Life Cycle
Sexual reproduction may be isogamous, oogamous, or anisogamous. Union of gametes may take place in water or within the oogonium (oogamous species). The life cycle shows great variability from one group to another.
However, the life cycle of Laminaria consists of the diploid generation, that is the large kelp well known to most people, producing sporangia from specialised microscopic structures, which divide meiotically before they are released. As they are haploid there are equal numbers of male and female spores. With the exception of the Fucales, all brown algae have a life cycle with an alternation between haploid and diploid forms.
Read more about this topic: Brown Algae
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