Brown Macroalgae and Kelp Codexery

Laminariales

Large brown algae forming dense underwater forests.

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The order Laminariales, which consists of roughly 30 genera, is made up of large brown algae known as kelps.[1] Although kelp performs photosynthesis, it belongs to the stramenopile group rather than being classified as a plant.[1]

Scientific classification

  1. CladeEukaryota
  2. CladeSar<!-- Do not change Sar to SAR. The consensus was to use Sar in the taxonomy template. -->
  3. CladeStramenopiles
  4. ClassPhaeophyceae
  5. OrderLaminariales

Named by Migula, 1909

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Kelp (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Genera
about 30
Earliest known fossil age
at least 32 million years ago
Temperature range
6 to 14 °C (43 to 57 °F)
Maximum growth rate
half a metre per day (about 20 inches per day)
Maximum length
30 to 80 metres (100 to 260 ft / 79.2 m)
Ancestral age
189 Ma

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

The thallus consists of flat blades originating from stem-like stipes, anchored by a holdfast.[2] Gas-filled bladders called pneumatocysts hold blades near the surface for light access.[2] Kelp was once thought to have appeared in the Miocene, but fossils show presence by at least 32 million years ago.[3] Through the 19th century, "kelp" referred to seaweeds burned for soda ash.[4]

New tissue is produced at the meristem's base, which is the junction point of the blades and stipe.[5] The term "kelp" also denoted the burned ashes that resulted from processing.[4] Iodine and alkali are abundant in kelp ash, which was employed in manufacturing soap and glass.[6] Producing one ton of kelp ash required approximately 23 tons of seaweed.[6]

The highest iodine yield, ranging from 10 to 15 pounds per ton, came from the species Saccharina latissima.[7]

What the cited sources add

The Marine Life Information Network notes that Alaria is a common genus of kelps in the northern hemisphere.[8] Evidence from Australia indicates kelp forest can re-grow within 14 months after removal of adult Laminaria species.[8] The same source states kelps are normally subtidal and intolerant of desiccation.[8] Kelp are stenothermal, with upper and lower lethal limits about 1-2 °C beyond normal tolerances.[8]

The Seattle Aquarium reports that bull kelp lives for just one year, with some individuals releasing their holdfast to seed the next generation.[9] The Aquarium uses ROVs named Nereo and Lutris to survey eight sites for kelp research.[9] Their research aims to guide bull kelp restoration in Elliott Bay and the broader Puget Sound.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Kelp" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bolton, "The biogeography of kelps (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae): a global analysis with new insights from recent advances in molecular phylogenetics", Helgoland Marine Research, July 2010, p. 263–279; Silberfeld, "An Updated Classification of Brown Algae (Ochrophyta, Phaeophyceae)", Cryptogamie, Algologie, 2014, p. 117–156 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Kelp" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Thomas, D. 2002. Seaweeds. The Natural History Museum, London, p. 15.; Fritsch, "Structure and Reproduction of the Algae, Volume 2", Cambridge University Press, 1945, p. 226 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Kelp" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bolton, "The biogeography of kelps (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae): a global analysis with new insights from recent advances in molecular phylogenetics", Helgoland Marine Research, July 2010, p. 263–279; "University of California Museum of Paleontology: The Miocene Epoch"; Kiel, S., J.L. Goedert, T.L. Huynh, M. Krings, D. Parkinson, R. Romero, C.V. Looy. 2024. Early Oligocene kelp holdfasts and stepwise evolution of the kelp ecosy; Thomas, D. 2002. Seaweeds. The Natural History Museum, London, p. 15. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Kelp" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Kelp," in Oxford English Dictionary (Second Edition) . Oxford University Press, 1989. Retrieved 1 December 2006 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Kelp" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Norderhaug, KM., Christie, H. 2009. Sea urchin grazing and kelp re-vegetation in the NE Atlantic. Marine Biology Research 5: 515-528. Estuarine, Coastal and She (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Kelp" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Clow, "Chemical Revolution", Ayer Co Pub, 1952, p. 65–90 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Kelp" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Edward C. C. Stanford, Wentworth L. Scott, 'The Economic Applications of Seaweed', February 14, 1862, Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol 10, No. 482, 185; John J. McKetta Jr. Taylor & Francis, Encyclopaedia of Chemical Processing and Design: Volume 27 - Hydrogen Cyanide to Ketones Dimethyl (Acetone), 1988, p. 283 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "Dabberlocks (Alaria esculenta)", The Marine Life Information Network. facts only, no text reused. marlin.ac.uk
  9. "Kelp and coastal ecosystems", Seattle Aquarium. facts only, no text reused. seattleaquarium.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Kelp (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Saccharina

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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