In situmeasurement of zoospore release and seasonality of reproduction inEcklonia maxima(Alariaceae, Laminariales)

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Abstract
Zoospore release has been measured seasonally, in situ, and used to calculate an annual figure of 3.07 .times. 1010 spores per year from an Ecklonia maxima sporophyte. Although the plants were fertile throughout the year, fertile area per plant showed a steady increase from low values in the late summer to a peak in the spring. Spore release per unit fertile area also varied seasonally, with low release in late summer and winter, and most spores released in spring/early summer. The annual spore production is compared with other direct and indirect estimates of spore production in kelps. Despite the huge numbers of spores produced, the volume of spore material is estimated as only 5.27 cm3 of spores per plant per year. The annual spore production represents only c. 0.17% of the total production of this kelp.