The longest algae and everything about them. The longest seaweed is brown algae The largest seaweed in the world

home

Among plants, a special place is occupied by algae that grow in rivers, oceans, lakes and seas. They are considered lower plants, however, their significance for humans is not yet fully understood. After all, if it were possible to implement some promising projects to grow certain types of algae on the bottom of the oceans and seas, then the problem of shortage of food and organic fuel would simply disappear. Therefore, algae should be treated as a promising source of human well-being. Among these plants there are species colored green, brown, blue-green, red, and golden. From an educational point of view, perhaps the most interesting are longest algae , since they are the most effective, however, from the point of view practical application

Most often, it is nondescript-looking plants that most effectively solve the tasks assigned to them.

The range of algae sizes is huge: from single-celled to the longest and largest. An example of a single-celled algae is caulerpa, which reaches half a meter in size. However, the plant is one giant cell.

In this regard, I would like to draw attention to the longest algae growing in the ocean. Its length, according to approximate calculations, is 100 meters. This is a giant Pacific algae, which, in addition, is also the fastest growing - 45 cm/day. Off the coast of the USA, located on the side Pacific Ocean , growing kelp

, which with even greater right can be called “the longest”. Its name is Macrjcystis pyrifera, and it reaches a length of 200 meters.

Finally, a review of the longest algae will be incomplete without mentioning the largest algae, Makrycystis, which, with a length of 60 meters, reaches a mass of 150 kg. These algae are usually found in seas of temperate latitudes. They are already a source of alginic acids and artificial fiber.

Petroglyphs - the secret of rock paintings

Theories of the origin of the Universe

Facts about missing people

Jellyfish lake in Palau

Hangzhou Bay Bridge

Fish with a human face

In March 2003, news of a stunning discovery in South Carolina spread across the Internet. Its meaning was that...

Maximum speed of the MiG - 31

The basis of the MiG-31 aircraft's weapons control system is a pulse-Doppler radar with a passive phased array antenna (PFAR) RP-31 N007...

Plants in the interior

Plants greatly decorate any home. They remind us of living nature at home. This is especially wonderful in the winter season...

Historical places of Bulgaria

Bulgaria is famous not only for its beaches and sea, but also for its many interesting historical places, where it will be interesting to go on an excursion and...

Increasing human life expectancy

Humanity, having lost immortality in the Garden of Eden in the person of Adam and Eve, subconsciously strives for eternal life. It should be noted that...

Neuschwanstein - Swan Castle in Bavaria

Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most visited castles in Germany and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. The castle is located...

Brown algae, which reaches a length of 200 m, lives off the Pacific coast of America. Its pseudostem is attached to the seabed at a depth of 2 to 40 m. Flat formations resembling moving leaves float on the surface. Often these algae form entire floating islands. There are about 1500 species in total.

Brown algae are now considered a class in the division Heterokontophyta. These marine plants are often striking in their gigantic in size, variety of shapes, complexity of structure. Most brown algae live in coastal waters, attaching to stones and rocks, to other algae. All species in this class are multicellular. There are no free-living flagellates among brown algae. Only reproductive cells have flagella. The morphological and anatomical structure of the thallus (algae body) is very diverse, from microscopic single-row filaments to the enormous size of parenchymatous forms several meters in length, with a high level of differentiation of the thallus, like in kelp.

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

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

In the Barents and White Seas, fucoids and kelp are fished to produce alginate, mannitol and a number of other substances. Seaweed (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 down the development of atherosclerosis and reduces cholesterol in the blood. A large number of polysaccharides in brown algae have the property of swelling and, having increased in volume, irritate the nerve endings of the intestinal mucosa, which stimulates its peristalsis and promotes cleansing. Polysaccharides also bind toxins and remove them from the body, and brown algae alginates are salts of heavy metals and radionuclides.

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

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

I wonder what Among these plants there are species colored green, brown, blue-green, red, and golden. From an educational point of view, perhaps the most interesting are 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 algae. 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 the most different ways: vegetative, sexual and asexual. It's interesting that these unusual plants contain much more useful substances (iodine, minerals, etc.) than any other Marine life. It is for this reason that algae is often used in the food industry.

Interestingly, they are also indispensable in cosmetics. They are used to make creams and emulsions that have a powerful rejuvenating effect. In some beauty salons, the entire body is wrapped in special seaweed for expensive health treatments.

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

The longest seaweed in the world

The longest is considered Kelp(Macrocystis pyrifera), which lives off 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 entire floating islands.

Algae are a special part of the plant world. Features in the habitat - mainly algae belonging to lower plants, live in water. They do not have roots, stems, or leaves, in the usual sense, but they do have a body (thallus), consisting of either a single cell or a group of multicellular organisms. Aquatic plants live in large and not very large reservoirs, and among them there are the most unusual specimens, causing surprise with 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 the animal world. Algae also consume carbon dioxide, converting it into oxygen, and feed on them. animal world bodies of water and people.

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

In the Japanese Lake Myvant, the Icelandic volcanic Lake Akan, and in the Tasman and Black Seas, unusually shaped algae are found - moss balls.

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

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

Those involved in scuba diving noted that at the bottom of the sea, balls of algae look like something alien and fantastic - it’s so unusual to see such a shape at great depths. Sometimes, in bad weather, globular algae washes up on the coast and then everyone can admire them, not just lovers of underwater landscapes.

Caulerpa refers to single-celled organisms, although you can’t tell from its appearance - it looks like a bizarre, impressively sized plant with prototypes of stems, roots and leaves. There is an explanation for this discrepancy - there is one cell, but several nuclei, and besides, the cytoplasm can move freely throughout the body, which is devoid of partitions.

Caulerpu algae is called an invader plant because it quickly occupies water space, colonizes 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 an aquarium entered the waters of the Mediterranean Sea near Monaco, quickly adapted to the new conditions, and 10 years later it occupied a large area of ​​30 km². The algae has a bitter taste, which fish do not like, so they prefer to eat other varieties. So nothing interferes with the reproduction of caulerpa. But its presence harms the population of some fish species - they simply stop living in these places.

Near the coast of California and on the Australian coast (New South Wales) in 2000, caulerpa was discovered and urgently began to destroy it using chlorine - otherwise the algae could have taken over large territory. In California, it was banned even for use in aquariums.

The invading algae has a dangerous enemy, but it lives only in warm waters - the tropical sea slug Elysia subornata. Caulerpa juice is excellent for its nutrition, and the slug causes significant damage to caulerpa thickets. To combat dangerous algae, it can be used where conditions are acceptable for it.

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

In the territory of the World Ocean adjacent to the continental land, one of the longest algae grows at great depths - 40-60 m, and in temperate and subpolar latitudes the habitat depth is less - 6-15 m.

Features of brown algae:

• attaches 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 40-60 m;
• the thallus can be in the form of vertically directed or creeping threads, plates, crusts, bags, bushes;
• to stay in an upright position, there are air bubbles on the thallus;
• algae of the genus Macrocystis, a representative of the longest algae in the world (grows up to 60 m), forms underwater forests in the coastal ocean waters of America;
• reproduces vegetatively, asexually and sexually;
• used as food as a low-calorie product, rich in proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals;
• serves as raw material for some medicines and various industries (textile, biotechnological, food);
• Monosodium glutamate is the basis of food seasoning.

Sargassum algae (sargassum, sargassum, sea grapes) belong to the genus of brown algae and are amazing in their characteristics and properties. The birthplace of the culture is the region of Japan, China, Korea, but at this time 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 bubbles-floats and the characteristic brown-yellow or brown-olive color of jagged leaves up to 2 cm long.

Features of Sargassum:

• long algae lives (length reaches 2-10 m) at a depth of 2-3 m, but species are also found at greater depths - it depends on the habitat;
• usually attached to stones and rocks, but can also float;
• necessary conditions for the existence of algae - salty water(7-34 ppm) and temperature 10°-30°C;
• male and female genital organs are present;
• a plant up to 2m in height produces (on average) about 1 billion embryos;
• embryos can cling to various surfaces, float freely for up to 3 months and form colonies far from their native place;
• in the Sargasso Sea there lives a species without genital organs, forming a thick, shapeless mass on the surface;
• colonies of algae, having come off, can migrate and cause harm to fishermen, small vessels, fauna and flora of the reservoir, displacing native plants;
• rapid reproduction rates can crowd out other algae species;
• benefits of algae - 9 types of mushrooms, 52 varieties of algae, about 80 species marine organisms live in algae habitats.

Macrocystis is the largest and longest algae

Macrocystis belongs to the genus of brown algae, distinguished by the large size of its representatives. Place of growth - oceanic waters of the Southern Hemisphere with a temperature of 20°C.

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 it, in turn, is firmly attached to the ground, rocks, stones with the help of rhizoids (something like roots) at a depth of 20-30m. Appearance algae resembles a kite with long tail, strewn with flags.

Interesting! There are some discrepancies regarding the length of the macrocyst, but still, the majority agree on a length of 60-213 m. The weight of the thallus in the longest representatives is considerable - 150 kg, and this fact does not cause controversy.

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

Extensive thickets of macrocysts near the coasts can extinguish strong waves, since it is impossible to tear the plant away from the fastening, so the 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 sea plant is Posidonia oceanica

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

Important! Quite often, posidonia is called “algae,” but the plant is not an algae - it is a perennial plant, completely in the water, and, unlike algae, has roots, stems, leaves, seeds and fruits.

Name greek god Poseidon (lord of the seas) formed the basis for the name of the herbaceous sea plant Posidonium, 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 depths;
• the leaf length reaches 15-50 cm, and the width is 6-10 mm;
• in some cases it is specially grown to replenish the plant life in certain marine areas.

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

The chloroplasts of red algae contain green chlorophyll, red phycoerythrins, blue phycobillins and yellow carotenoids. When substances are mixed with chlorophyll, various shades of red are obtained. The presence of these components makes it possible for the 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 grass contain large quantities of magnesium and calcium carbonate and are capable of forming a skeleton of a special composition, which is why scarlet grass is part of coral reefs.

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

IN flora There are amazing and unusual plants that feed on their own kind or small living organisms. They are called predator plants. There are some among algae.

The single-celled organism Pfiesteria piscicida is able to feed like a plant and like an animal: it can attack a living organism and at the same time uses the process of photosynthesis to produce nutrients. That is why it is considered an algae.

Interesting Facts:

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

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

100 great records of wildlife Nepomnyashchiy Nikolai Nikolaevich

THE SIMPLE PLANTS - ALGAE

Algae are a group of lower aquatic plants that usually contain chlorophyll and produce organic matter through the process of photosynthesis. The body of algae (thallus, thallus) does not have true roots, stems or leaves. Their sizes range from various types from fractions of a micrometer to tens of meters. These are acellular, unicellular, multicellular, colonial, free-swimming and attached organisms. Their reproduction is asexual, vegetative and sexual. Divisions (or types) of algae: green, brown, red, golden, yellow-green, diatoms and others. There are about 30 thousand species in total.

Algae are the main producers of organic matter in fresh water bodies and seas. They are part of plankton and benthos. Some are edible (for example, porphyry kelp), others have become raw materials for the production of feed mass, agar-agar, carrageenan, iodine and others (many of them are objects of aquaculture). A number of algae (chlorella and others) are tested as components of biocomplexes included in the life support system spaceships. Some unicellular algae form lichens in symbiosis with fungi.

"SINGLE-CELL" ENGINE

Biologists conducted an experiment where microorganisms acted as vehicle. The single-celled alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was forced to tow a microscopic bead over a distance of about 20 cm, Science News reports.

It is known that many single-celled organisms are sensitive to light. A future load was placed near its source, which, when the algae approached, “stuck” to it using special molecules attached to the surface. The “loaded” cell was then prompted to move in a new direction, and finally it was irradiated with an ultraviolet flash to separate the bead.

According to scientists, such a scheme should be of interest to both doctors and nanoengineers. The problem that both face is the transport of small particles inside the body or miniature devices. One solution has been proposed as “molecular motors” - devices reminiscent of those used by living beings.

THE WORLD'S LARGEST ALGAE DISCOVERED

Near the Balearic Islands, the largest plant in the world was found at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The stems of the record-breaking algae extend for about eight kilometers.

The discovery was made by an international scientific team from the Spanish University of Mediterranean Research, studying marine flora in the region. It's about about the aquatic plant Posidonia oceanica.

As experts have established, the age of this specimen of Posidonia reaches approximately 100 thousand years, and it is part of a huge colony of these plants, whose area is about 700 square meters. km.

IN Lately colonies of Posidonia, which is considered one of the most ancient plants on the planet and is an integral part of the local ecosystem, began to decline due to the deteriorating environmental situation.

UNprecedented harvests

There have been repeated serious attempts, especially in Japan and the USA, to produce organic material on a large scale in artificial conditions when the photosynthesis process can be optimized. Research was carried out with single-celled seaweeds - chlorella and scenedesmus. When grown in a CO 2 atmosphere and the necessary nutrient medium, the algae, about 10 microns in size, is divided into two (sometimes four) every 12 hours. The process proceeds in geometric progression, and from one cell in a month about 10 billion organisms are obtained. Photosynthesis in these organisms continues for some time in the dark due to the energy stored during the “light” period. Then the energy consumed for lighting per unit mass of algae can be reduced by mixing the water so that the algae move from the illuminated surface to the depth and vice versa.

Wastewater from domestic sewers can serve as an excellent nutrient medium. In addition to all the substances listed, wastewater also contains bacteria, and their coexistence with algae is beneficial for both. Bacteria that promote algae growth belong to the group of aerobic bacteria, i.e., they consume oxygen. They convert organic substances contained in wastewater into carbon dioxide, nitrites, phosphates, etc.

Continuous cultivation of algae using wastewater solves several problems at once:

Purification of polluted waters;

Obtaining algae biomass for energy;

Obtaining artificial food from algae (in terms of the relative content of proteins, fats and vitamins, algae are superior to almost all other plants).

However, it is necessary to isolate them from a rather weak suspension, which requires energy. Using giant brown algae that grows in coastal waters temperate zone, eliminates this problem, and energy will only have to be spent on harvesting and transporting the “harvest” to places of consumption.

Under conditions of artificial cultivation on submerged platforms, the harvest volume can range from 70 to 120 kg/m 2 of raw algae per year, depending on the nutrient content of the water and other conditions.

A MATTER OF TASTE

Kombu (Haiday)

In Asian, especially Korean and Japanese, cuisine, several types of seaweed are used. The most widespread is brown algae, which in Japan is called “kombu”. In the West they are sold dried. Kombu is rich in vitamins and minerals, especially iodine. They have a strong "sea" smell and a crunchy texture.

In China, soups are cooked with kombu, and in Japan they are boiled and stewed as vegetables, and are also used to flavor fish broth - dashi.

There is a light coating on the surface of kombu, which gives the algae its aroma. Therefore, there is no need to wash the seaweed; just wipe it with a damp cloth and then cut it into pieces. Before use, they are soaked for 45–50 minutes in cold water. Both the algae themselves and the water in which they were soaked are used.

Kombu can be stored for a long time in a cool, dry, dark place.

Nori

This thin dried seaweed is most often used to wrap sushi. The color of nori sheets varies from dark green to black; in some places they are transparent. To prepare sushi, nori sheets are lightly toasted on one side. If you use crumbled nori sheets as a garnish, they need to be fried until crisp. They sell fried sheets called yaki nori with salt, sesame oil, soy sauce etc. This seaweed, crushed into powder, is called ai-nori.

Wakame

Young, dark-leafed wakame seaweed has a delicate flavor and a soft yet crunchy texture. They are sold cut into strips, fresh (vacuum-packed) or dried and used in salads and soups. Dried wakame is soaked for 10–15 minutes in warm water until the algae softens and turns green.

After this, they are thrown onto a sieve, blanched in boiling water for a minute, then poured over cold water and let it drain. Seaweed prepared in this way is used to prepare both hot dishes and salads.

Agar-agar

This gelatinous substance is obtained from algae, which in China are called “rock flower vegetables.” It can be bought in oriental stores in the form of dried long plates or finely ground white powder. Agar-agar is an excellent gelling agent, especially popular among vegetarians who use it instead of gelatin.

Agar-agar is tasteless and odorless, but absorbs the aroma of any seasonings with which it is served.

Asian cooks sometimes use soaked agar-agar strips in salads, like any other seaweed, but more often it is used as a gelling agent, usually to make sweet jellies.

To prepare a salad with agar-agar, the plates are soaked for 20–25 minutes in warm water, and then placed on a sieve and dried. The plates are separated from each other and cut into pieces. After this, agar-agar is mixed with other salad components.

For jelly, dissolve agar-agar powder or strips in water over very low heat (about 10 minutes). Separately heat the milk with sugar and flavorings, and then mix it with the agar-agar solution. The resulting mixture is placed in the refrigerator for 3–4 hours. Usually take 300 ml of liquid per teaspoon of agar-agar powder.

Agar-agar, both in plates and in powder, is stored in a cool, dry place for almost an unlimited time.

Dasi

This broth of kombu and dried bonito flakes serves as the base for most Japanese soups. It can also be used in place of water in any dish that calls for a broth with a subtle flavor. To prepare 800 ml of broth you will need 10 cm kombu, 900 ml water, 40 g bonito flakes.

The kombu is wiped with a damp cloth, cut into 3-4 strips and placed in a pan. Fill with water until it covers the algae.

After an hour, place the pan on medium heat. Just before the water boils, remove the seaweed (they should be cut into strips and used for making soup). Add bonito flakes to the water, then remove the pan from the heat and let sit until the flakes settle to the bottom. The broth is filtered through cheesecloth.

KILLER ALGAE

In 1988, scientists noticed that some varieties of the single-celled microorganism Pfiesteria piscicida feed both animals and plants: they attack other microorganisms and at the same time extract vital energy through the process of photosynthesis, and are therefore considered algae.

Each milliliter of water can contain up to 20,000 killer algae. Under a microscope, they appear as transparent balls that float around among other single-celled organisms.

This organism was destroyed for last years There are billions of fish off the east coast of the United States. Each algae destroys hemoglobin (from seven to ten blood cells) and at the same time grows in size, not forgetting to reproduce. She is capable of receiving various shapes, in order to penetrate the blood of fish, also contains poisons that destroy the brain.

And it’s not just the fish that suffer. Fishermen who come into contact with it and enter the water become covered with ulcers and scars on their arms and legs, and also become seriously ill.

THE VERY FIRST PEOPLE? According to the prevailing paleontological theory, man has existed on Earth for only one or two million years. But certain archaeological finds in North America indicate that human beings or, by at least,

Which planet in the solar system has the largest mountains and which has the deepest depressions? In both of these “nominations” the record holder in the solar system is Mars. This planet has the most big mountain Solar system - the extinct volcano Olympus. He has