''Eisenia arborea'', or the southern sea palm (not to be confused with the
sea palm
''Postelsia palmaeformis'', also known as the sea palm (not to be confused with the southern sea palm) or palm seaweed, is a species of kelp and classified within brown algae. It is the only known species in the genus Postelsia. The sea palm is ...
), is a dominant species of kelp that is found on the western
Pacific coast
Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean.
Geography Americas
Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...
of North America, from
Vancouver Island,
Canada south to
Mexico's
Isla Magdalena and
Baja California, as well as in Japan. They are commonly found from the midtidal areas stretching to the subtidal areas. It is an
edible seaweed, a source of nutrients for grazing
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
invertebrates and a source of
alginic acid, a food
thickener. Some of the algas have a hollow stipe above its holdfast with two branches terminating in multiple blades. Eisenia arborea is studied in order to predict
environmental stress
Stress, either physiological, biological or psychological, is an organism's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition. Stress is the body's method of reacting to a condition such as a threat, challenge or physical and psych ...
in oceans intertidal zones. Hollow stipes where present when the Eisenia arborea did not receive essential nutrients for its thalli development. Eisenia arborea with hollow stripes are believed to be evolved algae in order to increase their survival in harsh living conditions. They play a huge role in determining environmental stress.
The
phlorotannin Phlorofucofuroeckol-B can be isolated from ''E. arborea''.
References
Further reading
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External links
* http://www.divebums.com/FishID/Images/LRagsac/eisenia_arborea1.jpg
Lessoniaceae
{{Phaeophyceae-stub