Pleurophycus Setchell & Saunders ex J.Tilden, 1900

Holotype species: Pleurophycus gardneri Setchell & Saunders ex Tilden

Original publication and holotype designation: Tilden, J.E. (1900). American algae Century IV. pp. Nos 301-400. Minneapolis.

Description: Life history diplohaplontic with alternation of large sporophyte bearing unilocular meiosporangia with paraphyses (sori) and microscopic dioecious and oogamous, heteromorphous gametophytes (for detail, see Laminaria). Sporophyte perennial (life-span unknown) and deciduous, composed of holdfast, stipe and blade. Meristematic region situated at transition zone between stipe and blade. Holdfast with branched haptera, stipe up to 50 cm long,cylindrical at base and flattened towards transition region of stipe and blade. No visible growth rings in stipe. Blade undivided with single broad longitudinal midrib and broad, flabby lateral portions. Sori develop on either side of midrib. Structure of sporophyte as in Laminaria composed of photosynthetic meristoderm, parenchymatic cortex and central medulla. Growth phenology of P. gardneri is strongly seasonal. Rapid growth takes place between December and May, followed by no net growth from June to October. In late fall the blade is shed synchronously along an abscission zone at the apical part of the stipe. 1-2 weeks later a new blade is growing out. Anomalous high seawater temperatures during El Nino years may cause earlier blade abscission. New outgrowth cannot take place in complete darkness and is no shortday response. Sori are formed from March onwards on 3-4-months-old blades (Germann 1986). Genus endemic to the northeastern Pacific; growing in the low interdidal to upper subtidal from Aleutian islands, Alaska to Oregon and rarely in California.The survival range of sporophytes of P. gardneri is -1.5-15_ (Léng and Freshwater 1988) and of gametophytes 0-22_ (tom Dieck 1993).

Information contributed by: I. Bartsch. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2014-06-21 by M.D. Guiry.

Taxonomic status: This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Silberfeld, T., Rousseau, F. & Reviers, B. de (2014). An updated classification of brown algae (Ochrophyta, Phaeophyceae). Cryptogamie Algologie 35(2): 117-156, 1 fig., 1 table.

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Contributors
Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera, organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) and intended to be published in CD format. These AlgaeBase descriptions are now being continually updated, and each current contributor is identified above. The PSA and AlgaeBase warmly acknowledge the generosity of all past and present contributors and particularly the work of Dr Parker.

Descriptions of chrysophyte genera were subsequently published in J. Kristiansen & H.R. Preisig (eds.). 2001. Encyclopedia of Chrysophyte Genera. Bibliotheca Phycologica 110: 1-260.

Linking to this page: https://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=42119

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 21 June 2014. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 16 April 2024