SeaweedSeaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marinealgae. 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 and producing at least 50% of Earth's oxygen.
AlgaeDiverse group of photosynthetic organisms"Alga" redirects here. For other uses, see Alga (other).Algae ( , UK also ; sing.: alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic organisms. It excludes the land plants (embryophytes). Such organisms range from microscopic unicellular microalgae (including cyanobacteria and phytoplankton) to seaweeds, multicellular macroalgae which may grow up to 50 metres (160 ft) in length.
Benthic zoneEcological region at the lowest level of a body of waterThe benthic zone, from Ancient Greek βένθος (bénthos) 'the depths of the ocean', is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water, such as a stream, river, lake, or ocean, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. Organisms living in this zone are called benthos or, more informally, bottom dwellers.
Aquatic animalAn aquatic animal is any animal, whether vertebrate or invertebrate, that lives in a body of water for all or most of its lifetime.
SpongeAnimals of the phylum PoriferaSponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animalphylumPorifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'). They are filter feeders that are typically bound to the seabed, being sessile. Sponges are one of the most ancient members of living seabed community (macrobenthos), with many species being important reef-builders. Some sponge species inhabit freshwater.
LichenA lichen ( LY-kən, UK also LITCH-ən) is a hybrid colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among filaments of multiple fungus species, along with bacteria embedded in the cortex, or "skin", in a mutualistic relationship. Lichens are the lifeform that first brought the term symbiosis (as Symbiotismus) into biological context.
CrinoidCrinoids are marine invertebrates that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that remain attached to the sea floor by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms, called feather stars or comatulids, are members of the largest crinoid order, Comatulida. Crinoids are echinoderms in the phylum Echinodermata, which also includes the starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers.
Sea penSea pens are marinecnidarians belonging to the superfamilyPennatuloidea. They are fleshy colonial organisms anchored to the seabed, with tiny polyps embedded in a soft matrix. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, being found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide, from intertidalshallow waters to deep seas of more than 6,100 m (20,000 ft). The earliest accepted sea pen fossils are known from the Cambrian-aged Burgess Shale (Thaumaptilon).
Sessility (motility)Sessility, a property of certain animals, is a lack of self-locomotion. Sessile animals do not have natural motility, and are immobile unless there are external forces (such as water currents). Usually, sessile animals are permanently attached to a solid object, such as a rock, a dead tree trunk, or a human-made object such as a buoy or ship's hull. Organisms such as corals lay down their own substrate from which they grow.
RootIn vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the surface of the soil, but roots can also be aerial or aerating, that is, growing up above the ground or especially above water. FunctionRoots perform several essential and specialised roles that support plant growth, development and survival.
CnidariaCnidaria ( ) is a phylum of animals containing over 11,000 species of aquaticinvertebrates found both in freshwater and marine environments (predominantly the latter), including jellyfish, hydroids, sea anemones, corals and some of the smallest marine parasites.
Substrate (biology)In biology, a substrate is the surface on which an organism (such as a plant, fungus, or animal) lives. A substrate can include biotic or abiotic materials and animals. For example, encrusting algae that lives on a rock (its substrate) can be itself a substrate for an animal that lives on top of the algae. are used as growing support materials in the hydroponic cultivation of plants.
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