Reproductive phenology of newly introduced populations of the brown alga Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt

Abstract

The introduction of the brown alga, Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt, into new habitats in North America and Europe has provided a unique natural experiment to examine the factors controlling the reproductive and growth phenologies of this species. S. muticum has an annual cycle of growth and reproduction in which the newly recruited individuals and the new fronds of perennial hodfasts begin to grow in the early fall. The plants grow vegetatively for a period of time and then undergo a relatively short period of reproduction.