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Description: | Bladder Wrack gets its name from the air bladders that form either side of the midrib in each frond. The paired bladders differentiate this seaweed from Knotted Wrack which has single bladders. Bladder wrack usually lives in the middle part of the intertidal zone. This specimen comes from Beadnell, Northumberland .
: The air bladders located on either side of the midrib are characteristic of this Bladder Wrack specimen. The fronds are neither spiralled nor serrated (like a steak knife). The swollen areas at the ends of the fronds contain the reproductive organs.
The air bladders in Bladder Wrack usually come in pairs. Air bladders help the seaweed to float towards the surface when the tide is in. The seaweed receives more light which it needs in order to manufacture its food.
The holdfast on Bladder Wrack is a small disc. It anchors the seaweed to a rock to keep it from drifting away in the water. | Source: | Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums | Identifier: | emu.ecatalogue.botany.190624 | Go to resource |
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