GLOSSARY OF TERMS
algin or alginic acid: a polymer composed mostly of B-1,4 linked D-mannuronic acid residues with variable amounts of L-guluronic acid. Alginic acid is present in the intercellular spaces and cell walls of the Phaeophyceae.
anisogamy: fusion of morphologically dissimilar male and female gametes, where the smaller motile gamete is male and the larger nonmotile gamete is female. (Vs. isogamy.) (E.g. oogamy.)
antherozoid: cf. spermatozoid
apical growth: growth by means of an apical cell dividing to form the thallus beneath it.
autumn seedlings: cf. autumn sporelings
autumn sporelings ( = autumn seedlings): sporelings which develop from zoopores collected in mid-October; used in the 1950's in China for sporeling cultivation in seawater
cell wall: algal cell walls are made up of two components: (i) the fibrillar component which forms the skeleton of the wall (cellulose) and (ii) the amorphous intercellular component which forms a matrix within which the fibrillar component is embedded.
cellulose: polysaccharide composed of B-1,4 linked glucose molecules that forms the main skeletal framework of most algal cell walls.
chloroplast: plastid with chlorophyll.
chromatophore: a chloroplast with some other colour than green.
connecting rope: thin polyester rope used for attaching culture ropes to raft ropes
cortex: outer part of an algal thallus.
culture mat (= sporeling curtain): sporeling rope wrapped around a wooden frame or woven between wooden end–pieces, used for collecting zoospores and raising sporelings in the seedling station
culture rope: thicker usually three-strand coir palm fibre rope to which seaweed sporelings or other sea organisms (mussels) are attached; culture ropes are suspended from raft ropes for grow-out
culture tank: cement tank used in seedling-rearing stations for raising sporelings
dioecious (= heterothallic): an organism that has male and female gametes borne on separate plants; vs. monoecious or homothallic
diploid: somatic cell produced through mitosis and possessing two sets of chromosomes or two genomes (2N)
egg: large non-motile female gamete.
epidermis: outer layer of cells in frond tissue.
eutrophic: term that describes a body of water that receives large amounts of nutrients, usually resulting in a large growth of algae. (Vs. oligotrophic.)
frond: cf. thallus, sporophyte plant.
fucoidan: a polysaccharide found in the cell wall and mucilage of the Phaeophyceae composed of sulfated fucose units
gametangium: structure forming gametes (female oogonium or male spermatangium)
gamete: haploid reproductive cell capable of sexual fusion with another gamete to form a zygote; gametes may be motile (planogametes or swarmers) or nonmotile (aplanogametes); vs. spore
gametogenesis: the formation of gametes by gametophytes; vs. sporogenesis
gametophyte: haploid plant generation that forms gametes
grow-out: the final stages of sporophyte growth following transplantation of kelp plants to culture ropes; culture ropes are suspended from raft ropes for kelp grow-out; grow-out lasts about 7–1/2 to 8 months, between mid-November and mid-July in northern China
haploid: sexual cell resulting from meiosis that has half (n) of the total gene complement; vs. diploid
hapteron: cf. holdfast
heteromorphic (antithetic) alternation of generations: the alternation of generations between small haploid plants (gametophytes) bearing gametes and large diploid plants (sporophytes) bearing spores. (Vs. isomorphic alternation of generations.)
heterothallic (= dioecious): producing male and female gametangia on different plants; vs. homothallic or monoecious holdfast: part of an alga that attaches the sporophyte plant to the substrate
homothallic: producing male and female gametangia on the same plant; vs. heterothallic
hydrophilic: water-attracting; e.g. hydrocolloid or phycocolloid
intermediate culture: period of 2–4 weeks immediately following seedling-rearing, during which sporeling culture mats are disassembled and sporeling ropes are suspended from rafts in seawater; the prupose of intermediate culture is to allow sporelings to grow in size to 10–25 cm in preparation for transplantation to culture ropes
isogamy: fusion of morphologically and physiologically similar male and female gametes which, because they do not show male and female characteristics, must be referred to as plus (+) and minus (-) gametes; vs. anisogamy
isomorphic (homologous) alternation of generations: the alternation of haploid (gametophytic) plants bearing gametes with structurally identical diploid (sporophytic) plants bearing spores. (Vs. heteromorphic alternation of generations.)
intercalary: in between two cells or tissues.
intertidal: occurring between the low and high tide marks
karyogamy: fusion of two gamete nuclei; vs. plasmogamy
kelp: a member of the Laminariales (Phaeophyceae)
kelp culture rope: culture rope with kelp plants attached
kombu: Japanese vegetable made from Laminaria plants
laminarin: high molecular weight secondary photosynthate, a food storage polysaccharide in the Phaeophyceae composed principaly of B-1, 3 linked glucans containing 16 to 31 glucose residues; laminarin occurs as an oil—like liquid outside of the chloroplasts in a vesicle surrounding the pyrenoid
laminate: flat, flat blade, flat part of the blade
life cycle of Laminaria: zoospore (N) → gametophyte → male and female gametes (spermatozoids and eggs) --> fertilized zygote (2N) --> sporeling --> sporophyte
littoral zone: zone from the water's edge to a water depth of about 6 m or the maximum depth of rooted vegetation mannitol: low molecular weight primary photosynthate, a phyol or sugar alcohol present in the Phaeophyceae
medulla: cf. pith
meiospore: zoospore (N) formed by meiosis
meristoderm: cf. meristem
meristem: dividing layer of cells
monoecious or homothallic: having male and female gemetangia borne on the same plant; vs. dioecious or heterothallic
neap tide: lowest monthly tide
neritic region: ocean region that extends from the high tide mark to a depth of 200 m
oligotrophic: term describing a body of water low in nutrients; vs. eutrophic
oogamy: fusion of a large non-motile egg with a small motile sperm
oogonium: single—celled female gamete
organelle: a membrane-bounded organ within a cell
ovum or egg: non-motile large female gamete
paraphysis: sterile structure found in sporangial sori
pelagic: living at or near the surface of the open sea
pith: inner part of algal thallus
tannin or fucosan: colorless acidic fluid found in physodes in the Phaeophyceae
photosynthate: organic product of photosynthesis
phycocolloid: polysaccharide hydrocolloid formed by algae; has the property of holding water in suspension
planogamete: motile gamete
planospore: motile spore
plastid: double-membrane bounded cell organelle usually containing the photosynthetic pigments plurilocular sporangium: many-chambered sporangium in the Phaeophyceae, each chamber forming one motile zoospore; vs. unilocular sporangium
productivity: change in biomass per unit time
pyrenoid: proteinaceous area of the chloroplast associated with the formation of photosynthates
rhizoids: rootlike filaments without vascular tissue which form the holdfast
raft rope: thick polyester rope, usually buoyed by glass or plastic floats, from which culture ropes are suspended in shallow sea waters during grow-out
seedling: cf. sporeling
seedling rearing: cf. sporeling rearing
seedling-rearing station: (= seedling station) glass house used for raising sporelings under artificial conditions using water cooled to 8–12o C; consists of indoor water circulation system, settling tanks, filtration tanks, refrigeration system and glass house with culture tanks
seedling station: cf. seedling-rearing station
sieve cell (= trumpet cell): cell in the pith of the Laminariales involved in active transport of photosynthates
sieve plate: end wall in a trumpet cell with pores through which the cytoplasm is continuous (plasmodesmata)
sorus: sac cluster of reproductive cells on the blade
spermatozoid (= antherozoid): male gamete produced by the male gametophyte
sporangial sorus (plu. sporangial sori): reproductive structures on Laminaria blades which produce zoospores
sporangium: spore-producing cell found in the sporangial sorus
spore: diploid reproductive cell which germinates without sexual fusion to form a sporophyte plant; vs. gamete
sporeling (= seedling): early lifeform of sporophyte plant which develops from the fertilized zygote; sporelings attached to culture mats are raised in the seedling-rearing station
sporeling curtain (= seedling curtain): cf. culture mat sporeling-rearing (= seedling rearing): raising of sporelings in the seedling-rearing station
sporeling rope: thin single-stranded coir palm fibre rope used for collecting zoospores and for growing sporelings in the seedling-rearing station
sporogenesis: production of zoospores by the sporophyte plant; cf. gametogenesis
sporophyte: diploid plant that forms spores
spring tide: highest monthly tide
stipe: stem-like organ between holdfast and blade
sublittoral zone: littoral zone between the low tidewater mark and a depth of about 20 m which receives enough light to support rooted vegetation
summer sporelings (= summer seedlings): sporelings which develop from zoospores collected in mid-July; used in modern sporeling-rearing in seedling-rearing stations
swarmer: a general term for any motile cell
syngamy: fusion of gametes
thallus or thallophyte (= frond = sporophyte plant): plant lacking true roots, stem and leaves; has holdfast, stipe and blade
transplantation: the operation of removing sporelings from sporeling ropes and attaching them to culture ropes in preparation for grow-out; transplantation takes place in early to mid-November in northern China
trumpet hyphae: drawn-out sieve cells, wider at the cross-walls than in the middle of the cells; trumpet cells form a network of connecting cells in the pith which transport photosynthates through the blade
unilocular sporangium: sporangium composed of a single cell producing zoospores usually by meiosis; cf. plurilocular sporangium
uniseriate: having a single row of cells
upwelling: an area of the ocean where nutrient-rich bottom water rises to the surface
zoosporangium: sporangium that forms zoospores zoospore: a flagellated planospore formed in specialized cells called sporangia which develop in sporangial sori
zoosporogenesis: formation of zoospores
zygote: fertilized cell resulting from the fusion of male and female gametes
