Random Facts About Seaweed
Seaweed is the common name for multicellular marine algae. It provides food for many marine animals and is also collected by humans for a variety of purposes including food and medicine.
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Types
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The simplest seaweeds such as blue-green and green algae grow as branching fronds, irregular sheets and thin filaments in shallow water near the shore. The brown algae grows at depths between 50 and 75 feet in temperate and polar waters. Delicate red algae grows up to 879 feet below sea level and absorbs the blue and violet light available at that depth with its red pigment.
Uses
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Red algae is collected as food in China, Japan, Iceland and the British Isles. Some species such as Irish Moss also provide gelatin for cooking, cosmetics and textile sizing. Many large brown seaweeds provide iodine, potassium and other minerals used in medicine, fertilizer and potash.
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Reproduction
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Some of the simpler forms of seaweed reproduce asexually. Some seaweeds form spores that swim away, anchor themselves and then grow into new plants. Some species develop sex cells that fuse together and then swim off to find a place to anchor.
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