SEAWEED

Seaweed __ What it looks like? (Appearance) __ Seaweed, is made of algae. Algae (seaweed) are non-vascular plants. This means that they do not have roots, stems, leaves or flowers. Parts of seaweed
 * What is seaweed? **

Stipe  - stem-like structure  Float  - air filled bladder at the base of each blade that keeps the plant up toward the surface as it gathers light for photosynthesis  Frond  - the part which holds the plant to the ocean floor -- it is like a root, but does not supply water and nutrients to the rest of the plant.  Holdfast  - Unlike a root, the kelp's holdfast doesn't supply water and nutrients to the rest of the plant. A holdfast keeps algae in place so currents and tides don't wash the organism away. Seaweed can be different colours. There are green, brown, red and blue coloured seaweeds. Seaweed can be very tiny or grow to be more than 100 metres. __Where is it found? (Environment) __ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 20pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Seaweed can be found near the seashore and in rock pools. It is also found floating on the water or in huge under water forests. Seaweed grows in the seas and oceans all over the world. There are some very large underwater seaweed forests in the ocean off the coast of South Australia.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-no-proof: yes;"> <span style="color: #9f2fd0; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Blade <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> - leaf-like structure that use the sun's energy for photosynthesis <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">

<span style="color: #9f2fd0; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 20pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'mso-fareast-language;">__<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 20pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Life Cycle and Needs __ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 20pt;"> There are two types of seaweed. Seaweed does not have flowers and does not have any seeds. It has spores instead of seeds for the new plants to grow. The spores begin to grow into ‘gametophytes’. These produce sperm or eggs. These fuse together and a new seaweed begins to grow. The life cycle starts again. Some seaweed reproduce by part its blade breaking off and growing into a new seaweed.
 * perennial seaweed lives for many years
 * annual seaweed lives for one year.

<span style="color: #9f2fd0; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 20pt; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'mso-fareast-language;">__<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 20pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">What are the uses? (what do people and animals use it for?) __ Many animals in the oceans and seas eat seaweed and others hide in it from other animals. People have many different uses for seaweed. 1.Food: seaweed is very rich in vitamins and is very good for us to eat. It is used in salads and soups. It can be dried and used with fish, in meat and rice dishes. In Australia we use dried seaweed sheets to make sushi rolls that are filled with rice and salad and sometimes fish. 2. Cosmetics and medicines: Seaweed contains iodine which we need to have to stay healthy. It is also used to make soap, toothpaste and powder. 3. Fertilisers: People all over the world use seaweed as fertilisers on their vegetable crops especially vegetables that are green and leafy. It is also used on fruit trees in the orchards and in coconut plantations. 4. In some countries seaweed is processed and used as food for cattle, poultry and pigs. It helps to make better milk and eggs. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 20pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastlanguage: EN-AU; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">algae (singular alga). Algae is a diverse group of non-vascular plants. This means that they do not have roots, stems, leaves or flowers, although they have similar looking structures. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="color: #9f2fd0; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Kelp Parts **<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">

|| <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-no-proof: yes;"> **<span style="color: #9f2fd0; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Blade ****<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> - leaf-like structure that use the sun's energy for photosynthesis **<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="color: #9f2fd0; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Stipe ****<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> - stem-like structure **<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="color: #9f2fd0; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Float ****<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> - air filled bladder at the base of each blade that keeps the plant up toward the surface as it gathers light for photosynthesis **<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="color: #9f2fd0; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Frond ****<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> - the part which holds the plant to the ocean floor -- it is like a root, but does not supply water and nutrients to the rest of the plant. **<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="color: #9f2fd0; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Holdfast ****<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> - Unlike a root, the kelp's holdfast doesn't supply water and nutrients to the rest of the plant. A holdfast keeps algae in place so currents and tides don't wash the organism away. **<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> ||

<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">A kelp forest is much like a forest on the land. It can be divided into layers based on the kind of animal life found there. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The top layer of a kelp forest is called the canopy and most animal life can be found here. You'll find lots of seabirds, schools of fish, and marine mammals in or near the canopy. Of course, some of these animals, also use other parts of the forest, too. Birds, like cormorants, dive into the water to hunt for food among the fronds. Sea otters swim to the ocean floor to search for abalone. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In the middle of the kelp forest, you'll find snails and other marine organisms on the blades and stipes. Many kinds of fish swim among the fronds, too. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Each kelp strand is attached to the ocean floor by its holdfast. Here, you'll always find sea urchins and brittle stars. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">You bet! Algin, a gel-like substance from kelp is used in products from adhesives to dairy to pharmaceutical products. Take a look in a health food store! You'll find Kelp is sold as a salt substitute and as a source of Vitamin C. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> You can read more information about seaweed here: =[]= =[]=
 * <span style="color: #9f2fd0; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Layers of the Forest **<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="color: #9f2fd0; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Are the Giant Kelp forests harvested? **<span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">