an earlier separate incident at the same beach in July 2009, a truck driver had died near his vehicle after hauling three truckloads of sea lettuce without protective gear during the annual cleanup. Although initially recorded as a heart attack, the death of the truck driver prompted French authorities to exhume his remains for an autopsy. It was later determined to be cardiac arrest resulting from pulmonary edema, which is an indication of possible hydrogen sulfide poisoning. Dead animals found on the algae-clogged beaches (including thirty-one wild boars in July 2011) were also claimed to be linked to toxic fumes by environmentalists. Life history The sporangial and gametangial thalli are morphologically alike. The diploid adult plant produces haploid zoospores by meiosis, these settle and grow to form haploid male and female plants similar to the diploid plants. When these haploid plants release gametes they unite to produce the zygote which germinates, and grows to produce the diploid plant. UsesU. lactuca is locally used in Scotland in soups and salads. In Hawaiʻi, U. lactuca is also called limu pālahala and eaten in different ways: mixed with other algae, salted and served with raw fish, boiled in water and served as a soup, or served with chili pepper, onions, soy sauce and sugar. Additionally, U. lactuca has traditional uses in Hawaiʻi as fertilizer and as adornment for hula. When U. lactuca is used for hula it is called limu pāpahapaha. References Further reading Hayden, H.S., Blomster, J., Maggs, C.A., Silva, P.C., Stanhope, M.J. and Waaland, J.R. (2003) "Linnaeus was right all along: Ulva and Enteromorpha are not distinct genera" European Journal of Phycology'' 38: pp. 277–294, External links Ulva lactuca, AlgaeBase entry Ulva lactuca, University of Rhode Island Edible seaweeds Ulvaceae Algae of Australia Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus