Gymnosorus J.Agardh, 1894 Pocockiella Papenfuss, 1943 Lobophora is a genus of thalloid brown seaweed of the Phylum Ochrophyta; Class Phaeophyceae.

The sporangial sori of Lobophora are either scattered or in concentric bands found at the surface of the thallus They are characteristically indusiated but without paraphyses.

However, when these contributing control factors become unbalanced, Lobophora and other associated seaweeds become opportunistic in taking over reefs (i.e. increasing spatial cover) and by density-dependent negative feedback, prevents corals from settling on substrate.

[7] Because of capacity of seaweeds, such as Lobophora to occupy large spatial habitats, particularly in degraded reefs, they can have an impact on the chances of coral larvae to settle on a substrate.

Encrust (crustose) forming Lobophora, such as L. variegata are dominant in areas with high concentration of herbivorous fish and sea urchin, compare to other seaweeds having a foliose or decumbent morphologies.

This indicates that high herbivory activities in the area may influence the defense mechanisms of seaweeds, in the case of Lobophora, its specific growth morphologies.

There are: Minerals: cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), iodine (I), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn); Pigments: carotene, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll c, fucoxanthin; Polysaccharides/ simple sugars: alginic acid, laminarin; Sugar alcohol: mannitol.

Sulfated polysaccharides, fucans, from algae Lobophora variegata were shown to have anti-inflammatory activity in acute zymosan-induced arthritis in laboratory rats.