Algae are a special part of the plant world. The peculiarity in the habitat is mainly algae, belonging to the lower plants, live in the water. In the usual sense, they have no root, stem, leaves, but they have a body (thallus), consisting of either one cell or a group of multicellular organisms. Aquatic plants live in large, and not very large, bodies of water, and among them there are the most unusual specimens that are surprising in their size and structural features.

The diverse world of algae

Plants living on Earth play an important role in the life of the planet - they absorb carbon dioxide, are a source of nutrition for humans and wildlife. Algae also consume carbon dioxide, processing it into oxygen, they feed on the animal world of water bodies and humans.

Some species can only be found on the sea or ocean floor, some only in fresh water, some we will see, and some we may not notice. Among the variety of algae there are very unusual and interesting species that cause genuine interest in their uniqueness.

In the Japanese lake Mivant, the Icelandic volcanic lake Akan, in the Tasman and Black Sea, unusual-shaped algae are found - moss balls.

They are spherical formations of bright green color of small sizes (diameter 12-30cm). Sometimes their size is very small - it is affected by the temperature of the water.

Reference! The ball is formed by thin long strands of plants growing from the center in all directions.

Those who are engaged in scuba diving noted that at the bottom of the sea, algae-balls look like something alien and fantastic - it is so unusual to see such a shape at great depths. Sometimes in bad weather, ball algae throws on the coast and then they can be admired by everyone, not just lovers of underwater landscapes.

Cowlerpa belongs to unicellular organisms, although this cannot be said in appearance - it looks like a bizarre, impressive size plant with prototypes of stems, roots and leaves. There is an explanation for this discrepancy - there is only one cell, but there are several nuclei; moreover, the cytoplasm can freely move through an organism devoid of partitions.

Kaulerpa algae is called an invading plant, because it quickly occupies the water area, populates it and interferes with the growth and development of other plants.

On a note! The growth rate of algae is up to 1 cm per day, and the length of some species reaches 2.8 m.

In 1984, an unusual algae from the aquarium fell into the waters of the Mediterranean Sea near Monaco, quickly adapted to new conditions and 10 years later it occupied a large area of \u200b\u200b30 km². The taste of the algae is bitter, the fish do not like it, so they prefer to eat other varieties. So nothing prevents Cowlerpa’s reproduction. But its presence is harmful to the population of some species of fish - they simply cease to live in these places.

Near the coast of California and on the Australian coast (New South Wales) in 2000, Cowlerpa was discovered and urgently engaged in its destruction with chlorine - otherwise the seaweed could capture a large territory. In California, it was forbidden to use even in aquariums.

The algae invader has a dangerous enemy for it, but it lives only in warm waters - this is the tropical marine slug Elysia subornata. Cowlerpa juice is great for him to feed, and the slug causes considerable damage to the Cowlerpa thickets. To combat dangerous algae, it is quite possible to use it where the conditions for it are acceptable.

The presence of a large amount of brown pigment in the plant - fucoxanthin - gave the name algae. An unusual color algae lives in many seas and oceans, and several species exist even in fresh water.

On the territory of the oceans adjacent to the mainland, one of the longest algae grows at great depths - 40-60 m, and in temperate and polar regions, the habitat depth is less than 6-15 m.

Features of brown algae:

• it is attached to stones and rocks, and in the depths, where the waters are calm, it can grow on mollusk shells;
• can live in salt marshes;
• the size of the thallus varies from 1 micron to 40-60m;
• the thallus can be in the form of vertically directed or creeping threads, plates, crusts, bags, bushes;
• to keep upright on the thallus there are air bubbles;
• macrocystis algae, the representative of the longest algae in the world (grows up to 60 m), forms underwater forests in the coastal ocean waters of America;
• propagated by vegetative, asexual and sexually transmitted;
• used as a low-calorie food rich in proteins, carbohydrates, minerals;
• serves as a raw material for some drugs and various industries (textile, biotechnological, food);
• is the basis of food seasoning monosodium glutamate.

Sargassa algae (sargassum, sargassum, sea grapes) belong to the genus brown algae and are amazing in their features and properties. The birthplace of culture is the region of Japan, China, Korea, but at the moment it has populated the waters of the Pacific coast of the North American continent and Western Europe.

On a note! A distinctive feature of the algae is the presence of float bubbles and a characteristic brown-yellow or brown-olive color of the serrated leaves up to 2 cm long.

Features of Sargassum:

• long algae lives (length reaches 2-10m) at a depth of 2-3m, but species are found at a greater depth - it depends on the habitat;
• usually attached to stones, rocks, but can swim;
• the necessary conditions for the existence of algae are salt water (7-34 ppm) and a temperature of 10 ° -30 ° C;
• male and female genital organs are present;
• a plant up to 2 m in height produces (on average) about 1 billion embryos;
• embryos can adhere to various surfaces, be in free swimming for up to 3 months and form colonies far from their native place;
• in the Sargasso Sea inhabits a species without genitals, forming a thick, shapeless mass on the surface;
• algae colonies, having come off, can migrate and harm fishermen, small vessels, fauna and flora of the reservoir, crowding out local plants;
• fast breeding rates may crowd out other algae species;
• the benefits of algae - 9 species of fungi, 52 species of algae, about 80 species of marine organisms live in the habitat of the algae.

Macrocystis is the largest and longest algae

Macrocystis belongs to the genus of brown algae, characterized by the large size of its representatives. The place of growth is the oceanic waters of the Southern Hemisphere with a temperature of 20 ° С.

The leaf plates are long (up to 1 m) and wide (up to 20 cm), with an air bubble at the base, attached to a long trunk, and he, in turn, tightly fastens to the soil, rocks, stones with the help of rhizoids (something like roots) at a depth of 20-30m. The appearance of the algae resembles a kite with a long tail, humbled by flags.

Interesting! There are some discrepancies regarding the length of the macrocyst, but nevertheless, the majority converges at a length of 60-213 m. The weight of the thallus of the longest representatives is considerable - 150 kg, and this fact does not cause disputes.

In the water column, the stem rises, and at the surface it spreads along the direction of the sea current. Air bubbles at the base of the leaves help to stay afloat.

Vast thickets of macrocysts near the coasts are capable of damping strong waves, since it is impossible to tear the plant from its mount, so algae began to be grown artificially. In addition, they serve as raw materials for the extraction of alginate, which is necessary in many industries.

The largest marine plant - oceanic Posidonia

Found the largest and longest sea grass Posidonia in 2006 in Mediterranean waters near the Balearic Islands. Why the longest? The answer is striking and surprising - its length has reached 8,000 m!

Important! Quite often, Posidonia is called “algae,” but the plant does not belong to algae - this is a perennial plant that is completely in the water, and, unlike algae, has roots, stem, leaves, seeds and fruits.

The name of the Greek god Poseidon (the ruler of the seas) formed the basis for the name of the herbaceous sea plant Posidonia, apparently due to its large size and some features:

• forms large thickets (colonies) at depths of up to 50 m - they are sometimes called green meadows;
• the plant has very powerful creeping roots;
• at great depths the leaves are wider and longer than at shallow;
• sheet length reaches 15-50 cm, and width - 6-10 mm;
• in some cases, it is specially grown to replenish the plant world in certain marine areas.

Red algae (scarlet) - marine plants that have existed on Earth for about 1 billion years. A distinctive feature of unusual algae is the ability to use blue and green rays penetrating to great depths for photosynthesis. This property is due to the presence of a special substance phycoerythin.

Chloroplasts of red algae contain green chlorophyll, red phycoerythrins, blue phycobillins and yellow carotenoids. When mixing substances with chlorophyll, various shades of red are obtained. The presence of these components makes it possible for algae to exist at great depths (100-500 m).

Interesting fact! In the water column, algae, absorbing the light of the sun, appear black, but on land we see them red!

Some types of scarlet contain large amounts of magnesium and calcium carbonate and are able to form a skeleton of a special composition, so scarlet is a part of coral reefs.

Red algae serve as raw materials in the production of a natural substitute for agar-agar gelatin, are used in cosmetology and pharmacology, they fertilize the soil and feed livestock.

In the plant world there are amazing and unusual plants that feed on their own similar or small living organisms. They are called predator plants. There are such among algae.

The unicellular organism Pfiesteria piscicida is able to eat as a plant and as an animal: it can attack a living organism and at the same time uses the photosynthesis process to obtain nutrients. Therefore, it is considered algae.

Interesting Facts:

• unusual predator algae killed a large number of fish in the waters of the eastern coast of the USA - each individual destroys 7-10 hemoglobin cells in the blood of fish, multiplies rapidly;
• in the “infected” seawater, a drop of 1 ml 3 contains up to 20,000 killer algae cells;
• scars and ulcers appear on the skin of a person after contact with algae;
• algae contains poison that can kill not only fish, but also the human brain.

The list of the most unusual algae does not end there. It can be continued, replenishing the information about the plant world with new interesting facts.

100 great records of wildlife Nepomniachtchi Nikolai Nikolaevich

THE LONGEST SEA ALGAE - BROWN ALGAE

Brown algae, whose length reaches 200 m, lives on the Pacific coast of America. Its pseudostem is attached to the seabed at a depth of 2 to 40 m. On the surface, flat formations resemble moving leaves. Often, these algae form whole floating islands. There are about 1,500 species in total.

Brown algae is currently considered a class in the Heterokontophyta department. These marine plants are often striking in their gigantic size, variety of shapes, and complexity of structure. Most brown algae live in coastal waters, attaching to rocks and rocks, to other algae. All species of this class are multicellular. There are no free-living flagellates among brown algae. Flagella are present only in reproductive cells. The morphological and anatomical structure of the thallus (algae body) is very diverse, from microscopic single-strands to the enormous size of parenchymal forms several meters in length, with a high level of differentiation of the thallus, as in laminaria.

Like all representatives of the department, brown algae cells have chlorophyll “a” and “c” and do not have chlorophyll “c”. Chloroplasts are disc-shaped, golden brown, since chlorophyll is masked by an additional pigment - the carotenoid fucoxanthin. This pigment, combined with tannins, gives the plants of this group a characteristic brown color. The main reserve substance is chrysolamine, mannitol (sugar alcohol) and fats are also found. Mannitol also regulates the penetration of substances through cell membranes (osmosis).

On the coast of the Barents Sea, brown algae is the dominant group both in the number of species and in the biomass formed. This group determines the appearance of the coastal vegetation of the northern seas. On the littoral (part of the seabed, exposed at low tide) on the rocks and rocks settle, sometimes in significant quantities, Fucus. These are large algae - Ascophyllum nodosum, Fucus vesiculosus, F. distichus, F. serratus with a powerful thallus, which often contains air bubbles or air cavities that help plants to rise and take up a vertical position during high tide. Dry at low tide bubbles snap underfoot. In the puddles between the fucoids and on the fucoids themselves, various filamentous brown algae - Pilayella litoralis, Dictyosiphon foeniculaceus, Chordaria flagelliformis, and many others can settle. The upper part of the sublittoral zone in the northern seas of Russia is populated by large brown algae - kelp. Powerful thickets on rocks and stones along the Murmansk coast form Laminaria saccharina, L. digitata, L. hyperbora, Alaria esculenta. In bays, Laminaria saccharina is the most characteristic representative of the sublittoral belt of algae.

Fucoids and kelp are being fished in the Barents and White Seas to produce alginate, mannitol and a number of other substances. Sea kale (Laminaria saccharina) is eaten in many countries.

Brown algae contains amino acids (lysine, methionine, tryptophan, arginine, tyrosine, serine, threonine, histidine, phenylalanine, cystine, leucine, isoleucine, valine); vitamins A, P, group B; trace elements (calcium, iodine, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, zinc, sulfur, sodium, potassium, etc.).

Brown algae when eaten slows the development of atherosclerosis and lowers blood cholesterol. A large number of polysaccharides in brown algae has the property of swelling and, increasing in volume, irritate the nerve endings of the intestinal mucosa, which stimulates its peristalsis and helps to cleanse. Polysaccharides also bind toxins and remove them from the body, and brown algae - heavy metal salts and radionuclides.

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Then welcome. We invite you to get acquainted with the longest algae.

You should know that algae is a representative of lower plants. exist not just for beauty. They are the staple food of many marine animals.

Interesting that the longest algae   reach a length of 200 meters. In general, about 45 thousand species of algae are known. They populate the water column to the level of penetration of sunlight.

Some algae are firmly attached to the bottom - they are called deep. Others, on the contrary, constantly drift along the water surface - these are planktonic algae. Their color can be different: green, brown, red or blue.

An interesting fact is that algae reproduce in a variety of ways: vegetative, sexual and asexual. It is curious that these unusual plants contain much more useful substances (iodine, minerals, etc.) than any other marine inhabitants. For this reason, algae is often used in the food industry.

Interestingly, in the cosmetic business they are also indispensable. Creams and emulsions are made from them, having a powerful anti-aging effect. In some beauty salons, special algae is wrapped in the whole body for expensive wellness treatments.

The longest algae is the giant Pacific brown algae. She is one of the fastest growing. The growth rate reaches 45 centimeters per day. Algae are common throughout the globe.

The longest alga in the world

The longest is considered Kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), which lives on the Pacific coast of America and has a length of 200 meters. At a depth of 2 to 40 meters, it is attached to the seabed. Formations resembling moving leaves float on the surface. Often, these algae form whole floating islands.

THE LONGEST SEA ALGAE - BROWN ALGAE

Brown algae, whose length reaches 200 m, lives on the Pacific coast of America. Its pseudostem is attached to the seabed at a depth of 2 to 40 m. On the surface, flat formations resemble moving leaves. Often, these algae form whole floating islands. There are about 1,500 species in total.

Brown algae is currently considered a class in the Heterokontophyta department. These marine plants are often striking in their gigantic size, variety of shapes, and complexity of structure. Most brown algae live in coastal waters, attaching to rocks and rocks, to other algae. All species of this class are multicellular. There are no free-living flagellates among brown algae. Flagella are present only in reproductive cells. The morphological and anatomical structure of the thallus (algae body) is very diverse, from microscopic single-strands to the enormous size of parenchymal forms several meters in length, with a high level of differentiation of the thallus, as in laminaria.

Like all representatives of the department, brown algae cells have chlorophyll “a” and “c” and do not have chlorophyll “c”. Chloroplasts are disc-shaped, golden brown, since chlorophyll is masked by an additional pigment - the carotenoid fucoxanthin. This pigment, combined with tannins, gives the plants of this group a characteristic brown color. The main reserve substance is chrysolamine, mannitol (sugar alcohol) and fats are also found. Mannitol also regulates the penetration of substances through cell membranes (osmosis).

On the coast of the Barents Sea, brown algae is the dominant group both in the number of species and in the biomass formed. This group determines the appearance of the coastal vegetation of the northern seas. On the littoral (part of the seabed, exposed at low tide) on the rocks and rocks settle, sometimes in significant quantities, Fucus. These are large algae - Ascophyllum nodosum, Fucus vesiculosus, F. distichus, F. serratus with a powerful thallus, which often contains air bubbles or air cavities that help plants to rise and take up a vertical position during high tide. Dry at low tide bubbles snap underfoot. In the puddles between the fucoids and on the fucoids themselves, various filamentous brown algae - Pilayella litoralis, Dictyosiphon foeniculaceus, Chordaria flagelliformis, and many others can settle. The upper part of the sublittoral zone in the northern seas of Russia is populated by large brown algae - kelp. Powerful thickets on rocks and stones along the Murmansk coast form Laminaria saccharina, L. digitata, L. hyperbora, Alaria esculenta. In bays, Laminaria saccharina is the most characteristic representative of the sublittoral belt of algae.

Fucoids and kelp are being fished in the Barents and White Seas to produce alginate, mannitol and a number of other substances. Sea kale (Laminaria saccharina) is eaten in many countries.

Brown algae contains amino acids (lysine, methionine, tryptophan, arginine, tyrosine, serine, threonine, histidine, phenylalanine, cystine, leucine, isoleucine, valine); vitamins A, P, group B; trace elements (calcium, iodine, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, zinc, sulfur, sodium, potassium, etc.).

Brown algae when eaten slows the development of atherosclerosis and lowers blood cholesterol. A large number of polysaccharides in brown algae has the property of swelling and, increasing in volume, irritate the nerve endings of the intestinal mucosa, which stimulates its peristalsis and helps to cleanse. Polysaccharides also bind toxins and remove them from the body, and brown algae - heavy metal salts and radionuclides.

What do we know about algae? Slippery, unpleasant to the touch and absolutely unattractive in appearance - this is how an average person can describe these marine and river inhabitants. Meanwhile, algae is assigned one of the most basic roles on a global scale of the universe. And all thanks to the ability to absorb carbon dioxide and process it into oxygen, making it possible to breathe not only underwater, but also terrestrial fauna.

Interestingly, algae have no roots and are attached to the bottom or other dense surfaces with their stems. Conventionally, they can be divided into two types: deep and planktonic. The former live, most often, in deep ocean waters, often forming entire underwater forests. The latter serve as food for numerous marine organisms, fish and animals, playing the role of a kind of "dining room". Man also found widespread use of algae, skillfully adapting them to almost all areas of his life.

Food i love you

Everyone has heard about seaweed, and some even actively introduce it into their diet. And we must take an example from them - absolutely no jokes! This brown seaweed contains an incredible amount of nutrients. First of all, it is iodine and calcium, which are necessary to maintain a normal metabolism and ensure the endocrine system.

Among fans of dietary supplements, spirulina, which has an extensive biochemical composition, is very popular. It is one of the unique cyanobacteria that lived on the earth millions of years ago and preserved in its original form to the present day. In terms of carotene content, spirulina overtakes carrots by 10 times, and even meat cannot compete with it in terms of the amount of vitamin PP. Regular intake of this magical blue-green “potion” helps to put in order not only the nervous and cardiovascular systems, but also has a beneficial effect on the human body as a whole.

Residents of Okinawa (Japan) are distinguished by excellent health and longevity. Many scientists have tried and still are trying to understand what the secret of this phenomenon is, and most of them agree on the same opinion - the modzuki alga, which grows in local waters and is actively consumed, is “to blame”. As it turned out, it contains a lot of fucoidan - a substance that has immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial properties.

Japanese cuisine is generally very supportive of different types of algae, adding them not only to main dishes and sushi, but even pastries and desserts. Surprisingly, there is real algal flour used for baking bread, puddings, cakes and other confectionery. Specialized cafes are opening across the country, serving food made exclusively from seaweed and the like.

Road to space

The honor of being initiated into astronauts fell to chlorella, a unicellular algae that can produce oxygen in such quantities that no other terrestrial plant can be stolen. With its microscopic size, chlorella impresses with its protein content in dry mass - more than 50 percent.

The composition also contains a rich selection of amino acids and vitamins necessary for normal human life. This means that it can be used not only as a producer of oxygen, but also as food. Moreover, it requires minimal space for its content. The high reproduction rate and a short vegetation cycle makes this alga simply irreplaceable in modern astronautics.

Cosmetology and agriculture - what is common?

The cosmetics industry “exploits” algae with particular enthusiasm. On their basis, a large number of all kinds of creams, serums, emulsions, tonics and other products are produced that help the skin look radiant and well-groomed. In beauty salons, you can often find procedures based on algae. Among the most popular are masks and wraps used to treat cellulite, stretch marks and even skin dermatitis.

Farmers are not inferior in their love of seafood. In developed countries, algae have long been used for the manufacture of organic fertilizers. As practice shows, you can achieve a good harvest without chemicals, if you approach the matter wisely. After spraying seedlings of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, potatoes and other vegetable crops with a special composition of brown algae, the crop will be much richer and better. Breeders also join the ecofanates. It has already been proven that chickens, geese, ducks, cows, pigs and other living creatures become more productive and healthier when various algal supplements are introduced into her diet.

This is also interesting.

No organism on earth has such vitality and the ability to adapt to various climatic and temperature conditions like algae. Their “footprint” can be found not only in the seas and oceans, but also in the glaciers of Antarctica and the hot geysers of Kamchatka. By the way, in thermal springs in the Far East, as many as 2 species of algae were found that feel fine and breed at a temperature of 75-80 ° C.

Here are some more amazing and informative facts about algae:

• The composition of macro- and micronutrients algae are very similar to human blood
• Some algae possess luminescent properties and during the flowering period create the illusion of illumination on the water. You can admire such a miracle of nature on the southern coast of California, where several times a year the waves acquire a neon blue hue.
• In ancient China, algae were used to treat and prevent cancer. Currently, studies are also underway for their use in the treatment of cancer.
• The longest algae in the world is considered kelp. Its length often reaches 60 meters. The miracle product is obtained mainly in the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk and the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan, as well as in the waters of the Arctic Ocean. At a depth of 4-6 meters, the kelp forms a real underwater jungle.
• The concept of “watermelon snow” is well known to climbers who conquer the peaks of the mountains of South America, Greenland and the Arctic. The first mention of this phenomenon is found in the records of Aristotle, and only in the second half of the 19th century did you manage to solve this riddle. The pinkish tint and slightly watermelon taste of snow give a special kind of algae, which received a logical name - snow.
• Lichens are nothing more than a symbiosis of algae and fungi.
• Some algae species are toxic to fish and marine animals. In order not to be eaten, they produce a special poison substance that saves them from the restless appetite of underwater inhabitants.

So, it would seem, a nondescript and primitive unicellular organism can ultimately prove to be very useful and interesting not only from a scientific point of view, but also applicable in the life of ordinary people.