The Sperm Attractant of the Marine Brown Alga Ascophyllum nodosum (Phaeophyceae)

Abstract
Spermatozoids of the intertidal seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) are attracted to eggs prior to fertilization. The attractant has been isolated and its structure identified as 1(3 E ,5 Z ,8 Z )-undecatetraene (finavarrene). The relation of finavarrene to sex hormones in other brown algae is discussed.