Sargassum horneri
Habitat and range 3
Sargassum horneri is an invasive species which grows mainly subtidally, although many new intertidal populations have been reported recently. It is generally most abundant between depths of 3 – 15 meters (~10 – 50 feet), but has been found growing at 30 meters (~100 feet). As of 2015, its range spans from Santa Barbara, California to Isla Natividad, Baja California (Marks et al. 2015).
Morphology and identification 3
Tan to dark brown in coloration. Vegetative portion with many axes with fern-like branches; pinnate branching with notched margins at tips; Mature axes have small spines. Pneumatocysts and receptacles are ellipsoidal.
Ecology 3
Sargassum horneri was first detected in California in 2003 by biologists conducting surveys in the Port Long Beach inner harbor. By October 2005, the population had spread within Long Beach Harbor and S. horneri was found adrift in Todos Santos Bay, Baja California, México. The range of S. horneri has since expanded rapidly throughout southern California and Baja California since it is often highly abundant and persistent, its invasion in the eastern Pacific poses a major threat to native ecosystems (Marks et al. 2015).
Sources and Credits
- (c) cppmarinebotany2, some rights reserved (CC BY)
- (c) intertidalecologist, all rights reserved, uploaded by intertidalecologist
- Adapted by intertidalecologist from a work by (c) cppmarinebotany2, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
Range Map
iNat Map
| Common name | Algae, Brown Algae |
|---|---|
| Region | Channel Islands North, Channel Islands South, Government Point to Mexico |
