Abstract

A morphological study of planktonic propagules of sessile benthos is presented. In an available collection of material collected by sediment traps along the Salento coast of Gulf of Taranto, asexually generated propagules were the 80.2% of collected items (with 11.5% of specialised propagules and 88.5% of simple fragments), suggesting an unexpected prominent role of asexual reproduction in propagule supply for benthic communities. The morphology of "specialised propagules" shows a body plan that is present in both algae and animals: a central body with radiating projections. This design probably improves both flotation and settling. Unspecialised asexual propagules (simple fragments, viable) of colonial organisms are the bulk of collected material. They are usually overlooked as “detritus” in most plankton ecology research, with loss of potentially important information for benthos ecology.