‘What are sea plants and algae?’
‘What are sea plants and algae?’ by Lynnae D Steinberg
1. Countless tiny living things float and drift in the world’s oceans. These organisms are known as plankton.
2. Plankton that is made up of animals or animal-like organisms is called zooplankton. Plankton that is made up of plants or plant-like organisms is called phytoplankton. These organisms are often no larger than a single cell.
3. Besides phytoplankton and zooplankton, bacteria and fungi float in the world’s waters. These living things may also be considered plankton.
4. Phytoplankton has an important place in the food chain that supports marine animals as well as the humans who eat them. It is the primary food source of nearly all sea organisms.
5. Algae contain chlorophyll. But they differ from plants in that they do not have stems or leaves. They also do not produce flowers or seeds. Like plants, however, algae make their own food through photosynthesis.
6. A large free-floating mass of brown algae lies in an area of the western Atlantic Ocean called the Sargasso Sea. This algae is used by eels, turtles, marlins, sharks and dolphinfish as a spawning site.
7. Most green algae occur in fresh water. Only about 10% of green algae are marine. Some species, such as sea lettuce(ulva), are eaten by humans.
8. Nori is a type of seaweed used to make sushi. Red algae is a popular food among vegetarians. Like meat, red algae has a high protein content and levels of vitamin B12. Brown seaweeds are used to make jams, pie filling, gravy, etc.
Picture source: https://www.aprilgornik.com/artwork/2012-2022?view=slider#18
