Bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus)
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Fucus vesiculosus
- Common name
- Bladder wrack
- Category
- Algae
- Family
- Fucaceae
- Genus
- Fucus
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
- Danger level
- Harmless
- Habitats
- rocky-reef, tidepool
- Behaviours
- sessile, primary-producer, habitat-former
- Ocean zones
- East Atlantic, Mediterranean
Description
Fucus vesiculosus reaches 1 m. Flat dichotomous thallus olive-brown with paired floating vesicles along axes. Forms the middle belt of rocky intertidal zones of Northeast Atlantic and Baltic. Very tolerant of emersion and salinity variations. Harvested for cosmetic extracts and animal feed. Classic ecological indicator. Among the algae revealed at low tide, often first encounter of bathers with structuring brown algae.
Photo of Bladder wrack
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Bladder wrack dangerous to divers?
- Danger level: Harmless.
- What is the conservation status of the Bladder wrack?
- IUCN status: Least concern (LC).
- Where can you find the Bladder wrack?
- Found in: East Atlantic, Mediterranean.
Similar species
- Dictyota dichotoma - Forkweed
- Sargassum vulgare - Common sargassum
- Codium bursa - Ball alga
- Halimeda tuna - Halimeda
- Posidonia oceanica - Neptune grass
- Cymodocea nodosa - Little Neptune grass
Sources
- Taxonomy: WoRMS (AphiaID 145548)
- Photos: iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)
- Distribution: GBIF (taxonKey 8222574)
- Conservation: IUCN Red List
- Encyclopedia: Wikipedia