seaweed

seaweed, any of the red, green, or brown marine algae that grow along seashores. Seaweeds are generally anchored to the sea bottom or other solid structures by rootlike “holdfasts,” which perform the sole function of attachment and do not extract nutrients as do the roots of higher plants. A number of seaweed species are edible, and many are also of commercial importance to humans. Some are used as fertilizers or as sources of polysaccharides.

Seaweeds often form dense growths on rocky shores or accumulations in shallow water. Many show a well-established zonation along the margins of the seas, where the depth of the water is 50 metres (about 165 feet) or less. The types of seaweed growing near the high-water mark, where plants are often exposed to air, differ from those growing at lower levels, where there is little or no exposure.

Brown algae (class Phaeophyceae) commonly found as seaweeds include kelps and Fucus. They are widely distributed in colder zones and are absent from tropical waters. The kelps are among the largest algae; certain species of Macrocystis and Nereocystis of the Pacific and Antarctic regions exceed 33 metres (100 feet) in length. Laminaria, another kelp, is abundant along both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Gulfweed (Sargassum) is common as free-floating masses in the Gulf Stream and Sargasso Sea.

Red alga (division Rhodophyta) seaweeds include dulse (Palmaria palmata), Gelidium, Chondrus, and laver (Porphyra). Various species of Chondrus, including Irish moss (C. crispus), carpet the lower half of the zone exposed at low tide along rocky coasts of the Atlantic.

Ulva species, commonly called sea lettuce, are among the relatively few green alga (division Chlorophyta) seaweeds.