Kelp

Kelp are large brown algae that grow in underwater forests, mainly in cool, nutrient-rich coastal waters. Their fast-growing fronds provide habitat and food for diverse marine life.

Holdfast: A rootlike structure that anchors seaweed to a surface without absorbing nutrients like a plant root. Kelp use holdfasts to grip rocky seabeds against waves and currents.
Kelp aquaculture: The cultivation of kelp in farms for food, materials, or other products. Farming kelp can supply harvests without collecting entire wild forests.
Kelp forest: A dense underwater ecosystem formed by kelp growing in shallow coastal waters. This ecosystem emerges when kelp grows densely enough to create layered habitat.
Sargassum: A genus of brown algae that includes species forming floating mats and species attached to coastal substrates. Unlike most forest-forming kelp, some Sargassum grows as extensive floating mats.
Pneumatocyst: A gas-filled bladder that provides buoyancy to some seaweed blades or fronds. These bladders lift many kelp fronds toward sunlight near the water surface.
Kombu: A group of edible kelp species widely used in East Asian cuisine. Several kelp species are harvested as kombu for broths and other foods.
Sea urchin: A spiny marine invertebrate that grazes on algae and other organisms. Large urchin populations can overgraze kelp and create persistent barrens.
Seagrass: A group of flowering plants adapted to live submerged in marine environments. Seagrass forms underwater meadows but is a true plant, unlike kelp.
Kelp life cycle: The alternating haploid gametophyte and diploid sporophyte stages in kelp reproduction. The conspicuous kelp forest is the sporophyte stage of a two-generation life cycle.
Alginate: A family of polysaccharides extracted mainly from brown algae and used as thickeners and gels. Kelp is a major source of alginate for food, medical, and industrial uses.

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