13 Importance of Seaweed in Marine Ecosystem

Seaweed is the other name of algae. It is not plant-like seagrass. Some of us think seaweed is a plant because it produces food and energy for others like a plant.

Besides that, seaweed has chlorophyll too like a plant. There are many different characteristics of seaweeds than other marine plants.

Before we discuss the importance of seaweed in the marine ecosystem, we have to know the definition of seaweed. Seaweed is marine algae like a short definition before. But in the long definition completely, seaweed is macroalgae that refer to several species of multicellular and macroscopic.

Seaweed is an important species or important organism on the earth. Seaweed produces all that we need for life. Such as foods, energy, pharmaceuticals, habitats, oxygens, and others. Seaweed is the base importance of the marine food chain, it is a producer and it builds an ecosystem too.

Discussion about the importance of seaweed in the marine ecosystem has a lot of points. Research and observation on seaweed are still being done today. So, we will have a lot points on the importance of seaweed in the marine ecosystem. In this article, we will discuss 13 importance of seaweed in the marine ecosystem, and there are:

Marine food for others

Seaweed has chlorophyll to do photosynthesis in the ocean. It is autotroph species, It produces energy and food for its shelf. Seaweed provides food for other marine animals. Especially for herbivore animals that only eat herbs like algae, seagrass, and other marine plants. Therefore, the existence of seaweed in the marine ecosystem has an important function.

Bioindicator of marine chemical damage

Seaweed is a sensitive organism in the ocean. Agricultural waste, industrial waste, aquacultural waste, household waste, and others enter the ocean at every time. They bring a lot of material like as nutrients into the ocean. If the nutrient balance in the ocean is disturbed then the population of seaweed will increase. We call the situation blooming algae.

Blooming algae is a bioindicator of marine chemical damage. The situation occurs due to nutrient unbalance. Waste increase some nutrient then spur seaweed growth causing seaweed to bloom in the ocean. Some effects of chemical spills in the ocean that we know from seaweed as a bioindicator

Balance ecosystem

The function of seaweed is so important. It is a base of the food chain and it provides habitat for other marine life. The loss of seaweed will damage ecosystem balance. Maybe unbalance situation in the ocean causing extinction for other marine species. There are many threats to ocean ecosystems.

Protect marine biodiversity

Marine biodiversity has a numerous variety of species and organisms. Seaweed has a variety of species and genetic. Research on seaweed will make us understand the importance of biodiversity. Seaweed provide habitats like a coral reef, mangrove, and other marine habitats. Seaweed can protect marine life from threats to marine biodiversity.

Absorb nutrient

The important function of seaweed in the marine ecosystem is absorbing nutrients. Not all nutrients entering the ocean have a good effect on the marine ecosystem. Some nutrients have a bad influence on the ocean. They can kill marine life and make marine ecosystem damage.

Seaweed in this situation has an important action for protecting marine life. It will absorb an excess nutrients so which will make the marine ecosystem safe.

Iron ions trap

Iron is an essential nutrient in the marine ecosystem for living marine organisms. Iron is required for photosynthetic by seaweed and other autotroph organism. Excees iron ion in the ocean will be dangerous for marine life. Although some marine organism need iron ion but excees iron ion is threat for other marine life.

Seaweed can protect marine ecosystem from excees iron ion by trapping iron ion. Biomass of seaweed trap all iron ion. All heavy metal in the marine ecosystem is can trapped by seaweed. That is an important seaweeds in marine ecosystem.

Waste trap

The waste from land into ocean has a negative impact for marine life. The contents of waste are heavy metal, such as iron, calcium, pottasium, mercury, mangant, chrom, selenium and other. They are dangerous nutrient in the ocean.

Waste enter the ocean can kill all marine life. Besides that, waste can evolve marine species to another species if waste can not kill them. Like a point before, seaweed can trap waste and process the  waste to another form. It will help marine life and it will make marine ecosystem safe.

Representative of pathogen

Seaweed as important species in marine ecosystem has a function to send danger signals to others. The function of seaweed as trapper of waste and iron ion make seaweed can make their shelf representative of pathogen. Alga bloom is one of danger singnal to other. It means that has a disease and can endanger other marine life.

Some pathogen in seaweed change seaweed color or smell. That is very dangerous. Fortunately, seaweed can show that it is dangerous. Representative of pathogen is one function of importance of seaweed in marine ecosystem.

Host of parasites

Capability of trapping waste and heavy metal make seaweed as host of parasites. Maybe it is the dangerous for other, but it is the important function of seaweed. It will protect other marine life from disease and parasites. Some types of ocean parasites can attach and make seaweed as host.

Produce oxygen

Important functions of seaweed is producing oxygen. Scientists believe that seaweed has a biger role of producing oxygen than another plant on land. The forest of seaweed can produce oxygen from all parts. Especially, seaweed is not plant, it is a fake plants. So seaweed can do photoshyntetic at all parts of it. Public has known the importance of oxygen in the ocean.

Marine habitat

Seaweed provide habitat for marine life. Brown algae or we call it kelp can make a forest in the ocean. Like as forest, seaweed provide all what other marine species need. Food, nutrient, energy, and others is provided by seaweed.

Provide energy

Food is energy for living. Seaweed provide energy as a food for other marine species. Because seaweed is producent at food chain. Energys from seaweed are some nutrients needed in marine ecosystem.

Supply organic nutrients

The last point of importance of seaweed in marine ecosystem is supplying organic. Not all species in marine ecosystem can produce organic nutrient. Only autroph species like seaweed, bacterial, and others can produce it. Supplying orgnanic nutrients for other marine life is important.

Read more about the Seaweed below....

Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of Rhodophyta (red), Phaeophyta (brown) and Chlorophyta (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as kelps provide essential nursery habitat for fisheries and other marine species and thus protect food sources; other species, such as planktonic algae, play a vital role in capturing carbon, producing up to 50% of Earth's oxygen.

Natural seaweed ecosystems are sometimes under threat from human activity. For example, mechanical dredging of kelp destroys the resource and dependent fisheries. Other forces also threaten some seaweed ecosystems; a wasting disease in predators of purple urchins has led to a urchin population surge which destroyed large kelp forest regions off the coast of California.

Humans have a long history of cultivating seaweeds for their use. In recent years, seaweed farming has become a global agricultural practice, providing food, source material for various chemical uses (such as Carrageenan), cattle feeds and fertilizers. Because of their importance in marine ecologies and for absorbing carbon dioxide, recent attention has been on cultivating seaweeds as a potential climate change mitigation strategy for biosequestration of carbon dioxide, alongside other benefits like nutrient pollution reduction, increased habitat for coastal aquatic species, and reducing local ocean acidification.

 The IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate recommends "further research attention" as a mitigation tactic.

Seaweed farming or kelp farming is the practice of cultivating and harvesting seaweed. In its simplest form, it consists of the management of naturally found batches. In its most advanced form, it consists of fully controlling the life cycle of the algae.

The top seven most cultivated seaweed taxa are Eucheuma spp., Kappaphycus alvarezii, Gracilaria spp., Saccharina japonica, Undaria pinnatifida, Pyropia spp., and Sargassum fusiforme. Eucheuma and K. alvarezii are farmed for carrageenan (a gelling agent); Gracilaria is farmed for agar; while the rest are farmed for food. The largest seaweed-producing countries are China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Other notable producers include South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Zanzibar (Tanzania).[18] Seaweed farming has frequently been developed as an alternative to improve economic conditions and reduce fishing pressure and overexploited fisheries.

Global production of farmed aquatic plants, overwhelmingly dominated by seaweeds, grew in output volume from 13.5 million tonnes in 1995 to just over 30 million tonnes in 2016. As of 2014, seaweed was 27% of all marine aquaculture.[Seaweed farming is a carbon-negative crop, with a high potential for climate change mitigation. The IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate recommends "further research attention" as a mitigation tactic.

Seaweed is consumed across the world, particularly in East Asia, e.g. Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, e.g. Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, as well as in South Africa, Belize, Peru, Chile, the Canadian Maritimes, Scandinavia, South West England, Ireland, Wales, Hawaii, and California, and Scotland.

Seaweed is used in food additives, along with Kappaphycus and Gigartinoid seaweed. Porphyra is used in Wales to make laverbread (sometimes with oat flour). In northern Belize, seaweed is mixed with milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla to make "dulce" ("sweet").

Alginate, agar, and carrageenan are gelatinous seaweed products collectively known as hydrocolloids or phycocolloids. Hydrocolloids are food additives. The food industry exploits their gelling, water-retention, emulsifying, and other physical properties. Agar is used in foods such as confectionery, meat and poultry products, desserts and beverages, and molded foods. Carrageenan is used in salad dressings and sauces, dietetic foods, and as a preservative in meat and fish, dairy items, and baked goods.

Source- deepoceanfacts, wikipedia