Seaweeds
Seaweeds are (thalloid plants) macroscopic algae, which mean they have no differentiation of true tissues such as roots, stems and leaves. They have leaflike appendages.
- Seaweeds, the larger and visible marine plants are found attached to rocks, corals and other submerged strata in the intertidal and shallow sub tidal zones of the sea.
- Seaweeds grow in shallow coastal waters wherever sizable substata is available.
- Based on the colour of their pigmentation, sea weeds are broadly classified into different classes such as blue-green, green, brown, red, etc.
FUNCTIONS OF SEAWEEDS
- Food for marine organism
- habitat for fish breeding grounds
- Source of sediment
USES OF SEAWEEDS
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Seaweeds are important as food for humans, feed for animals, and fertilizer for plants.
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Seaweeds are used as a drug for goiter treatment, intestinal and stomach disorders.
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Products like agar-agar and alginates, iodine which are of commercial value, are extracted from seaweeds.
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By the biodegradation of seaweeds methane like economically important gases can be produced in large quantities.
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Extracts of some seaweed species show antibacterial activity.
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Seaweeds are also used as the potential indicators of pollution in coastal ecosystem, particularly heavy metal pollution due to their ability to bind and accumulate metals strongly.