Durvillaea antarctica

Durvillea antarctica

Durvillea antarctica, also called Cochayuyo or Bull Kelp is a great Seetangart of brown algae from the sub-Antarctic coastal area. It reaches a length of up to 10 meters. The species name D. antarctica is misleading because it does not occur in the Antarctic region. The genus was named in honor of Jules Dumont d' Urville. The alga is used in Chile as a staple food and is known here as Cochayuyo.

Features

When Durvillea antarctica is a tough Großalge with a strong Cauloid ( stalk). The rhizoid ( root ) is also well trained and provided with a tremendous adhesion. The Phylloid ( the sheet-like body of the alga ) is narrow and ribbon -shaped. In Phylloid there are air chambers that resemble honeycombs. This, together with the massive holdfast gets the algae an enormous resistance to strong waves and surf. If the algae is torn from the substrate, the air chambers promote buoyancy also the transport of the alga. The species is thus probably in the southern hemisphere more common than the other species of its genus, the phyllodes not contain air chambers.

The growth occurs diffusely and not, as with other members of the order Fucales, by apical cell.

Dissemination

The distribution extends north of 29 " s in Chile on the sub-Antarctic islands to New Zealand.