''Nereocystis'' (Greek, 'mermaid's bladder') is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus of subtidal

kelp Kelps are large brown algae seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Despite its appearance, kelp is not a plant - it is a heterokont, a completely unrelated group of organisms. Kelp grows in "underwat ...

containing the species ''Nereocystis luetkeana''. Some English names include edible kelp, bull kelp, bullwhip kelp, ribbon kelp, bladder wrack, and variations of these names. Due to the English name, bull kelp can be confused with southern bull kelps, which are found in the Southern Hemisphere. ''Nereocystis luetkeana'' forms thick beds on subtidal rocks, and is an important part of

kelp forest Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world's coastlines. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Ea ...

Etymology

The species ''Nereocystis luetkeana'' was named (as ''Fucus luetkeanus'') after the German-Russian explorer

Fyodor Petrovich Litke Fyodor, Fedor (russian: Фёдор) or Feodor is the Russian form of the name " Theodore" meaning “God’s Gift”. Fedora () is the feminine form. Fyodor and Fedor are two English transliterations of the same Russian name. It may refer to: Gi ...

(also spelled Lütke) by Mertens. The species was renamed in a description by Postels and Ruprecht.

Description

Individuals can grow to a maximum of . ''Nereocystis'' has a holdfast of about , and a single stipe, topped with a

pneumatocyst 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 p ...

containing

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

, from which sprout the numerous (about 30-64) blades. The blades may be up to long, and up to wide. It is usually annual, sometimes persisting up to 18 months. ''Nereocystis'' is the only kelp which will drop spore patches, so that the right concentration of spores lands near the parent's holdfast. The

thallus Thallus (plural: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. Many of these organisms wer ...

of this common canopy-forming kelp has a richly branched holdfast (

haptera A holdfast is a root-like structure that anchors aquatic sessile organisms, such as seaweed, other sessile algae, stalked crinoids, benthic cnidarians, and sponges, to the substrate. Holdfasts vary in shape and form depending on both the s ...

) and a cylindrical stipe long, terminating in a single, gas-filled pneumatocyst from which the many blades, up to long, develop. Blade growth can reach per day. Reproductive patches (sori) develop on the blades and drop to the seafloor at maturity.

Distribution

The species is common along the Pacific Coast of North America, from

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

to the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...

, Alaska. However, drift individuals disperse with ocean currents further south into northwest Baja California, Mexico. This annual kelp grows on rock from the low intertidal to subtidal zones; it prefers semi-exposed habitats or high-current areas. Offshore beds can persist for one to many years, usually in deeper water than '' Eualaria'' or ''

Macrocystis ''Macrocystis'' is a monospecific genus of kelp (large brown algae). This genus contains the largest of all the phaeophyceae or brown algae. ''Macrocystis'' has pneumatocysts at the base of its blades. Sporophytes are perennial and the indi ...

'', where they co-occur.

References

External links

*
''Nereocystis luetkeana'' (K.Mertens) Postels & Ruprecht on Algaebase

Laminariaceae Flora of the Pacific Marine biota of North America Flora of Alaska Flora of California Flora of the West Coast of the United States Edible algae Laminariales genera Monotypic brown algae genera Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{phaeophyceae-stub

Etymology

Description

Distribution

References

Further reading

External links