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The find was unusual, as the species does not belong to the only two orders of brown algae previously known to possess such coloration.

Many of these metabolic genes appear to have been donated by algae-infecting viruses, and genes with a viral origin were especially prevalent in the more recently evolved brown algae.

However, to protect themselves from sea slugs and other herbivores, the brown algae produce a secondary metabolite called phlorotannin that blocks this digestion, hindering the potential application of brown algae as feedstocks for biofuel.

For example, distinguishing a sea star from a sea urchin, fleshy red algae from green or brown algae, and soft-sediment from a hard substrate.

Some Caribbean islands have seen huge amounts of the brown algae inundate beaches during Sargassum season, posing worrisome respiratory health risks to residents exposed to the hydrogen sulfide, according to a 2018 study.