Concentration gradients and their significance in Laminaria saccharina (L.) Lamour.

Abstract

In previous publications the author (Black, 1948a-c, 1949, 1950a) has reported the seasonal variations in chemical composition that occur in certain of the common Phaeophyceae. In the sublittoral and littoral zones it has been found that a correlation exists between the chemical composition and the depth of immersion of the plant (Black, 1950&, and unpublished work). Differences in composition, particularly during the summer months, also occur in the same species taken at the same time and depth but from different habitats (Black, loc. cit.), and there is also evidence that in the laminarians the stage of development of the plant has a profound influence on the composition. In all the above-mentioned analyses the entire plants have been separated into stipe and frond, dried under controlled conditions, milled, and a well-mixed representative sample of each taken for analysis.