Blake, Noelle and I have been admiring the rapidly growing forest of bull kelp located off of McCracken Point-- it's pretty big! Bull kelp is a quite common brown algae located on the Pacific coast. Algaes are divided into three categories based on color-- red, green and brown. Their pigmentation allows them to filter different levels of light; the red and brown algaes absorbing a wider range of light at much darker depths and lower light densities than the green algaes. This fantastic adaptation allows these organisms to persist in areas with lower light availability. They can thrive where other plants cannot and create an extremely valuable ecosystem for many animals and other plants in the region.
Fun fact: Nereocystis, this plant’s genus, is the Greek word for “mermaid’s bladder.” I don't think much of the comparison, but I guess I've never before seen a mermaid's bladder.