Pelagophycus, genus of brown algae and type of kelp in the family Laminariaceae (sometimes placed in family Lessoniaceae), consisting of one species, elk kelp (Pelagophycus porra), known for the conspicuous antlerlike appearance of its branches. Pelagophycus is native to the deep waters from near the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California to the north-central Baja peninsula of Mexico. Three ecotypes (or varieties) are recognized and thought to be in the early stages of speciation. Each ecotype displays unique morphological and life history traits and favours a distinct type of habitat, differentiated by intensity of water motion (calm or wavy), substrate (rocky or soft), and location (windward or leeward of the islands).
Elk kelp was given the Latin name Laminaria porra in 1822 by French botanist Dominique Sébastien Léman. Porra was the name given to it by Spanish navigators, who upon sighting elk kelp floating on the sea surface are said to have realized their proximity to the shores of California. Swedish botanist Johan Erhard Areschoug described it in 1876 as Nereocystis gigantea, based on a specimen collected at Santa Catalina Island by Swedish-born scientist Gustav Eisen. In 1881, however, having recognized elk kelp as distinct from other Nereocystis, Areschoug renamed it Pelagophycus giganteus, thereby introducing the genus name. The Latin name P. porra, assigned to the species in 1908 by American botanist William Albert Setchell, is derived from Léman’s nomenclature.
Pelagophycus grows at depths of 20–50 metres (66–164 feet) and has a single main stemlike stipe that can reach as many as 30 metres (98 feet) in length (though generally it is much shorter). A holdfast at the base of the stipe anchors the kelp to its substrate, while a buoyant round or oval-shaped pneumatocyst (gas-filled bladder) at the opposite end lifts the stipe in the water. The antlerlike branches extend from the pneumatocyst, and each branch bears a huge frond, which measures between 5 and 10 metres (16 and 33 feet) long and as much as 2 metres (6.6 feet) wide. The large fronds, which stretch in the direction of the prevailing current before bowing downward, capture sunlight, only minimal amounts of which reach most Pelagophycus because of the great depth of habitat and the relative shortness of the stipe.
Similar to other types of kelp, Pelagophycus has a life history characterized by alternating macroscopic sporophyte (mature kelp) and microscopic gametophyte (sexual) phases that appear to be influenced by seasonal factors (e.g., temperature). Sporophytes release zoospores, which eventually settle on the ocean floor. When zoospores encounter a suitable substrate, they develop into gametophytes. The zygote (fertilized egg) produced from the union of sperm and egg develops into the sporophyte. The entire life cycle may take place within one year, in annual populations, or across two or three years, in perennial populations. Annual populations, which have been described in locations with high wind exposure, may experience elevated death rates, since turbulent marine conditions can damage or break the stipe.
Among the Channel Islands, elk kelp characteristically is found at the outer fringe of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests, which occur at comparatively shallow depths. Elk kelp, however, can hybridize naturally with giant kelp, and certain hybrid gametophytes produced from this crossing may be fertile. Both elk and giant kelp provide important habitats for other marine life, including other kinds of seaweeds and various animals, such as fish, sea cucumbers, and snails.