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Dr. Celia Smith's Reef Algae Website

Link to "Seaweeds of Hawaii" by W. H. Magruder and J. W. Hunt
Algae at Hanauma Bay Derek Keats Phaeophyta

Diversity - Genera = 260 - Species = 2000

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Fucus

Color & Pigments

Chlorophyll a, c

Carotenoids

bCarotene

Fucoxanthin  Absorbs in Green Region.DurvillaeaMan.jpg (79960 bytes)

Cell Wall

The Cell Wall is composed of Cellulose and various Pectin-like compounds.

They contain various acidic & sulfated polysaccharides called "phycocolloids".

Alginic Acid and Fuccoidan are the most familiar.

Algininc Acid can represent as much as 40% of the Biomass.

Occurrence

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Sargassum

They are almost entirely Marine.

Four species are found in  Fresh Water

They are most abundant in Colder Waters.

The Laminariales Predominate in
N. Hemisphere while the
Fucales Predominate S. Hemisphere

There are Few Large Species in Tropical Waters.SargassumEchinocarpum.jpg (25734 bytes)

Sargassum  is an exception. It is abundant in Tropical waters and has part of the Atlantic Ocean named after it (Sargasso Sea).

Their abundance is partly due to their floats which allow them to drift on the surface in ocean currents.

There are three local Sargassum species which are found in tide pools & wave-swept areas.

 

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