''Sargassum horneri'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of 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 is common along the coast of Japan and Korea. It is an annual algae which has a varying fertile season along the coast. In Wakasa Bay it began to grow in early autumn through winter, becoming matured in Spring, when the sea water temperature was in average. Also called "devil weed", this species has invaded the Eastern Pacific, beginning in Baja California and advancing north along the California coastline. In its natural ecosystem, ''Sargassum horneri'' grows attached to a hard substrate and blooms into a

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 ...

which encourages and maintains local biodiversity. However, this species of macroalgae is the major component of the northwest Pacific golden tide, a biomass of ''Sargassum horneri'' that drifts up the eastern coast of China towards Korea as an invasive species and is detrimental to the coastal ecosystem there.

References

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