
Using a molecular mutant approach, this would/could confirm it.

Regards,
Tom Barr