BROWN ALGAE

Brown algae, or Phaeophyta, or Phaeophyceae.

a. Green chlorophylls, xanthophylls, carotenoids. Fucoxanthin gives the characteristic brown color to these plants.

b. Covered or suffused with algin, which minimizes desiccation at the surface and/or provides elasticity to the stipes of these tall plants. This chemical provides the major basis for the kelp harvesting industry (Kelco).

c. Heteromorphic alternation of generations, consisting of a huge sporophyte phase (the giant kelp plant we see) and an inconspicuous gametophyte phase.

d. Kelp plants.
1). Eisenia arborea, or sea oak, or southern sea palm, or palm kelp. Note the bifurcation at the top of the stipe, at the ends of each of those branches where the blades emerge.
2). Postelsia palmaeformis, or northern sea palm, or palm kelp. Looks similar to the southern sea palm except that the stipe does not bifurcate; the blades come out from the top
3). Pterygophora spp., palm kelp, looks much like the northern sea palm, except that it has a very prominent central rib on each blade. It is found in deeper water than the other two intertidal to shallow littoral genera.
4). Egregia menziesii, or ribbon kelp, or feather-boa kelp. The juvenile form of this plant is a single long blade attached to the bottom by a very small holdfast (haptera). The mature plant has a central stipe that is nearly 5-6 cm (2") wide, being about 1 cm (1/3") thick. Along this central stipe, there is a line of opposite blades that are thin, nearly 3 cm (1") wide, and 12 cm (5-6") long. At the base of each of these blades is a small bladder. The old plant, usually seen around the summer and fall months, still has the central stipe but the blades have all degenerated into hair-like filaments with no bladders. Even though these two forms of this plant look very different, they merely represent different stages.
5). Nereocystis spp., or bull kelp, or northern bull kelp. Looks similar to Pelagophycus except that the stipe does not bifurcate at the top so that the large, long leaves come out from the top center of this giant bladder.
6). Pelagophycus porra, or bull kelp, or staghorn kelp, or elk kelp. The stipe is attached to the bottom by a fairly small holdfast for a plant of this size. The stipe is pencil-sized along most of its length (up to 30 m or 100' long), gradually getting thicker toward the surface. At the distal end, the stipe bulges out and forms a giant bladder, with diameters of nearly 30 cm (1'). The stipe then bifurcates on the surface side of this bladder so that the giant, 1 m (3') wide and 7-8 m (20-25') long blades come off in series along these two "horn-like" parts. The bladder is full of gas, with carbon monoxide one of the common gases contained. The bladder is up to 3 cm (1") thick, and it is often used in the making of kelp candy.
7). Macrocystis pyrifera, or giant bladder kelp, or what I call "kelp kelp"
a). Growth rates up to 1/2 m (1.7') per 24 hours have been measured in nature; fastest rate of growth in the plant kingdom, exceeding that of the tropical giant bamboo. This kelp can get up to 70 m (more than 200') long within 5-6 months.
b). In the 1930s, the algin-extraction industry developed. Algin, a form of potassium compound, is a hydrophilic (water-loving), colloidal substance, making it an effective emulsifying and suspending agent. Algin is used extensively in the food (ice cream, chocolate milk, processed foods, salad dressings, cake icings), alcohol (beer foam), cosmetic (lipstick, lotions, creams), pharmaceutical (milk of magnesia, calamine lotion), construction (sizings, insulation), and clothing textiles, synthetics, water-soluble dyes) industries. Kelco, a San Diego based company (used to be a division of Merck Industries but in 1995/96 was sold) is the world's leading harvester of kelp and producer of algin (called Kelgin). c). Antitropical, shunning the warm waters, found locally off southern California in waters down to 40 m (125') and off the coast of Chile to more than 80 m (250').
d). Exploited during World War I as a fertilizer resource to replace potash which had come from Germany.
8). Petrospongium spp., or rock sponge, forms a lobes and convoluted encrustation over rocks in the intertidal zones. It is up to 10 cm/3" in diameter.
9). Colpomenia sinuosa is a small, yellowish-brown, hollow, bubble-like intertidal species.
10). Cystoseira spp/Halidrys spp are 2 fan-shaped plants that are similar in appearance. The vesicles in Cystoseira are spherical, giving the form of peas in a pod, whereas those in Halidrys are flattened but circular in shaape. These have a shape that remind me a bit of a fern, but a brown one.
11). Sargassum spp.
a). Name is derived from the Portugeuse word "sarga," meaning a kind of small grape; 15th century Portugeuse sailors named the Sargasso Sea, based on the grape-like air vesicles seen on these plants floating in the water in the western North Atlantic.
b). Tropical and subtropical distribution.
c). Primarily an attached, near-shore plant, but hurricanes and storms detach them and they are then borne by the Gulf Stream and deposited in the gyre in the western North Atlantic in the region called the Sargasso Sea. There they vegetate and flourish but do not reproduce, so that the extent of the Sargasso Sea fluctuates widely depending on the degree of renewal by storms.
d). The Sargasso Sea is a major biotope in the Atlantic, harboring many other plants and animals that either live permanently in this oceanic area or wander through this area in search of food or protection or reproductive sites. For example, the European Eel, Anguilla, that we have already run across, breeds in the Sargasso Sea. When the eggs hatch, the larvae drift across the North Atlantic to the coasts of western Europe, where the juveniles run up the rivers and spend most of their adult lives in the freshwaters of Europe. When they are mature, breeding adults, they migrate down river to the Atlantic, swim southward to the Canary Islands, and then ride or swim the Atlantic Equatorial Current to the western North Atlantic. Their last leg is in the Gulf Stream to the Sargasso Sea, where they spawn and die.
12). Fucus in northern waters and Pelvetia in southern California are some of the most common intertidal plants. At Bird Rock in La Jolla, there is a carpet of Pelvetia that covers the rocks of the mid to high intertidal zones. The gamestes from these plants are only found after a period of exposure at low tide. Fucoxanthin was initially isolated and described chemically from the genus, Fucus, with the work done at Berkeley and at the Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey.

LOBSTER CEVICHE

Well before you get to the dessert, here is a great idea for an appetizer that is sure to make folks not even think of dessert:

6 appetizer servings

2 spiny lobsters, 1 1/2 pounds each; 2 tomatillos, sliced; 1 bunch cilantro, washed, dried, and chopped; 2 Serrano chiles, diced; 6 limes, juiced; sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste; tortilla chips.

Boil lobsters in salted water with lemon juice added for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and soak lobsters in ice-cold water with salt and lemon juiced added for 15 minutes.

Dice cooled lobster into bite-sized chunks and add to a mixing bowl. Mix with the other ingredients.

After allowing to stand for a few minutes, serve with tortilla chips.

Wowie!

Lobsters!

Forget the Maine! This time of year, lobsters are a special luxury food that makes for a fantastic meal!

Though the spiny, or rock, lobster lacks the claws of the Maine lobster (the one pictured here), the spiny lobster tail is larger, and its devotees say that it has tastier meat! Spiny lobster have a sweet, rich ocean flavor that lends itself to a variety of dishes and cuisines. It's a special food, in that it is the kind of thing that makes it a luxury food that people don't eat every day.

Once you get over the squeamishness of handling a whole, live lobster, it is pretty easy to cook.
First, kill the lobster by sticking a sharp knife down through the body, at the point where the head and tail meet, bringing the knife down through the head.
Then, cut the body of the lobster in two lengthwise.
Rinse the head to remove some "stuff" that you probably don't want to eat.
Then cook in several ways, depending on the recipe, but be sure to under-cook the lobser slightly to avoid giving it a texture that is tough.
One way to cook is to boil the lobster in water that is seasoned with salt and lemon for 8-10 minutes. The lobsters are then plunged into cold water with lemon and salt for 15 minutes to stop the cooking.
Another simple way is to steam the split lobsters for 6 minutes. Then, season the meat with butter and garlic salt, and place the lobster shell side down on a hot griddle (or under the broiler) for 3 minutes. Then, flip it over and brown the meat for 3 more minutes.

All that remains then is to choose your favorite tipple to serve with the lobster--something cold with enough acidity and snap to cut through the lobster's natural richness. Suggestions: beer, a filtered sake, or margaritas made with fresh lime juice. Or, you can go all out and have some bubbly champagne to serve with the lobster.

Be on the lookout for some excellent lobster recipes in the upcoming postings.

"Bugs," the California Spiny Lobster

The newcomer to lobster/bug hunting will rapidly find out that certain areas are better than others for finding lobsters. Certainly, the sandy bottom is not really a "hot spot"; the rocky bottom needs holes of sufficient size and configuration to contain lobsters measuring more than 11 inches long. A rocky area with lots of urchins is not conducive to lobster abundance, although prime abalone areas are often good bug sites as well. Lobsters may be found in all diveable depths,
including the shallow tidepools. There are areas where lobsters are more easily caught during the day--these are spots where the ledges or dens are not interwoven and extend back only a foot or so.

The legal size of a spiny lobster in California is a minimum of 3 1/4 inches, measured in a straight line from the rear edge of the eye socket to the rear edge of the carapace (body shell, which ends at the junction with the tail). This represents a lobster of about 10
1/2 inches long, or slightly less than a pound in weight. This size determination of 3 1/4 inches is one that cannot be fudged; you must carry some measuring instrument that will allow you to accurately gauge the legality of the lobster's size. The daily take and/or
possession limit of seven lobsters is liberal; most divers find it impossible to "limit out" and a catch of three to four bugs is considered terrific. Of course, it goes without question that you need a valid California fishing license (available at most sporting goods stores, fishing marinas, and dive stores), and please check what the season and limits are as they might change from year to year.

You also need to have a pair of sturdy garden gloves (spines chew up the neoprene gloves too much)--I prefer the orange fuzzy "Boss" gloves. I take along the large goody bag with a wire hoop opening, to which I tie on my lobster gauge.

During the day, lobsters are found in holes, with only their antennae projecting beyond the margin of the hole. As the diver approaches, especially in an area that has experienced other divers traversing it, the lobster backs into the hole immediately. If not, you have a much better chance to capture it. Position each hand to the outside of each antenna as close as possible without touching the antenna, thus frightening the lobster. Then, with a swift and sudden motion, grab the base (or as close as you can to the base) of the antennae. The long, outer segment of the antenna is easily broken off, for the lobster backs
away and spins at the instant you touch it. Many divers have longed for a secret recipe to utilize the antennae of lobsters as you will end up with this pair of "chopsticks" often! The larger the lobster, the easier it is to catch, but the harder it is to pull out of the hole. A ten-pounder (an animal nearly 3 feet long and a body shell so wide that Wilt Chamberlain would have difficulty "palming" it) will be quite strong, and it may be a few minutes before you are able to wrest it out of its den. Once out of the hole, grasp the lobster firmly at the bases of both antennae with one hand (if you are able to do so and still control the lobster), open up your goody bag (make sure that any bugs already in the bag don't get out--I always twist the long bag so that the bugs inside are below the twisted knot), and place the lobster into the bag with the back of the lobster first and the legs last. In this manner, you will avoid the frustrating experience of the lobster grabbing the bag and closing it for you before it is completely inside. Oops, don't forget to measure it before you put it into the bag--this is why I have my gauge tied to the outside of the bag for quick and easy access to the gauge. Once
the lobster is inside the bag, I generally shake it down to the bottom of the bag, twirl the bag above the lobster(s), and hang on to the bag where the bag is twisted. This will keep the lobsters below the makeshift closure so that none gets out when I open the hoop for the next lobster.

Lobsters are nocturnal scavengers, meaning that they leave their dens and hunt for food at night. Shortly after dusk, many (but not all) of the bugs start charging about in the surf grass, up and down the sides of reefs, up on the palm kelp, or even walk about on the sand. Many divers find this time to be most productive in finding and catching lobsters. Your light transfixes the bug for a while, especially if you are the first buddy pair into the area. The lobster will be seen to carry its antennae over its back so that your best bet is to get your hand (the one not carrying the flashlight) behind the bug and between its antennae and its body. You can then bring your hand down and clamp the lobster down to the bottom. You will have to figure out your best procedure as to the positioning of your light, what to do with your game bag, etc. There is usually enough light available to see the lobster--especially if you are clever about positioning the light and still have both hands free. Some ingenious divers have constructed a miner's head lamp-like setup to free both hands and still have direct light playing on the lobster.

More marine plants

Blue green algae, or Cyanophyta, or Myxophycease

a. Not too abundant or significant except in specialized, local areas, where it can often be extremely abundant and dominate an environment.

b. Contains phycocyanin, which imparts the bluish-green color to the plants.

c. Oldest known fossils of living organisms, dating more than 2 billion years old.

d. Cell walls are composed of chitin (CHON) instead of cellulose (CHO).

e. Reproduction mainly by asexual fission.

f. Trichodesmium erythraeum, a free-floating blue-green alga that is actually colored slightly red, occurs in vast numbers in the Red Sea, thus imparting the name to that body of water.

Green algae, or Chlorophyta, or Chlorophyceae.

a. Green color comes from chlorophylls alpha and beta. These plants contain carotenoids (yellows and oranges) and other pigments but in insufficient concentrations so that they are masked by the abundant chlorophyll pigments.

b. Cellulose walls, some encrusted with calcium carbonate, thus contributing significantly to the lime deposition in warmer seas.

1). Halimeda spp. contributes significantly to coral reefs, even though it is a green alga and a plant.

2). In these forms, the joints are uncalcified to allow for flexibility in the plants.

c. Isomorphic alternation of generations, in which the different stages in the life cycle of the plants are identical in external morphology.

d. Ulva spp. Described by Linnaeus in 1753; commonly called sea lettuce (U. lactuca), looking much life a leafy green lettuce although the color is generally a bit more translucent. It is a common intertidal and subtidal plant.

e. Chlorella spp. Much of the work done on the relationships between available light, chlorophyll, and the light part of the photosynthetic reaction was done on this genus.

f. Enteromorpha spp. These are slender, hair-like, hollow, tubular algae. They are especially prevalent on boat hulls, buoys, and piers, being very tolerant to changes in salinity (euryhaline). Related to Ulva is Enteromorpha in which the leaves have been squished flat so that the opposite walls are contiguous instead of having a hollow space between the walls.

g. Codium spp or spongeweed.

1). Codium fragile, or Dead Man's Fingers, is a drooping, spongy, olive green plant with a thick, pencil-sized, dichotomous branches. It can grow up to 1 m. or 3' tall.

2). The species found in the Sea of Cortez, or the Gulf of California, is rope-like, up to 10 m or 30' long. It is often found just rolling around in cracks along the rocky bottom.

h. Green algae are sun plants, occupying the upper littoral zones in depths shallower than 10 meters. They do best under conditions of bright lights.

Angiosperms, or flowering marine plants!

C. Survey of marine plants.

1. Angiosperms, or flowering plants.

a. Bear seeds, possess roots.

b. 250,000+ described species, of which only 47 (ca. 50) are marine. All of these marine species are grasses, reproducing primarily by rhizomes, runners, and rarely by seeds.

c. Southern Califonria.

1). Phyllospadix, with 2 species; occurs in shallow waters on rocky surfaces in turbulent water conditions. It is commonly called surf grass although most beach persons that I know call it eel grass. It occurs intertidally down to nearly 15 meters (m.) or 50'. Grows to a total length of 2 m. or 5-6'. The two species found off La Jolla are Phyllospadix torreyi, with 2-3 pairs of spadices, and
P. scouleri, with a solitary spadix. The spadix is a kind of flower spike with a fleshy axis, and in appearance looks like a chaff of wheat or rice. These 2 species are virtually impossible to differentiate when there are no spacides present.

2). Zostera marina, which is commonly called eel grass (but I'm not sure what people in southern California call this since they call Phyllospadix eel grass), occurs along the Pacific coast, Atlantic coast (North Carolina northward), European coast, Asia Minor, and eastern Asia. It is the most common and widespread marine flowering plant. It is found in tidal mud flats, bays, and estuaries. The flood control channel in Mission Bay just south of the south Mission Bay jetty is an excellent locale for locating this plant. It sometimes occurs in sand on the open coast, but at depths of 7-13 m., (20’-40'), or deeper in quiet water conditions as opposed to surf grass. The flowers and seeds are obscure; this plant serves as an important food plant for many birds and other marine animals. In 1931-32, it almost disappeared from the Atlantic coast due to a parasitic slime mold, Labyrinthula, that destroyed extensive beds of this grass. Re-establishment of these beds took more than 20 years in most areas of destruction.

d. Florida/southeastern US coast

1) Turtle grass, Thalassia testudinum, found along the Florida coast, has a northern range limit that is south of the southern range limit for Zostera. This grass is an intertidal and subtidal species, ranging as deep as 10 m. or 30'. In appearance, it looks much like Zostera.
2). Manatee grass, Syringodium filiforma, is found in the Gulf of Mexico, along the Florida to Louisiana coast. It is a subtidal species, living primarily on sandy bottoms. One of its striking features is the cylindrical (terete/pencil shape

3). Diplanthera wrightii, found off the southern coast of Florida, lives in shallow, quiet, stagnant waters. It has narrow and flattened leaves, with truncated/cut-off appearance and toothed ends.

e. Salt marsh plants, or halophytes (salt-loving): these are plants that are not completely submerged at high tide, but are definitely affected by the tides.

1). Salicornia, or pickleweed, has succulent, jointed stems, with obscure flowers. In Europe, it has been used for food and in the making of glass and soap due to the high yield of soda in this plant.

2). Salt grass, or Distichlis has extensive rhizomes, with stiff, harsh, spiny leaves. It lives at the margins of marshes or above the normal high tides. The species that is common is D. spicata, which grows to 2 cm/4".

3). Cord grass, or Spartina, is a stout, bushy, coarse plant. It grows up to 1 m/3' tall, with the highest tides covering the lower half of the plant.

4). Mangrove tree, is a tall (up to nearly 10 m or 30') bushy plant with the roots are submerged in water and the leaves and most of the stem being airborne. It drops saucer-shaped seeds with one end heavier, permitting that end to embed in the mud and germinate.

f. Coastal strand vegetation is influenced by the salt spray, mist/fog, and blowing sand that persist along the coastline.

1). Sand verbena, Abronia, is a perennial, prostrate herb with opposite leaves and thick, succulent stems. Its roots are stout and fleshy, and the herbage is covered with minute hairs which exude sticky material to which sand adheres. The species found in southern Califonria, A. maritima, has crimson flowers.

2). Evening primrose, Oenothera cheiranthifolia, has yellow flowers with silvery foliage.

3). Salt bush, Atriplex, inhabits alkaline sinks, dry lakes, and salt flats. It is a gray/white, dull looking shrub.

4). Ice plant, Mesembryanthemum species, is a succulent plant native to the southern hemisphere, meaning that it has been imported to the southern regions of this country, used extensively in California for sand stabilizing and erosion control. Actually, this genus is now called Gasoulis, although the old generic name is still commonly used.

.

a). The sea fig, M. chilense, from South America, and M. edule, from southern Africa, has been used extensively on the sides of roadside hills as binders of sandy, dry soils for erosion control. These bloom simultaneously in spring, often covering the hillside with a carpet of brilliant pink or yellow. In Hawaii, these flowers (called "akule-kule") are used to make beautiful leis. Since the flowers resemble sea anemones, these are sometimes called anemone plants.

b). The true ice plant, M. crystallinum, has reddish leaves and looks as if it is covered with ice globules (clear, sparkling exudase at the base of leaves). It lives in subtropical/tropical climates.

Marine Plants

Plants in the oceans are, for the most part, very different from plants on land--like this beautiful rose we find in the sunny, terrestrial environment.

The types of plants most important in the sea is much different from those of importance on land. This is due to the difference in the environmental demands placed on plants in these two general habitats.
ference in the environmental demands placed on plants in these two general habitats.

Markedly different to the abundant diversity of animal life. The animal kingdom belongs to the sea, whereas the plant kingdom belongs to the land.

Sea water can be compared to soil water in that they both carry the nutrients necessary for plant life.

1). On land, plants have evolved extensive root systems to obtain water and food plus leaves for the uptake of carbon dioxide and the uptake/release of oxygen.

2). In the oceans, plants are completely surrounded by the nutrient-bearing sea water but have difficulty receiving enough light for photosynthesis. Thus adaptations have proceeded in the direction of being able to spend more time in the upper, sunlit waters.

Light is of prime importance to a plant and attachment to a substrate is secondary.

1). Only in a small part (less than 2%) of the oceans is there a suitable combination of sufficient light and attachment substrates. This is the zone of the upper littoral.

2). Within this 2%, large areas have unfavorable bottom for attachment to many plants. Mud, sand, shingle bottoms are not good sites.

3). Light penetrates such that at depths greater than 1 meter below the surface, only 34-38% of the light entering the surface remains. At depths greater than 50 meters, less than 1% of the light is left, with the reds and oranges totally absorbed so that blue light is all that is left.

4). Thus, the bulk of production by attached plants in the oceans is relatively insignificant and would only be able to support a small portion of the marine animals present in the vast oceanic biota.

5). The primary plant production becomes mainly a function of the phytoplankton (floating plants), notably the diatoms and dinoflagellates, which occur in incalculable numbers in the upper reaches of the world oceans.

Note: here are some words useful in the description of plants: Epiphytic=attached to another plant; epizoic=attached to an animal; lithophytic=attached to rocks.

Marine Plants

Marine plants.

A. Introduction.

1. Plants are the real producers in the biological habitat in that they are the only organisms capable of elaborating complex organic substances from the simple inorganic compounds dissolved in water.

2. Without marine plants as synthesizers of primary food, the development of animal life in the oceans would have been severely restricted to a negligible quantity able to be supported only along the shoreline and in estuaries.

B. Notable feature of marine plants is the dearth of variety, as is evident from a quick glance at the table below.

Table 3. Kind of Plants in the Sea

Division	# of species	% marine	size	occurrence
Chlorophyta (green algae)	7000	13	micro-massive	benthos
Charophyta	76	13	macroscopic	benthos in brackish waters
Euglenophyta	40	3	micro/unicell	benthos in mud in shallow waters
Chrysophyta
(Gold-brown)	650	20	micro/unicell	plankton
Coccolithophores	200	96	micro/unicell	plankton
(Diatoms)	6000-10000	30-50	micro/unicell	plankton or benthos
Xanthophyta	60	15	macroscopic filamentous	benthos in mud
Pyrrophyta (dinoflagellates)	1100	93	micro/unicell	plankton
Phaeophyta (brown algae)	1500	99.7	micro-massive	benthos
Rhodophyta (red algae)	4000	98	micro-massive	benthos
Cyanophyta blue-green algae	7500	95	micro-massive	benthos
Schizomycophyta Bacteria	1500	12	microscopic	ubiquitous
Myxomycophyta slime mold	450	0	microscopic	parasitic, if found in oceans at all
Mycophyta Fungi	75000	0.4	microscopic	benthos
Mycophyta Lichens	16000	0.1	microscopic	high intertidal
Bryophyta Mosses	25000	0	macroscopic	none
Tracheophyta Ferns	10000	0	macro-massive	none
Angiosperms flowering, rooted, seed-bearing plants	250,000	0.018	macro-massive	benthos, all grasses