MACOI - Portuguese Seaweeds Website

Class:

Phaeophyceae

Genus:

Fucus Linnaeus

Species:

Fucus vesiculosus

Authority:

Linnaeus

Description:

Fucus vesiculosus varies in color from olive green to olive brown to reddish brown to almost black and is typically about 40 centimeters in length (although fronds can grow longer). It attaches to rocky substrates by means of a small disc-shaped holdfast. Fucus vesiculosus is characterized by the small nearly spherical gas–filled vesicles (bladders) which look like bubblewrap and occur in pairs one on either side of an obvious central midrib running along the center of the strap-like frond. The flattened, branching fronds can grow from one to two meters in length, and the air-filled bladders which keep the seaweed floating upright in its rocky anchorages increase its ability to photosynthesize. Typically it grows gregariously, forming dense mats of long ribbons up to one meter long and five centimeters across. The appearance of Fucus vesiculosus varies depending on the environmental conditions in which it occurs; in more sheltered areas there are many air bladders, whereas there are fewer in more exposed conditions. Also, in small plants, air bladders may be entirely absent. In exposed areas, it is beneficial for Fucus vesiculosus to lack bladders, as this decreases the potential for severe damage, and minimizes the risk of it being detached and swept away.

Fucus vesiculosus grows grows profusely in a wide variety of situations from exposed rocky shores to saline lagoons, although it is most common on sheltered rocky substrata of the middle intertidal rocky shore, subject to some degree of disturbance such as from tidal scour. It is especially common on sheltered shores from the middle littoral to lower intertidal levels, and more rare on exposed shores with strong tidal strength where any specimens may be short, stunted, and without the air vesicles. As Fucus vesiculosus survives in a wide range of exposures, it can grow more than 0.5 centimeters per week in optimum sheltered summer conditions, eventually reaching sizes of up to 1.5 and 2 meters, and achieve a life span of up to five years.

LINK for Seaweeds Industry Association

Original publication: Linnaeus, C. (1753). Species plantarum, exhibentes plantas rite cognitas, ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas. Vol. 2 pp. [i], 561-1200, [1-30, index], [i, err.]. Holmiae [Stockholm]: Impensis Laurentii Salvii.

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Name History

Adjective (Latin), covered with little bladders or blisters (Stearn 1973)

Biogeography

Fucus vesiculosus is found on the coasts of the North Sea, the western Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It occurs around the coastline of Greenland, Britain, Ireland, Norway, the Atlantic coast of France, Spain and Morocco, and the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the United States from Hudson Bay to North Carolina.

Uses and compounds

Direct use as food - food, consumed whole. Contains: magnesium; protein; retinol and derivatives (vitamin A)

Health, cosmetics, thalasotherapy, wellness & folk medicine - mineral supplement, unspecified health food, weight loss. Contains: ascorbic acid (vitamin C)

Provide biological, medical and pharmacological activity – antibiotic and treatment of goiter. Contains: squalene

Source of hydrocolloids - source of alginate. Contains: alginates/alginic acids; fucose; laminarins/laminarans

Source of organic chemicals - source of polyols. Contains: mannitol

Terrestrial plant and animal production - animal feed (additive) and as fertilizer. Contains: ash; copper; gibberellins; iron; manganese; molybdenum; nitrogen; organic matter; water; zinc.

Other uses: Over 100 types of products from Italy, UK, Ireland, France, Australia, the United States, and Canada include Fucus vesiculosus as an ingredient. Some of these are very expensive personal care and cosmetics products from leading sellers and brands. Product types include anti-aging products, firming and slenderizing gels, muds, and creams, anti-cellulite products, eye gels, and toners. There are facial and body masques, exfoliating lotions and soaps, scrubs, cleansers, and cleansing muds. For bath and shower, one can purchase bath soaks, bubble baths, shower gels, body wash, shampoos, and conditioners. Additional skin treatments include night creams, day creams, hand creams, massage oils, moisturizing lotions, and sunscreens. For health, Fucus vesiculosus is in nutrition and diet supplements for humans, pets, horses, and other animals, including iodine supplements. It can be found in different semi-processed forms such as flakes and powders for gardens and crops, and is also in many fertilizers.

Primary chemical constituents of Fucus vesiculosus include mucilage, algin, mannitol, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, iodine and iodine salts, bromine, potassium, volatile oils, and many other minerals, as well as polysaccharides. When used in hot seawater baths or steamed the plants are said to release certain substances that promote good skin, lower blood pressure and ease arthritic and rheumatic pains. Fucus vesiculosus has been shown to help women with abnormal menstrual cycling patterns and menstrual-related disease histories. A popular use of Fucus vesiculosus in herbal medicine is as a source of iodine (it was the original source of iodine, discovered in 1811), an essential nutrient for the thyroid gland; it can be used in the treatment of underactive thyroid glands (hypothyroidism) and goitre, a swelling of the thyroid gland related to iodine deficiency.

Its ability as a thyroid stimulant may also help counter obesity by increasing metabolic rate. Fucus vesiculosus is reported to activate the flow of lymph, which reduces swelling and fluid retention. Even though iodine is present in seaweeds in relatively low quantities, it appears that its effects are reinforced and synergised by the presence of other substances (sugars, amino acids, mineral salts) so as to form a complex, the active function of which is to demolish deposits of hypodermic lipids. Preparations including iodine have been used in beauty treatments for cellulite thanks to the degenerative effect of the iodine on the cells in subcutaneous fatty tissue. Fucus vesiculosus is also recognized for its softening, emollient and invigorating effects, and therefore it can be put to good use also in the preparation of cosmetics for skin which is dry, faded and aging. Fucus vesiculosus is commonly used as a food in Japan, though less so in Europe and North America. It can be stored dried, and make a nutritious tea, and added to soups and stews in flakes or powder form for flavor.

Two over-sulphated fucoidans (sulphate content, 46.2 and 55.0%) were prepared from a purified fraction of F. vesiculosus (sulphate content, 34.0%) and evaluated for their anti-thrombin effect. It was found that the inhibitory effect of the over-sulphated fucoidans was greater than that of the parent fucoidan, indicating that both the direct and the HC-II-mediated anti-thrombinactivities of a(1®2) fucoidan are dependent on its sulphate content. The higher the degree of polymerization, the greater was the thrombin inhibitory effect. It was also opined that a suitable chain length of fucoidan would be required for forming a ternary complex between the fucoidan, thrombin and HC-II or causing steric hindrance against thrombin by binding to fibrinogen (Nishino et al., 1995).

Harvesting: Fucus vesiculosus is primarily harvested in France, Ireland, UK, Canada, and the United States.

Harvesting Techniques: As Fucus vesiculosus is an intertidal species, it is typically hand harvested at low tide with small knives or scissors. One recommendation is to cut at a height of 15 to 25 centimeters above the holdfast.

References

Braune, W. (2008). Meeresalgen. Ein Farbbildführer zu den verbreiteten benthischen Grün- Braun- und Rotalgen der Weltmeere. pp. [1]-596, 266 pls. Ruggell: A.R.G. Gantner Verlag.

Cho, G.Y, Rousseau, F., Reviers, B. de & Boo, S.M. (2006). Phylogenetic relationships within the Fucales (Phaeophyceae) assessed by the photosystem I coding psaA sequences. Phycologia 45: 512-519.

Garbary, D.J., Brackenbury, A., McLean, A.M. & Morrison, D. (2006). Structure and development of air bladders in Fucus and Ascophyllum (Fucales, Phaeophyceae). Phycologia 45: 557-566.

Larsen, A. & Sand-Jensen, K. (2005). Salt tolerance and distribution of estuarine benthic macroalgae in the Kattegat-Baltic Sea area. Phycologia 45: 13-23.

Loiseaux-de Goër, S. & Noailles, M.-C. (2008). Algues de Roscoff. pp. [1]-215, col. figs. Roscoff: Editions de la Station Biologique de Roscoff.

Mathieson, A.C., Dawes, C.J., Wallace, A.L. & Klein, A.S. (2006). Distribution, morphology, and genetic affinities of dwarf embedded Fucus populations from the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.. Botanica Marina 49: 283-303.

Moss, B.L. (1950). Studies in the genus Fucus III. Structure and development of the attaching discs of Fucus vesiculosus. Annals of Botany 14: 411-419.

Moss, B.L. (1950). Studies in the Genus Fucus. II. The anatomical structure and chemical composition of receptacles of Fucus vesiculosus from three contrasting habitats. Annals of Botany 14(55): 395-410.

Nägeli, C. (1849). Gattungen einzelliger Algen, physiologisch und systematisch bearbeitet. Neue Denkschriften der Allg. Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für die Gesammten Naturwissenschaften 10(7): i-viii, 1-139, pls I-VIII.

Pearson, G., Lago-Leston, A., Valente, M. & Serrao, E. (2006). Simple and rapid RNA extraction from freeze-dried tissue of brown algae and seagrasses. European Journal of Phycology 41: 97-104.

Perrin, C., Daguin, C., Van de Vliet, M., Engel, C.R., Pearson, G.A., & Serráo,E.A. (2007). Implications of mating system for genetic diversity of sister algal species: Fucus spiralis and Fucus vesiculosus (Heterokontophyta, Phaeophyceae). European Journal of Phycology 42: 219-230.

Peters, A.F., Marie, D., Scornet, D., Kloareg, B. & Cock, J.M. (2004). Proposal of Ectocarpus siliculosus (Ectocarpales, Phaeophyceae) as a model organism for brown algal genetics and genomics. Journal of Phycology 40: 1079-1088.

Wallace, A.L., Klein, A.S. & Mathieson, A.C. (2004). Determining the affinities of salt marsh fucoids using microsatellite markers: evidence of hybridization and introgression between two species of Fucus (Phaeophyta) in a Maine estuary . Journal of Phycology 40: 1013-1027.

Nishino, T., Ura, H. and Nagumo, T., Bot. Mar., 1995, 38, 187–193.

Habitat:

On rocks and stones in the mid-intertidal; often zone-forming.

Common names:

English: Bladder Wrack (Dickinson 1963)

Common names used in trade: lady wrack {Eng}; sea ware {Eng}; black tang {Eng}; bladder fucus {Eng}; chOne marin {Fr}; bladder wrack rockweed {Eng}; fucus {Sp & Mex}; "fucus, bladder"; "tang, black"; "ware, sea"; "wrack, lady"; "rockweed, bladder wrack".

Other names: an fheamainn bhuilgíneach, an fheamainn dhubh, blaaswier, black tang, black tany, bladder fucus, bladder wrack, blæretang, Blasentang, blåstång, bloeretang, bodelha vesicular, cosa cruadha, cosa dubha, cut weed, cutweed, dyer's fucus, dyers fucus, encina marina, feamainn bhuilgíneach, feamla, feamra, fuco, fuco vesicular, fucus, fucus tips, fucus vésiculeux, gemeiner Blasentang, gewone zeeëik, goémon, jelly bags, kelp-ware, lady wrack, Meereiche, Meeriche, morszczyn pęcherzykowaty, múrach dubh, paddy tang, popping wrack, popweed, quercus marina, raquet, red fucus, rock wrack, rockweed, rockwrack, sargazo vejigoso, sargazo vesiculoso, sea oak, sea ware, sea wrack, sea-ware, seatang, seawrack, Seetang, swine tang, varech, varech vésiculeux, vésiculeux

Type information:

Type species: This is the type species (lectotype) of the genus Fucus

Type locality: "Habitat in Mari Atlantico" (Atlantic Ocean) (Linnaeus 1753: 1158)