''Desmarestia ligulata'' is a species of

brown algae Brown algae (: alga) are a large group of multicellular algae comprising the class (biology), class Phaeophyceae. They include many seaweeds located in colder waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae are the major seaweeds of the temperate ...

found worldwide. Its

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s include color changer, Desmarest's flattened weed, and sea sorrel, though the last name can also refer to other species of ''

Desmarestia ''Desmarestia'' is a genus of brown algae found worldwide. It is also called acid weed, acid kelp, acidweed, ', sea sorrel, (), ', mermaid's hair, landlady's wig, or '. However, 'sea sorrel' can also specifically refer to ''Desmarestia virid ...

''.

Habitat

This species is found between the low intertidal to subtidal zones on open coasts. It is the most abundant marine algae associated with giant kelp forests. Desmarestia_ligulata_drawing

Acid accumulation

''Desmarestia ligulata'' is known for its ability to accumulate high levels of

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, ...

in its

vacuole A vacuole () is a membrane-bound organelle which is present in Plant cell, plant and Fungus, fungal Cell (biology), cells and some protist, animal, and bacterial cells. Vacuoles are essentially enclosed compartments which are filled with water ...

s. This accumulation appears to be

active Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * "Active" (song), a 2024 song by Asake and Travis Scott from Asake's album ''Lungu Boy'' * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several com ...

and permanent, occurring during cell growth and division while unaffected by light regimes or external nutrient profiles. It has been suggested that this acid accumulation is an evolutionary adaptation to discourage grazing by fish and invertebrates.

References

Brown algae species Taxa named by John Stackhouse {{Phaeophyceae-stub