Pregnant Macroalgae!

[johnmaloney]

Technically this female plant is cystocarpic, the yellow sacs are called cystocarps and hold fertilized spores. They will eventually drop off, settle, and create new plants. It takes about a year for them to go from a carpospore to a full grown plant. You can think of it as a fertilized seed pod. In a way, this algae has more of a parental relationship with its next generation than many of the broadcast spawning fish we keep in our aquariums. Anyway, I am a nerd and like to share.

 

[holy carp]

Very interesting.  Thanks for sharing.

 

Is it the same thing with nuisance algae?

[johnmaloney]

3 hours ago, holy carp said:

Very interesting.  Thanks for sharing.

 

Is it the same thing with nuisance algae?

The reproduction cycle varies between species of algae. 

[Tamberav]

cool stuff

[Boggers]

That is really interesting. Thanks for sharing.