STUDIES ON THE GIANT KELP,MACROCYSTIS. II. REPRODUCTION

Neushul , M. (U. Washington, Seattle.) Studies on the giant kelp, Macrocystis. II. Reproduction. Amer. Jour. Bot. 50(4): 354–359. Illus. 1963.—The reproduction of Macrocystis pyrifera was studied in the sea and in the laboratory. The estimated minimum time needed for the completion of the sexual life history of Macrocystis pyrifera in La Jolla, California, is from 12 to 14 months. Young sporophytes begin fruiting when they have from 4 to 8 stipes and a somatic frond weight of from 8 to 10 kg. The behavior of abscised sporophylls in laboratory tanks, as well as their morphology and coloration, strongly suggests an interrelationship between the translocation of photosynthetic products and fructification.