''Phyllospora comosa'', known as crayweed, is a species of

brown algae 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 an ...

in the

Seirococcaceae The Seirococcaceae are a family of brown algae, containing five genera: * '' Cystosphaera'' Skottsberg, 1907 * '' Marginariella'' Tandy, 1936 * ''Phyllospora ''Phyllospora'' is a genus of seaweeds in the family Seirococcaceae (among the br ...

family that is a type of temperate seaweed forest important as habitat for many marine species and also for producing oxygen and capturing atmospheric carbon. It is found in the oceans around Australia and New Zealand. Crayweed grows up to in length and forms dense, shallow forests. It is abundant in cooler waters along the south-eastern coastline of Australia, around

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and occurs to a depth of around on the east coast and farther south to about . On some Tasmanian coasts it can occur depths of at . It used to occur around Sydney but has disappeared from metropolitan areas under pressure from human activities during the 1970s and 1980s. The

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from ...

have a central main axis, usually up to long, which bear many branches along their length, with closely arranged, leaf-like laterals. Some laterals have

conceptacles Conceptacles are specialized cavities of marine and freshwater algae that contain the reproductive organs. They are situated in the receptacle and open by a small ostiole.Boney, A.D. (1969). ''A Biology of Marine Algae''. Hutchinson Educational Ltd ...

, in which develop cells which produce sperm and eggs. The strongly seasonal growth of the algae depends on the length of daylight; it occurs from

apical cells Apical means "pertaining to an apex". It may refer to: * Apical ancestor, refers to the last common ancestor of an entire group, such as a species (biology) or a clan (anthropology) *Apical (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features l ...

and is restricted to the top of the branches.

Conservation efforts in Sydney

A conservation effort known as "The Crayweed Project" or "Operation Crayweed" is working to re-establish the species in the waters around Sydney. Transplants have been established at sites including Malabar, Coogee,

Little Bay Little Bay is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Little Bay is located 14 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Randwick ...

Freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does in ...

and Bondi; other transplants are planned for Newport and

Dee Why Dee Why is a coastal suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of Northern Beach ...

Conservation efforts in Sydney

References

Further reading