vs Coastal wattle

Chrysolykos planctonicus compared with Acacia cyclops

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while Coastal wattle is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Coastal wattle
Kingdom	Chromista (Chromista)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Chrysophyceae (Chrysophyceae)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Chromulinales (Chromulinales)	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)
Family	Dinobryaceae	Fabaceae
Genus	Chrysolykos	Acacia
Species	Chrysolykos planctonicus	Acacia cyclops

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Coastal wattle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Coastal wattle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Coastal wattle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (13 countries), Asia (Israel), Europe (4 countries), and North America (United States).

Chrysolykos planctonicus is a planktonic chrysophyte flagellate in the genus Chrysolykos, a small genus of loricate or semi-loricate golden algae in the class Chrysophyceae. Like other Chrysolykos species, it inhabits the open water column of freshwater lakes and ponds, where its planktonic lifestyle is reflected in the specific epithet planctonicus. The cell is typically enclosed in a lorica or cellulose housing that may be less rigid than those of Chrysococcus species, with a flagellum extending through an apical pore. Chrysolykos species are photosynthetic and potentially mixotrophic, using chlorophylls a and c and fucoxanthin-type carotenoids for light energy capture. The genus is documented from Scandinavian freshwaters and other northern temperate lakes, where chrysophytes are often the dominant flagellated algae in spring and early summer. C. planctonicus contributes to primary production in oligotrophic and mesotrophic lake systems. The species has not been evaluated for conservation status by the IUCN and is listed as Not Evaluated. Chrysolykos is a less-studied genus than Chrysococcus or Mallomonas, and its ecology and phylogeny remain incompletely characterized.

Coastal wattle

Coastal wattle (Acacia cyclops) is a dense, fast-growing shrub in the family Fabaceae, native to the southwestern and southern coastal regions of Western Australia, from Shark Bay south to the Nullarbor Plain. It grows on coastal dunes, sandy scrubland, and limestone substrates near the sea, where it tolerates salt spray, wind, and summer drought. Coastal wattle produces distinctive circular seeds with bright red arillate coatings, making them highly attractive to birds. Although valued in its native range for coastal stabilisation and revegetation, the species has become highly invasive in southern Africa, particularly South Africa, where it was introduced for dune stabilisation in the 19th century and has since spread extensively across the Cape Floristic Region, displacing native fynbos vegetation. It is listed among the 100 worst invasive species globally by the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group. In Australia, it is assessed as Least Concern. Management of invasive populations in South Africa involves mechanical removal and biological control efforts aimed at protecting the critically threatened fynbos biome.