''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 "unispe ...

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 "underwa ...

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 forests.

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: Giv ...

(also spelled Lütke) by

Mertens __NOTOC__ Mertens () is a surname of Flemish Origin, meaning "son of Merten" (Martin). It is the fifth most common name in Belgium with 18,518 people in 2008. Geographical distribution As of 2014, 43.4% of all known bearers of the surname ''Merte ...

. 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 Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is an upward force exerted by a fluid that oppose ...

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 simpl ...

, 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 ...

of this common canopy-forming kelp has a richly branched holdfast ( haptera) 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 region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

to the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...

, 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'', 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