| Desmarestia viridis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
| Clade: | SAR |
| Clade: | Stramenopiles |
| Phylum: | Gyrista |
| Subphylum: | Ochrophytina |
| Class: | Phaeophyceae |
| Order: | Desmarestiales |
| Family: | Desmarestiaceae |
| Genus: | Desmarestia |
| Species: | D. viridis |
| Binomial name | |
| Desmarestia viridis | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Desmarestia viridis is a species of brown algae and a member of the phylum Ochrophyta. [1] It is also known as stringy acid kelp, and is the most acidic of the acid kelps with a vacuolar pH of about 1. [2] It is best known for releasing sulfuric acid when damaged, usually destroying itself and other nearby marine plant life. [3] D. viridis is typically found in colder, shallow, intertidal zones all around the world. [4]
This algal species can grow up to 48 inches tall. It is made up of a disk-like holdfast to attach itself to the substrate, protecting the plant from getting swept away due to wave energy. It has a cylindrical center and its fronds have a signature pattern of opposite branching which can resemble the branches of a bush. [3] [4] It is the color brown, rather than green like many other types of algae, due to the pigment fucoxanthin dominating and masking the other pigments. [5]
D. viridis, like all brown algae, can do both asexual and sexual reproduction. Brown algae reproduces by means of gametes and flagellated spores and the life cycle consists of two stages. At first, the algae exist as the flagellated spores. These are released from the parent, get fertilized, and then settle on the substrate. This begins the second stage of life. The algae grows into a mature plant and then releases spores, continuing the cycle. [6] [7]
Desmarestia viridis has been found in nearly every ocean across the globe, with the only exception being the Indian Ocean. [8] However, D. viridis is very common around Ireland, Great Britain, and the Isle of Man, and like most brown algae species, tends to prefer cooler climates. [9] [10] [5] Its preferred habitat is on hard rock substrates in the subtidal to intertidal zones and can sustain life in both protected and exposed habitats. [4] It survives best in the intertidal because the shallow depth allows the plant the access to sunlight to perform photosynthesis.
D. viridis is a primary producer, and like all other algae species, produces its own food via photosynthesis. Brown algae does contain chlorophyll, however the majority of their photosynthetic production is from the pigment fucoxanthin. Fucoxanthin reflects yellow light, and absorbs the sunlight and then transfers this energy along to the chlorophyll to process. [11]
An interesting correlation researchers have looked into is the relationship between Desmarestia viridis and the Green Sea Urchin species Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis. One study conducted in Norway looked specifically at the effect of D. viridis on S. droebachiensis distribution and grazing patterns in the field, as well as a lab experiment to determine the effect of the sulphuric acid released from D. viridis on the sea urchin movement. [12] They found that S. droebachiensis densities were one-to-two hundred times lower in areas with high concentrations of kelp than in those with low concentrations. Additionally, they found that the kelp (Alaria esculenta) that is eaten by S. droebachiensis was consumed less when also in the presence of D. viridis. [12] This implies that the presence of D. viridis has a negative effect on the S. droebachiensis. In the lab experiment, they found that exposing S. droebachiensis to 500 μl water with a pH of 7.5 made them stop moving, while adding just 25 μl of water at pH of 1 (which is the pH of the sulfuric acid that D. viridis releases) made the urchins move in the opposite direction. [12]
Algae are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular microalgae, such as Chlorella, Prototheca and the diatoms, to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelp, a large brown alga which may grow up to 50 metres (160 ft) in length. Most are aquatic and lack many of the distinct cell and tissue types, such as stomata, xylem and phloem that are found in land plants. The largest and most complex marine algae are called seaweeds, while the most complex freshwater forms are the Charophyta, a division of green algae which includes, for example, Spirogyra and stoneworts. Algae that are carried by water are plankton, specifically phytoplankton.
Kelps are large brown algae or seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Despite its appearance, kelp is not a plant but a stramenopile, a group containing many protists.
Brown algae are a large group of multicellular algae comprising the class Phaeophyceae. They include many seaweeds located in colder waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae are the major seaweeds of the temperate and polar regions. Many brown algae, such as members of the order Fucales, commonly grow along rocky seashores. Most brown algae live in marine environments, where they play an important role both as food and as a potential habitat. For instance, Macrocystis, a kelp of the order Laminariales, may reach 60 m (200 ft) in length and forms prominent underwater kelp forests that contain a high level of biodiversity. Another example is Sargassum, which creates unique floating mats of seaweed in the tropical waters of the Sargasso Sea that serve as the habitats for many species. Some members of the class, such as kelps, are used by humans as food.
Fucoxanthin is a xanthophyll, with formula C42H58O6. It is found as an accessory pigment in the chloroplasts of brown algae and most other heterokonts, giving them a brown or olive-green color. Fucoxanthin absorbs light primarily in the blue-green to yellow-green part of the visible spectrum, peaking at around 510-525 nm by various estimates and absorbing significantly in the range of 450 to 540 nm.
Wakame(Undaria pinnatifida) is a species of kelp native to cold, temperate coasts of the northwest Pacific Ocean. As an edible seaweed, it has a subtly sweet, but distinctive and strong flavour and satiny texture. It is most often served in soups and salads.
Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world's coastlines. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth. Although algal kelp forest combined with coral reefs only cover 0.1% of Earth's total surface, they account for 0.9% of global primary productivity. Kelp forests occur worldwide throughout temperate and polar coastal oceans. In 2007, kelp forests were also discovered in tropical waters near Ecuador.
Nereocystis is a monotypic genus of subtidal kelp containing the species Nereocystis luetkeana. Some English names include edible kelp, bull kelp, bullwhip kelp, ribbon kelp, bladder wrack, and variations of these names. Due to the English name, bull kelp can be confused with southern bull kelps, which are found in the Southern Hemisphere. Nereocystis luetkeana forms thick beds on subtidal rocks, and is an important part of kelp forests.
Macrocystis is a monospecific genus of kelp with all species now synonymous with Macrocystis pyrifera. It is commonly known as giant kelp or bladder kelp. This genus contains the largest of all the Phaeophyceae or brown algae. Macrocystis has pneumatocysts at the base of its blades. Sporophytes are perennial and the individual may live for up to three years; stipes/fronds within a whole individual undergo senescence, where each frond may persist for approximately 100 days. The genus is found widely in subtropical, temperate, and sub-Antarctic oceans of the Southern Hemisphere and in the northeast Pacific from Baja California to Sitka, Alaska. Macrocystis is often a major component of temperate kelp forests.
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis is commonly known as the green sea urchin because of its characteristic green color, not to be confused with Psammechinus miliaris as it is also commonly called the green sea urchin. It is commonly found in northern waters all around the world including both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to a northerly latitude of 81 degrees and as far south as Maine and England. The average adult size is around 50 mm (2 in), but it has been recorded at a diameter of 87 mm (3.4 in). The green sea urchin prefers to eat seaweeds but will eat other organisms. They are eaten by a variety of predators, including sea stars, crabs, large fish, mammals, birds, and humans. The species name "droebachiensis" is derived from the name of the town Drøbak in Norway.
Ochrophytes, also known as heterokontophytes or stramenochromes, are a group of algae. They are the photosynthetic stramenopiles, a group of eukaryotes, organisms with a cell nucleus, characterized by the presence of two unequal flagella, one of which has tripartite hairs called mastigonemes. In particular, they are characterized by photosynthetic organelles or plastids enclosed by four membranes, with membrane-bound compartments called thylakoids organized in piles of three, chlorophyll a and c as their photosynthetic pigments, and additional pigments such as β-carotene and xanthophylls. Ochrophytes are one of the most diverse lineages of eukaryotes, containing ecologically important algae such as brown algae and diatoms. They are classified either as phylum Ochrophyta or Heterokontophyta, or as subphylum Ochrophytina within phylum Gyrista. Their plastids are of red algal origin.
Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of Rhodophyta (red), Phaeophyta (brown) and Chlorophyta (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as kelps provide essential nursery habitat for fisheries and other marine species and thus protect food sources; other species, such as planktonic algae, play a vital role in capturing carbon and producing at least 50% of Earth's oxygen.
Saccharina latissima is a brown alga, of the family Laminariaceae. It is known by the common names sugar kelp, sea belt, and Devil's apron, and is one of the species known to Japanese cuisine as kombu. It is found in the north Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean and north Pacific Ocean. It is common along the coast of Northern Europe as far south as Galicia Spain. In North America, it is found on the East Coast down to Long Island, although historically extended down to New Jersey and on the West Coast down to the state of Washington. On the coast of Asia, it is found south to Korea and Japan.
Pterygophora californica is a large species of kelp, commonly known as stalked kelp. It is the only species in its genus Pterygophora. It grows in shallow water on the Pacific coast of North America where it forms part of a biodiverse community in a "kelp forest". It is sometimes also referred to as woody-stemmed kelp, walking kelp, or winged kelp.
Desmarestiaceae is a family of brown algae, one of two families in the order Desmarestiales. The family gets its name from the genus Desmarestia, which is named after the French zoologist Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest (1784-1838).
Desmarestia is a genus of brown algae found worldwide. It is also called acid weed, acidweed, oseille de mer, sea sorrel, ウルシグサ, stacheltang, mermaid's hair, landlady's wig, or gruagach. However, 'sea sorrel' can also specifically refer to Desmarestia viridis. Members of this genus can be either annual or perennial. Annual members of this genus store sulfuric acid in intracellular vacuoles. When exposed to air they release the acid, thereby destroying themselves and nearby seaweeds in the process. They are found in shallow intertidal zones.
Lobophora is a genus of thalloid brown seaweed of the Phylum Ochrophyta; Class Phaeophyceae.
Ralfsia verrucosa is a species of crustose brown seaweed in the family Ralfsiaceae. It grows intertidally in temperate waters around the world. In South Africa it is part of a mutualistic relationship with a limpet.
Dictyota is a genus of brown seaweed in the family Dictyotaceae. Species are predominantly found in tropical and subtropical seas, and are known to contain numerous chemicals (diterpenes) which have potential medicinal value. As at the end of 2017, some 237 different diterpenes had been identified from across the genus.
Desmarestia aculeata is a species of brown algae found worldwide. Its common names include color changer, Desmarest's flattened weed, and sea sorrel, though the last name can refer to other species of Desmarestia.
Desmarestia ligulata is a species of brown algae found worldwide. Its common names include color changer, Desmarest's flattened weed, and sea sorrel, though the last name can also refer to other species of Desmarestia.