Fucales

Fucales
Ascophyllum nodosum
Scientific classification
(unranked):	SAR
Phylum:	Heterokontophyta
Class:	Phaeophyceae
Order:	Fucales Kylin
Families
Bifurcariopsidaceae Cystoseiraceae Durvillaeaceae Fucaceae Himanthaliaceae Hormosiraceae Notheiaceae Sargassaceae Seirococcaceae Xiphophoraceae

Fucales is an order in the brown algae (class Phaeophyceae). Members of this order are fucoids. The list of families (see box at right) in Fucales, as well as additional taxonomic information on algae, is publicly accessible at Algaebase. ^[1]

The Class Phaeophyceae is included within the Division Heterokontophyta.^[2] This name comes from the Greek word phaios meaning "brown" and phyton meaning plant.^[3] They include some of the largest plants in the sea, some however are small and fine in structure.

Classification

The Fucales include some of the more common littoral seaweeds and the members of the order have the typical seaweed construction: a holdfast, stipe and lamina. The lamina is often much branched and may include gas filled bladders. Growth is by division of the apical cells.

They are oogamous where there is fusion between the small male gamete and the large female gamete.

References

1. Guiry, M.D. and Guiry, G.M. 2006. AlgaeBase version 4.2. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 7 December 2006
2. Hardy, .G. and Guiry, M.D. 2006. A Check-list and Atlas of the Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland. 2006. The British Phycologcal Society. ISBN 3-906166-35-X
3. Huisman, J.M. 2000. Marine Plants of Australia. University of Western Australia Press, Australia. ISBN 1-876268-33-6

Further reading

• Fletcher, R.L.1987. Seaweeds of the British Isles. Volume 3, Part 1. British Museum (Natural History), London. ISBN 0-565-00992-3

External links

• Fucales at Algaebase