Fucus

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Fucus
Fucus serratus2.jpg
Fucus serratus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Diaphoretickes
Clade: SAR
Clade: Stramenopiles
Phylum: Gyrista
Subphylum: Ochrophytina
Class: Phaeophyceae
Order: Fucales
Family: Fucaceae
Genus: Fucus
L.
Species

Fucus is a genus of brown algae found in the intertidal zones of rocky seashores almost throughout the world.

Contents

Description and life cycle

The thallus is perennial with an irregular or disc-shaped holdfast or with haptera. [1] The erect portion of the thallus is dichotomous or subpinnately branched, flattened and with a distinct midrib. Gas-filled pneumatocysts (air-vesicles) are present in pairs in some species, one on either side of the midrib. The erect portion of the thallus bears cryptostomata and caecostomata (sterile surface cavities). The base of the thallus is stipe-like due to abrasion of the tissue lateral to the midrib and it is attached to the rock by a holdfast. The gametangia develop in conceptacles embedded in receptacles in the apices of the final branches. They may be monoecious or dioecious. [2]

These algae have a relatively simple life cycle and produce only one type of thallus which grows to a maximum size of 2 m.[ citation needed ] Fertile cavities, the conceptacles, containing the reproductive cells are immersed in the receptacles near the ends of the branches. After meiosis oogonia and antheridia, the female and male reproductive organs, produce egg cells and sperm respectively that are released into the sea where fertilisation takes place. The resulting zygote develops directly into the diploid plant. This contrasts with the life cycle of the flowering plant, [3] [4] where the egg cells and sperm are produced by a haploid multicellular generation, albeit very strongly reduced, and the egg cells are fertilised within the ovules of the parent plant and then released as seeds.

Distribution and ecology

Species of Fucus are recorded almost worldwide. They are dominant on the shores of the British Isles, [5] the northeastern coast of North America [6] and California. [3]

In the British Isles these larger brown algae occur on sheltered shores in fairly well defined zones along the shore from high-water mark to below low water mark. On the more exposed shores not all of these species can be found and on very exposed shores few, if any, occur. Pelvetia canaliculata forms a zone at the top of the shore. Just below this Fucus spiralis , Fucus vesiculosus, Fucus serratus and Laminaria form clear zones, one below the other, along the shore down to low water mark. On sheltered shores Ascophyllum nodosum usually forms a broad and dominating zone along the shore at the mid-littoral. Other brown algae can be found at the low-littoral such as Himanthalia , Laminaria saxatilis and Alaria esculenta . Small green and red algae and animals occur, protected under these large brown algae. [7] When washed up on beaches, kelp flies such as Coelopa pilipes feed and breed on Fucus algae.

Uses

In Scotland and Norway, up until the mid-19th century, several seaweed species from Fucus and other genera were harvested, dried, burned to ash, and further processed to become "kelp", which was a type of soda ash that was less costly in Britain than the barilla imported from Spain. It has an alkali content of about 2.5%–5% that was mainly sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), used in soapmaking, glassmaking, and other industries. The purest barilla had a sodium carbonate concentration of about 30%. The seaweed was also used as fertilizer for crop land in the same areas in which it was harvested. [8] [Note 1]

Fucus species can also be used for thalassotherapy, along with other species such as Turkish towel ( Chondracanthus exasperatus ), feather boa ( Egregia menziesii ), and finger kelp ( Laminaria digitata ). [9]

In 2005, it was announced that bacteria grown on Fucus have the ability to attack and kill the MRSA superbacterium. [10]

Because of their easily accessible apolar eggs and free-floating zygotes, several Fucus species have been used as model organisms to study cell polarity, the development of growth axes, and the role of the cell wall in establishing and maintaining cell identity. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

Predator

The seaweed fly, Coelopa frigida , together with other species of Coelopa , are known to feed, mate, and create habitats out of different species of Fucus. This is of particular notice when the Fucus is stranded on the beach and not when it is submerged under seawater. With increasing amounts of seaweed washing up on shores, there is an increasing recognition of Fucus and their close pairing with Coelopa.

Taxonomy

Two species of Fucus growing next to each other in the intertidal zone, F. serratus in the front, F. vesiculosus in the back Fucus 2015-09-08 ag M0010143.jpg
Two species of Fucus growing next to each other in the intertidal zone, F. serratus in the front, F. vesiculosus in the back
Conceptacle of F. vesiculosus, with filaments protruding; Scale bar: 20 mm Fucus conceptacle.tif
Conceptacle of F. vesiculosus, with filaments protruding; Scale bar: 20 μm

This list of species of Fucus excludes names of uncertain status: [16] [17]

* Species recorded around the coast of Britain. [5]

Fucus distichus

F. distichus is up to 10 cm long with a short stout cylindrical stipe, branching dichotomous, flat and with a mid-rib. [18] F. distichus subsp. edentatus was first described from Shetland by Börgesen in 1903. Powell found F. distichus subsp. anceps on the north coast of Caithness. It had also been recorded from: Orkney, Fair Isle, St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides in Scotland; in Ireland it had been recorded from Counties Clare, Donegal and Kerry. [19] [20] Two subspecies of F. distichus (subsp. anceps and subsp. edentatus) have been described from the British Isles. [19]

Fucus distichus is the organism used as a model to study the development of cell polarity, since it forms an apolar zygote that can develop polarity given a varying number of gradients.

Fucus serratus

F. serratus, toothed wrack, is the most distinctive of all the Fucus species. It clearly shows a distinctive serrated edge to the frond not shown by the other species of the genus. [21]

Fucus spiralis

F. spiralis is one of the three most common algae on the shores of the British Isles. It grows to about 40 cm long and does not show air bladders as found on F.vesiculosus or toothed edges as found on F. serratus. It forms a zone near the top of the shore above the zones of F. vesiculosus and F. serratus.

Fucus vesiculosus

This is one of the most common species of Fucus, common on most shores in the mid-littoral. It has the common name "bladder wrack", and is readily identified by a distinct mid-rib and air vesicles in pairs on either side of the mid-rib. [22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Clow and Clow indicate four species of seaweed as sources for kelp: Fucus vesiculosus , Ascophyllum nodosum (formerly Fucus nodosus L.), Fucus serratus , and Laminaria digitata (Hudson) J.V. Lamouroux (formerly Fucus digitatus L.). [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelp</span> Large brown seaweeds in the order Laminariales

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.

<i>Fucus vesiculosus</i> Species of Phaeophyceae

Fucus vesiculosus, known by the common names bladderwrack, black tang, rockweed, sea grapes, bladder fucus, sea oak, cut weed, dyers fucus, red fucus and rock wrack, is a seaweed found on the coasts of the North Sea, the western Baltic Sea and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was the original source of iodine, discovered in 1811, and was used extensively to treat goitre, a swelling of the thyroid gland related to iodine deficiency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown algae</span> Large group of multicellular algae, comprising the class Phaeophyceae

Brown algae, comprising the class Phaeophyceae, are a large group of multicellular algae, including many seaweeds located in colder waters within the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae are the major seaweeds of the temperate and polar regions. They are dominant on rocky shores throughout cooler areas of the world. 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. Kelp forests like these 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. Many brown algae, such as members of the order Fucales, commonly grow along rocky seashores. Some members of the class, such as kelps, are used by humans as food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strangford Lough</span>

Strangford Lough is a large sea lough or inlet in County Down, in the east of Northern Ireland. It is the largest inlet in Ireland and the wider British Isles, covering 150 km2 (58 sq mi). The lough is almost fully enclosed by the Ards Peninsula and is linked to the Irish Sea by a long narrow channel at its southeastern edge. The main body of the lough has at least seventy islands along with many islets (pladdies), bays, coves, headlands and mudflats. Historically it was called 'Lough Coan', while 'Strangford' referred to the narrow sea channel. It is part of the 'Strangford and Lecale' Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Strangford Lough was designated as Northern Ireland's first Marine Conservation Zone in 2013, and has been designated a Special Area of Conservation for its important wildlife.

<i>Ascophyllum</i> Species of seaweed

Ascophyllum nodosum is a large, common cold water seaweed or brown alga (Phaeophyceae) in the family Fucaceae, being the only species in the genus Ascophyllum. It is a seaweed that grows only in the northern Atlantic Ocean, also known in localities as feamainn bhuí, rockweed, Norwegian kelp, knotted kelp, knotted wrack or egg wrack. It is common on the north-western coast of Europe including east Greenland and the north-eastern coast of North America, its range further south of these latitudes being limited by warmer ocean waters.

<i>Alaria esculenta</i> Edible seaweed

Alaria esculenta is an edible seaweed, also known as dabberlocks or badderlocks, or winged kelp, and occasionally as Atlantic Wakame. It is a traditional food along the coasts of the far north Atlantic Ocean. It may be eaten fresh or cooked in Greenland, Iceland, Scotland and Ireland. It is the only one of twelve species of Alaria to occur in both Ireland and in Great Britain.

<i>Laminaria</i> Genus of algae

Laminaria is a genus of brown seaweed in the order Laminariales (kelp), comprising 31 species native to the north Atlantic and northern Pacific Oceans. This economically important genus is characterized by long, leathery laminae and relatively large size. Some species are called Devil's apron, due to their shape, or sea colander, due to the perforations present on the lamina. Others are referred to as tangle. Laminaria form a habitat for many fish and invertebrates.

<i>Fucus serratus</i> Species of Phaeophyceae

Fucus serratus is a seaweed of the north Atlantic Ocean, known as toothed wrack, serrated wrack, or saw rack.

<i>Fucus spiralis</i> Species of Phaeophyceae

Fucus spiralis is a species of seaweed, a brown alga, living on the littoral shore of the Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America. It has the common names of spiral wrack and flat wrack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrack (seaweed)</span> Index of plants with the same common name

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<i>Ulva intestinalis</i> Species of marine chlorophyte green alga

Ulva intestinalis is a green alga in the family Ulvaceae, known by the common names sea lettuce, green bait weed, gutweed, and grass kelp. Until they were reclassified by genetic work completed in the early 2000s, the tubular members of the sea lettuce genus Ulva were placed in the genus Enteromorpha.

<i>Fucus distichus</i> Species of alga

Fucus distichus or rockweed is a species of brown alga in the family Fucaceae to be found in the intertidal zones of rocky seashores in the Northern Hemisphere, mostly in rock pools.

<i>Fucus gardneri</i> Species of Phaeophyceae

Fucus gardneri is a species of seaweed, a brown alga living on the littoral shore of the Pacific coasts of North America. It has the common names of rockweed and bladderwrack.

<i>Fucus radicans</i> Species of seaweed

Fucus radicans is a species of brown algae in the family Fucaceae, endemic to and recently evolved within the Baltic Sea. The species was first described by Lena Bergström and Lena Kautsky in 2005 from a location in Ångermanland, Sweden. The specific epithet is from the Latin and means "rooting", referring to the fact that this species primarily reproduces by the taking root of detached fragments.

<i>Fucus guiryi</i> Species of Phaeophyceae

Fucus guiryi is a brown alga in the family Fucaceae. It is known from numerous locations along the east coast of the North Atlantic Ocean, from Ireland to the Canary Islands.

<i>Fucus ceranoides</i> Species of seaweed

Fucus ceranoides is a species of brown algae found in the littoral zone of the sea shore.

Saccharina dentigera is a species of brown algae, in the family Laminariaceae. It is native to shallow water in the northeastern Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California.

<i>Coelopa pilipes</i> Species of fly

Coelopa pilipes is a common European species of kelp fly. It was described by A. H. Haliday in 1838. Their appearance differs greatly from that of other Coelopa flies.

References

  1. ↑ H. Stegenga, J. J. Bolton & R. J. Anderson (1997). Seaweeds of the South African West Coast. Contributions from the Bolus Herbarium Volume 18. Rondebosch: Bolus Herbarium, University of Cape Town. ISBN   978-0-7992-1793-3.
  2. ↑ Michael Guiry. "Fucus". NUI Galway. Archived from the original on 2007-03-04. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
  3. 1 2 I. A. Abbott & G. J. Hollenberg (1976). Marine Algae of California. Stanford University Press. ISBN   978-0-8047-0867-8.
  4. ↑ C. van den Hoek, D. G. Mann & H. M. Jahns (1995). Algae: An Introduction to Phycology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. ISBN   978-0-521-30419-1.
  5. 1 2 F. G. Hardy & M. D. Guiry (2006). A Checklist and Atlas of the Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland. British Phycological Society, London. ISBN   978-3-906166-35-3.
  6. ↑ W. R. Taylor (1972). Marine Algae of the Northeastern Coast of North America. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. ISBN   978-0-472-04904-2.
  7. ↑ J. R. Lewis (1964). The Ecology of Rocky Shores. The English Universities Press Ltd, London.
  8. 1 2 A. Clow & N. L. Clow (1952). Chemical Revolution. Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press. pp.  65–90. ISBN   978-0-8369-1909-7.
  9. ↑ Lewallen, Eleanor; Lewallen, John (21 March 1996). "Bathing with Seaweed". Sea Vegetable Gourmet Cookbook and Wildcrafter's Guide (1st ed.). Mendocino, CA: Mendocino sea Vegetable Company. pp. 62–63. ISBN   978-0964764378.
  10. ↑ "Sponge puzzles superbug experts". BBC News. December 26, 2005.
  11. ↑ Kropf, Darryl L; Bisgrove, Sherryl R; Hable, Whitney E (1999). "Establishing a growth axis in fucoid algae". Trends in Plant Science. Elsevier BV. 4 (12): 490–494. doi:10.1016/s1360-1385(99)01509-5. ISSN   1360-1385. PMID   10562734.
  12. ↑ Kropf, D.; Kloareg, B; Quatrano, R. (1988-01-08). "Cell wall is required for fixation of the embryonic axis in Fucus zygotes". Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 239 (4836): 187–190. Bibcode:1988Sci...239..187K. doi:10.1126/science.3336780. ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   3336780.
  13. ↑ Quatrano, Ralph S.; Shaw, Sidney L. (1997). "Role of the cell wall in the determination of cell polarity and the plane of cell division in Fucus embryos". Trends in Plant Science. Elsevier BV. 2 (1): 15–21. doi:10.1016/s1360-1385(96)10049-2. ISSN   1360-1385.
  14. ↑ Shaw, S.L.; Quatrano, R.S. (1996-09-01). "The role of targeted secretion in the establishment of cell polarity and the orientation of the division plane in Fucus zygotes". Development. The Company of Biologists. 122 (9): 2623–2630. doi:10.1242/dev.122.9.2623. ISSN   1477-9129. PMID   8787737.
  15. ↑ Berger, F.; Taylor, A.; Brownlee, C. (1994-03-11). "Cell Fate Determination by the Cell Wall in Early Fucus Development". Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 263 (5152): 1421–1423. Bibcode:1994Sci...263.1421B. doi:10.1126/science.263.5152.1421. ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   17776514. S2CID   41196632.
  16. ↑ M. D. Guiry (2006). "Fucus Linnaeus 1753: 1158". AlgaeBase . Retrieved August 21, 2006.
  17. ↑ Guiry, M.D. (2011). "Fucus Linnaeus, 1753". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  18. ↑ G. Russell (1978). D. E. G. Irvine & J. H. Price (ed.). Modern Approaches to the Taxonomy of Red and Brown Algae. Systematics Association. pp. 339–369.
  19. 1 2 H. T. Powell (1957). "Studies in the genus Fucus L. II. Distribution and ecology of forms of Fucus distichus L. emend. Powell in Britain and Ireland" (PDF). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom . 36 (3): 663–693. doi:10.1017/S0025315400025923. S2CID   56433449.
  20. ↑ H. T. Powell (1957). "Studies in the genus Fucus L. I. Fucus distichus L. emend. Powell" (PDF). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom . 36 (2): 407–432. doi:10.1017/S002531540001688X. S2CID   85774776.
  21. ↑ H. T. Powell (1963). "Speciation in the genus Fucus L., and related genera". In J. P. Harding & N. Tebble (ed.). Speciation in the Sea. Systematics Association Publications. Vol. 5. pp. 63–77.
  22. ↑ Lily Newton (1931). A Handbook of the British Seaweeds. London: British Museum.
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