THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

20 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium
aquatic plants. They are not related to moss!
Mythology from the Iloklaido district of Japan,
where the few lakes with moth balls are found,
tells the story of a young couple who drowned
in a local lake and their hearts turned into moss
balls. In 1952, Marimo were declared a Special
Japanese Natural Treasure.
One adaptation suggested for the spherical
shape: When silt or other fine debris collects
on the upper surface, gravity causes the plant
to rotate and the debris to fall off, leaving the
plant able to collect more sunlight.
BROWN (DIVISION PHAEOPHYTA)
Rockweeds
Fucus distichus, F. serratus, F. vesiculosus
(Fucaceae)
Distribution: Oregon to Point Conception,
California.
Habitat: Middle to upper tidal zone.
Appearance: Dichotomously branched, murky
green to dark brown algae. Length to 25 cm.
Reproduction and Development: The tips of
the blades become swollen and covered with
small bumps when reproductive. Fucus can
produce diploid zoospores asexually.
Remarks: The Latin word fucus was originally
applied to “seaweeds” in general.
Feather Boa Kelp
Egregia menziesii (Alariaceae)
Distribution: Pacific Coast of North America,
Alaska to Baja California.
Habitat: Low to subtidal rocky outcrops along
moderately exposed coasts; usually found in
dense stands.
Appearance: Olive green to dark brown thick
strap-like blade called “fronds,” fringed with short
lateral blades and studded with pneumatocysts
(gas-filled cells promoting buoyancy); blades
surmount stubby stipe attached to fleshy, conelike
holdfast; length 5–7 meters.
Reproduction and Development: Reproduce
by spores; rapid growth.
Mortality/Longevity: Perennial.
Remarks: Common name comes from the feather
boa, a style accessory worn draped around the
neck; harvested commercially as nitrogen-rich
“dressing” for agricultural land.
Processed for algin, a gelatinous substance
widely used as a thickening, stabilizing,
emulsifying, or suspending agent in industrial,
pharmaceutical, and food products, such as ice
cream.used in inks and ice cream.
Natural underwater habitat for many small
species, mostly invertebrates; when uprooted
by storm surge and cast onto the shore above
the high tide line, degenerating kelp becomes
habitat for numerous small land creatures.
Oar Weed
Laminaria spp. (Phaeophyceae)
Distribution: North Atlantic and northern Pacific;
also the Mediterranean Sea and off Brazil.
Habitat: Low intertidal to subtidal areas
along the coast, from 8–30 m. This genus is so
characteristic at this depth, the zone is known
in some schemes as the Laminaria zone.
Appearance: Stout holdfast attaches to solid
substrate to anchor its long, limber stipes and
deeply incised blades.
Diet: Photosynthetic.
Remarks: Laminaria species, as well as other
brown algae, are commercially grown for the
extraction of iodine and algin. Algin is used
in the food industry as a thickening agent
and as a mold-making material in dentistry
and prosthetics. These kelp are also used as
fertilizer and stock feed in some areas
Macrocystis aka Giant Kelp
Macrocystis pyrifera (Lessoniaceae)
Distribution: Pacific coast of North America
from central California to Baja California.
Habitat: Grows in extensive beds or forests
in cool coastal waters where hard substrate is
available for attachment. Restricted to shallow
depths where young plants receive sufficient
light for growth.
Diet: Kelps photosynthesize, using the energy
of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide, water,
and nutrients into the organic compounds
that sustain their growth. Unlike terrestrial
plants, kelp absorb nutrients directly from the
water; holdfasts, though they have a root-like
structure, function solely for attachment.
Reproduction and Development: Develops
from microscopic spore that grows into a small
male or female gametophyte. Gametophytes
produce sperm and egg that join and