Scientific Classification of Brown Kelp

Protista

• The first classification for any organism is kingdom. All organisms were originally slotted into two kingdoms, plants and animals. However, not all organisms fit neatly into these two classifications, and more kingdoms were instituted. The kingdom protista represents another kingdom that contains anywhere from 65,000 to 200,000 species including algae, molds, protozoas and brown kelp. Members of the kingdom protista range in complexity from simple one celled to multiple celled organisms.

Heterokontophyta

• Heterokontophyta is a division of the kingdom protista. The division is broken down into nine classes. One these classes is phaeophyceae, the class that contains brown kelp. One defining characteristic of this division is the two flagella, or projections, from the cell. One longer flagella points forward during swimming and the other shorter one points backwards. Brown kelp is placed in a larger division or phylum known as ochrophyta. Ochrophyta is another name for the heterokonts.

Phaeophyceae

• Phaeophyceae represents a class of brown seaweeds that has three orders. One of the orders contains the brown kelps and is known as the laminariales. The other orders are the fucales and desmerestiales.

Laminariales

• The various species of brown kelp go by other names such as devil's apron and sea colander. These species are found in the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at depths of roughly 26 to 98 feet. Brown kelp is found at depths up to 394 feet in warmer waters off the coast of Brazil.