Particle 101: Seaweed

6 days ago

With names for illustration ‘slimy bag’ and ‘dead man’s fingers’, seaweed has a typical measurement of capturing our imagination.

Seaweed is 1 of nan oldest yet biologically simplest plants connected Earth.

Unlike different plants that must coordinate their different structures to survive, seaweed cells person everything they need.

A small, broken-off portion of seaweed could proceed to photosynthesise and turn connected its own.

While its maturation is simple, its reproduction is complicated.

Caption: Dead man’s fingers
Credit: Cottesloe Coast Care

UNLOCKING SEAWEED SECRETS

Dr Kathleen Drew-Baker, a intelligence astatine nan University of Manchester, discovered this two-stage life rhythm successful nan 1940s connected a seaweed called nori.

After almost a decade of experiments, she added oyster cells to nan seaweed tanks and discovered a pinkish fuzz building up astir nan shells.

This fuzz turned retired to beryllium nori’s 2nd life stage.

This find shaped nan seaweed industry. It still uses Drew-Baker’s rule of increasing nan gametophytes connected a substrate.

SIMPLE STRUCTURE, COMPLEX LIFE

Seaweed reproduces successful two different stages.

The first shape is asexual, wherever seaweeds turn a spot of dark-coloured cells that merchandise spores.

These spores travel successful ‘male’ and ‘female’ forms, which turn by replicating their ain cells. This caller maturation is called a gametophyte.

The 2nd shape involves female gametophytes releasing eggs and their antheral counterparts releasing sperm. These cells fuse to shape babe seaweeds.

Caption: Seaweed life cycle
Credit: via NIOZ

NORI-SON NOT TO TRY IT

You whitethorn person eaten seaweed successful sushi, but you whitethorn beryllium unaware it’s successful each sorts of different nutrient products.

Seaweed is utilized arsenic a stabiliser and thickener and tin beryllium recovered successful crystal cream, sauces and vegan milks.

High successful protein, fibre and micronutrients, seaweed is gaining superfood status successful nan Western world.

In WA, galore of our seaweeds are edible, and successful astir places it’s ineligible to return seaweed that has washed up connected nan beach.

From nan aureate kelp connected nan southbound coast, to dormant man’s fingers disconnected nan Perth seashore aliases oversea lettuce successful rocky tidal areas, WA’s seaweed is slow being recognised for nan worth it holds.

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