We investigated effects of temperature on gametophytes and sporophytes of the two morphologically similar kelp species Laminaria digitata and Hedophyllum nigripes co-occurring in the Arctic. We quantified gametogenesis, sporophyte recruitment and growth, optimal quantum yield and carbon and nitrogen content of sporophytes, as well as survival of both life cycle stages along temperature gradients (0-25°C), using several unialgal strains isolated from the European Arctic in Kongsfjorden, western Spitsbergen.
Laminaria digitata and Hedophyllum nigripes were collected from Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen in 2015 and 2016, respectively.