Isolated, distal blade discs of the brown alga Laminaria digitata form sorus, but not discs, near to the meristematic transition zone

Blade discs of vegetative thalli of Laminaria digitata (Huds.) Lamour. from Helgoland (North Sea) cut at 5-15 cm distance from the blade/stipe transit ion, formed sorus in the laboratory after 7-12 weeks, 5 months earlier than whole fronds in the field. Sorus formation occurred in a broad range of da ylength regimes or temperatures, at 8-16 h light per day and 6-12 degrees C . No sorus was developed during three months by meristematic blade discs cu t from the lowermost 3 cm portion of the blade, nor from whole thalli cultu red in parallel to isolated blade discs. These findings point to the possib le existence of sporulation inhibitors produced by the laminarian meristem.