Rhodolith (maërl) beds, communities dominated by free living coralline algae, are
a common feature of subtidal environments worldwide. Well preserved as fossils, they have long
been recognized as important carbonate producers and paleoenvironmental indicators. Coralline
algae produce growth bands with a morphology and chemistry that record environmental variation.
Rhodoliths are hard but often fragile, and growth rates are only on the order of mm/yr. The
hard, complex structure of living beds provides habitats for numerous associated species not found
on otherwise entirely sedimentary bottoms. Beds are degraded locally by dredging and other anthropogenic
disturbances, and recovery is slow. They will likely suffer severe impacts worldwide
from the increasing acidity of the ocean. Investigations of rhodolith beds with scuba have enabled
precise stratified sampling that has shown the importance of individual rhodoliths as hot spots of
diversity. Observations, collections, and experiments by divers have revolutionized taxonomic studies
by allowing comprehensive, detailed collection and by showing the large effects of the environment
on rhodolith morphology. Facilitated by in situ collection and calibrations, corallines are now
contributing to paleoclimatic reconstructions over a broad range of temporal and spatial scales.
Beds are particularly abundant in the mesophotic zone of the Brazilian shelf where technical diving
has revealed new associations and species. This paper reviews selected past and present research on
rhodoliths and rhodolith beds that has been greatly facilitated by the use of scuba
