''Lessonia corrugata'' is a species of
kelp, a brown algae in the genus ''
Lessonia'', commonly known as strapweed, common crapweed, or Tasmanian kombu. It is a subtidal species endemic to
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
and southern
Victoria,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, and is one of only three Laminarian kelps to occur in the region. It is most closely related to the
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
species ''
Lessonia variegata
Lessonia may refer to:
* ''Lessonia'' (alga), a genus in the family Lessoniaceae
* ''Lessonia'' (bird), a genus in the family Tyrannidae
* ''Lessonia'', a synonym for '' Aglaura,'' a genus of hydrozoans
{{genus disambiguation ...
''.
The species was first described by
Arthur Henry Shakespeare Lucas
Arthur Henry Shakespeare Lucas (7 May 1853 – 10 June 1936) was an English-born schoolmaster, scientist and publisher who lived in Australia for over fifty years, and became the most renowned writer on Algae after William Henry Harvey
Early lif ...
in 1931.
''Lessonia corrugata'' is a dominant species in some Tasmanian kelp forests,
but remains poorly studied. It is currently being developed for aquaculture, to produce food and for environmental remediation purposes in
IMTA
Imta or Nibia ('' fl.'' late 3rd millennium BCE) Reallexikon der Assyriologie by Erich Ebling, Bruno Meissner, 1993, Walter de Gruyter, was a Gutian ruler in Sumer. He was the successor of Erridupizir. Imta was then succeeded by Inkishush.
...
finfish farms.
Description
''Lessonia corrugata'' is a large, brown
macroalgae
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 k ...
that averages 1.5 m (0.5 ft) in length.
It is characterised by distinct longitudinal corrugations on its blades that give the kelp its name. These blades arise from the
holdfast via basal splitting and become long and linear as they grow.
The blades lack
pneumatocysts
In phycology, a pneumatocyst is a floating structure that contains gas found on brown seaweed. A seaweed's thallus may have more than one. They provide buoyancy to lift the blades toward the surface, allowing them to receive more sunlight for ph ...
, meaning that the kelp is negatively buoyant and displays a prostrate growth form, lying flat across the substrate.
Like all Laminarian kelps, the life cycle of ''L. corrugata'' is a heteromorphic
alteration of generations between microscopic
gametophyte
A gametophyte () is one of the two alternation of generations, alternating multicellular organism, multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants and algae. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore that has on ...
and macroscopic
sporophyte
A sporophyte () is the diploid multicellular stage in the life cycle of a plant or alga which produces asexual spores. This stage alternates with a multicellular haploid gametophyte phase.
Life cycle
The sporophyte develops from the zygote pr ...
life stages.
''L. corrugata'' reproduces from linear sori of sporangia and paraphyses located within the concavities of the corrugations on the blades.
Ecology
''Lessonia corrugata'' grows in areas of moderate to strong water movement.
It is typically found at depths of 1-4 m, but has been recorded as deep as 18-20 m at some sites.
It generally occurs in shallower and more exposed locations than other dominant canopy-forming
Phaeophyceae
Brown algae (singular: alga), 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 po ...
species in the region, namely ''
Ecklonia radiata
''Ecklonia radiata'', commonly known as spiny kelp or leather kelp, is a species of kelp found in the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands, Madagascar, Mauritania, Senegal, South Africa, Oman, southern Australia, Lord Howe Island, and New Z ...
'' and ''
Phyllospora comosa
''Phyllospora comosa'', known as crayweed, is a species of brown algae in the Seirococcaceae family that is a type of temperate seaweed forest important as habitat for many marine species and also for producing oxygen and capturing atmospheric c ...
''.
''Lessonia corrugata'' is restricted to a narrow temperature range, with an optimal temperature range for gametophyte growth and sexual development of between 15.7 and 17.9˚C.<
Coupled with its small geographic range, this makes the species particularly sensitive to threats such as rising sea surface temperatures, which may impact the recruitment and long-term survival of ''L. corrugata''.
See also
*
References
*
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q29388212
corrugata
Species described in 1931