The Killer Algae

[shadron]

Here's an interesting conundrum.

I happened across a BBC Horizon documentary dated 2001 entitled, "The Killer Algae".



It unrolls as a mystery story, with lots of creepy music, creepy CG and and hyperbole from the instigator of the plot, one Alexandre Meinesz. He dived in the shadow of the Monaco Oceanographic Institute, and was "startled" (the hyperbole mentioned above) to find a plant covering the floor of the Med Sea there. With lots of slowly unraveling mystery, he tracks the plant to be an unknown (to him, anyway) species of Caulerpa, an algae species found in the tropics, but it's much larger, and growing in the cold Med. He studies it and finds it seems to poison anemones and other fish.

At that point the villain makes an appearance; Meinesz takes this weed to the aforementioned institute thinking he'll get some immediate action, and the director turns him down cold. There are deep science prestige and political issues at stake: presumably the institute may be the cause of the problem, as it appeared right off their porch, and this is Jacques Cousteau's former empire. The French heave a sigh of relief, because with the institutes word they don't have to do anything about what could be a messy problem.

Back in the lab, they find that the species was developed in Germany. Apparently it is a genetic mutation of a Pacific species of Caulerpa, developed under UV and a cold environment, and one day mutating, becoming the ideal cold salt water aquarium plant, and in the last ten years (the 80s) was used everywhere by dentists to spruce up their clinics. In fact, someone apparently dumped an aquarium in California, because it suddenly appears in a cove on the coast. (At this point, I was hearing Cosby's Chicken Heart skit in my mind - It's RIGHT OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR!!!! Lump-dump, LUMP-DUMP!!!)

California spreads tarps and gasses it with bleach; the Europeans discover a slug which feeds on the plant, and are contemplating loosing thousands in the Med, where the weed now appears about everywhere. And there Horizon leaves it.

Not satisfied, I googled it. There's a short wikipedia article on it, and most of the rest of the paltry haul is aquarists discussing it. The references in the article include two book excerpts anti on the weed, one by Meinesz (published at U Chicago, even though Meinsz in the vid only speaks French and is translated by a rather excitable chap). Pro weed is an "eight year study by a group lead by the new director of the institute, J. Jaubert." They find:

Beds of the algae typically inhabit polluted, nutrient-rich areas such as sewage outfalls, explaining its spread among port cities in the Mediterranean Sea. Aquarist Jean Jaubert, director of the aforementioned Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, had made unpublished arguments that the affected areas in the nearby Bay of Menton have been exaggerated 100-fold. In an eight year study of Caulerpa beds in the French Bay of Menton, it was found that the alga reduced pollution and aided in the recovery of native Posidonia seagrass. Despite claims that as many as half of fish species have disappeared from areas where Caulerpa grows, scientific studies have shown that fish diversity and biomass are equal or greater in Caulerpa meadows than in seagrass beds, that Caulerpa had no effect on composition or richness of fish species, and that species richness and epiphytic plant diversity is greater in Caulerpa than in pure sea grass. Thus, in contrast to widely publicized reports to the contrary, the species appears to have many beneficial ecological effects on aquatic communities in the Mediterranean Sea.

Wow.

Horizon always seems to have pretty good science in their shows, perhaps as good as NOVA, but this was a real shot of cold water. A slow newsday at the BBC?

Does anyone else know anything about this to add in? Yes, I'm aware that the whole wikipedia article could have been written by the institute. But for the real Chicken Heart, there doesn't seem to be much literature to look up about it.

 

[commandlinegamer]

I like Horizon but in recent decades, it seems to me to have become enamored of the dramatic, perhaps at the expense of science & scepticism. In saying that, I haven't seen an episode for over a year so it may be ok again.

 

[pakeha]

I saw that Horizon episode but never thought to Google it.
So I can stop spreading Jello on the kitchen floor then?

 

[azzthom]

The BBC has, rather regrettably, been dumbing down for quite some time. They are not alone amongst TV production companies in doing so, but they are more noticeable. The only areas left (relatively) untouched by this insidious infestation of the mediocre are the 'Sacred Cows' such as David Attenborough. He still seems to have a significant amount of control over his programmes, and he has managed to keep the quality fairly high. Patrick Moore was in a similar position right up until his death.

In short - the Beeb ain't what it used to be. Sadly.

 

[shadron]

I saw that Horizon episode but never thought to Google it.
So I can stop spreading Jello on the kitchen floor then?

I want ya to meet my kid...go ahead, tell him how you burned up a $100 sofa and broke your father's arm to save us that ...boom-BOOM ... boom BOOM

 

[pakeha]

Good times!

 

[shadron]

I like Horizon but in recent decades, it seems to me to have become enamored of the dramatic, perhaps at the expense of science & scepticism. In saying that, I haven't seen an episode for over a year so it may be ok again.

Most are excellent, particularly in view of what passes for documentaries over here (meaning Discovery/History channel, but not [knock wood] NOVA). But, it seems, sometimes...

 

[William Parcher]

The only areas left (relatively) untouched by this insidious infestation of the mediocre are the 'Sacred Cows' such as David Attenborough.

Sir David already went down the woo woo rabbit hole.

Sir David Attenborough Finds Yeti Evidence Convincing...

Sir David Attenborough believes there is 'very convincing' evidence that yetis exist. Speaking on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, the revered wildlife expert said: 'I'm baffled by the Abominable Snowman - very convincing footprints have been found at 19,000ft. 'No-one does that for a joke. I think it's unanswered.'

Sir David is obviously all blustery about the Yeti. I could imagine him speaking about it in his excited breathy patter. He and Goodall give the thumbs-up to those fascinating gigantic walking apes that we just haven't yet had the chance to document yet.

 

[azzthom]

Sir David already went down the woo woo rabbit hole.

Sir David Attenborough Finds Yeti Evidence Convincing...



Sir David is obviously all blustery about the Yeti. I could imagine him speaking about it in his excited breathy patter. He and Goodall give the thumbs-up to those fascinating gigantic walking apes that we just haven't yet had the chance to document yet.

Sad news. I know he was caught up in one of the BBC's many fakery scandals. He filmed footage of polar bears being born and the first few hours of their lives. He neglected to mention that it was filmed in a zoo. And now this...

His programmes aren't what they once were, but they were still superior to most of the BBC's output. Now I won't be able to watch them without thinking "My favourite wildlife expert is now completely Dagenham East^*."

* - Four stops on from Barking.

 

[pakeha]

Oh, dear.
That IS depressing news.
That, and that there are no Marmite filled Easter eggs available even in the finest chocolatiers here.

Hmmm.
An idea is born...

 

[shadron]

I didn't want to mention it, but Attenborough was one of the persons who jumped onto the Ada find with both feet, naming it the most important find of the century, I believe. The History Channel and PLoS ONE were the big loosers in this one; they sunk a bunch of money into what was an honest enough, but vastly over-hyped pre-simian ancestor in the primate line. Attenborough was part of the over-hype.