Growth of amputated and dark-exposed individuals of the brown alga Laminaria hyperborea

Abstract

The seasonal growth of the brown alga Laminaria hyperborea (Gunn.) Foslie, which forms dense forests in the sublittoral zone of Helgoland, a rocky island in the Southern North Sea, was investigated by transplanting specimens of medium size onto PVC or wooden plates fixed to sub-tidal grwoth stations. The 2-year study revealed that, during the season of fast growth (January to June), young plants produce each year a new frond, larger in size than in the preceding year. This observation can be interpreted, in part, by assuming that the growth of the young frond is accomplished not only by its own assimilatory surplus, but also by reserve materials of the old frond assimilated during the preceding season of slow growth. This assumption is supported by experimental evidence: (1) Even in complete darkness Laminaria hyperborea is capable of producing a small new frond during the season of fast growth; (2) New fronds with stipe, but without old frond, grow (during the same period) considerably faster than isolated new fronds separated from the possible sources of reserve materials. Maximum growth occurs in normal plants which possess their old frond until April or May.