Laminaria ochroleuca

Laminaria ochroleuca is a large kelp, an alga in the order Laminariales.[1]. They are commonly known as golden kelp, due to their blade colouration, distinguishing them from Laminaria hyperborea[2]

Laminaria ochroleuca
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Chromista
Phylum: Ochrophyta
Class: Phaeophyceae
Order: Laminariales
Family: Laminariaceae
Genus: Laminaria
Species:
L. ochroleuca
Binomial name
Laminaria ochroleuca
Bachelot de la Pylaie, 1824

Description

This large brown alga can grow to a length of 2 m. It has large leathery blades or fronds which grow from a stipe. The blade is without a midrib and divided into smooth linear sections. The stipe is stalk-like, stiff, smooth and attached to rocks by a claw-like holdfast.[1] It is similar to Laminaria hyperborea but it is more yellow in colour[3] and does not have the rough stipe of L. hyperborea.[1]

Reproduction

The life-cycle is of the large diploid sporophyte alternating with the microscopic haploid stages producing female gametophytes which are fertilized by male gametophytes (sperm).[1]

Distribution

This species is found in the Northern Hemisphere, from Morocco to the south of England [4] In the UK, it was first documented in Plymouth Sound in 1946 [5] and its range expansion continues due to climate change. It was found on the northeast coast of England beyond the Humber estuary before 1965.

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References
  1. Bunker, F.StP,D., Brodie, J.A., Maggs, C.A. and Bunker, A.R. 2017. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland. Second Edition. Wild Nature Press, Plymouth, UK. ISBN 978-0-9955673-3-7
  2. Franco, João N.; Tuya, Fernando; Bertocci, Iacopo; Rodríguez, Laura; Martínez, Brezo; Sousa-Pinto, Isabel; Arenas, Francisco (2018). "The 'golden kelp' Laminaria ochroleuca under global change: Integrating multiple eco-physiological responses with species distribution models". Journal of Ecology. 106: 47–58. doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12810.
  3. Hardy, F.G. and Guiry, M.D. 2003. A Check-list and Atlas of the Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland. British Phycological Society, London. ISBN 0-9527115-16
  4. Smale, Dan A.; Wernberg, Thomas; Yunnie, Anna L. E.; Vance, Thomas (2015). "The rise of Laminaria ochroleuca in the Western English Channel (UK) and comparisons with its competitor and assemblage dominant Laminaria hyperborea". Marine Ecology. 36 (4): 1033–1044. Bibcode:2015MarEc..36.1033S. doi:10.1111/maec.12199.
  5. Parke, Mary (1948). "Laminaria ochroleuca de la Pylaie Growing on the Coast of Britain". Nature. 162 (4112): 295–296. Bibcode:1948Natur.162..295P. doi:10.1038/162295c0.
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