10 interesting facts about algae – useful and unpretentious plants

The nature of the Earth is multifaceted and diverse. You can find many interesting facts about each representative of the flora, even about algae that are familiar to everyone. They do not cause us questions in everyday life, but for scientists they are very mysterious.

Algae is an ecological group represented by organisms that live mainly in the aquatic environment. To date, they are the least studied by scientists. We consider all algae to be plants, but this is not true in all cases. They have something of plants, yet they are living organisms.

Here the curtain of secrecy lifts a little. In this article, we will look at 10 interesting facts about algae.

10 They have no roots, but some use the “sole”

All plants need roots to absorb nutrients from the soil. However, this system is absolutely absent in algae.

They do not have roots, because they easily absorb nutrients from the environment with the entire surface. However, the roots still help the plants stay in one place.

If algae don’t have them, the logical question is how some of them attach themselves to the bottom. These types have a separate special organ, which scientists called the “sole”. It looks like a flattened extension at the base.

9. Produce up to 80% of all organic matter

The main supplier of organic matter on the planet, oddly enough, are algae. Marine plants account for 80% of the total amount produced on the entire Earth.

Organic substances are chemical compounds that contain carbon. These are the most widely used of all. To understand the importance of the work produced by algae, a small note: a quarter of the human body consists of organic substances.

Thus, a huge part of the substances we need for life is produced by these living organisms.

8. They are raw materials for biofuels

Scientists have found that these plants have a very high rate of decomposition. This makes them one of the best biomass for fuel.. Developments are now underway regarding exactly how best to obtain this biofuel.

High temperature or high pressure options are being considered. It is believed that this project is very promising, and in the future, algae-based fuel will be able to compete with gasoline or diesel. However, scientists are separated from this hour by numerous experiments and experiments.

7. Since ancient times, they have been used in pharmacology and cosmetology.

There are many useful things in algae: atmospheric oxygen, trace elements, mineral salts, vitamins, and so on. This list can be continued for a long time. These plants have been used for a long time.

At first they were used to make medicines, and over time they were adapted to maintain beauty.. They help people with vascular diseases, insomnia, irritability, swelling, poor circulation and excess body fat.

Recent studies in the field of pharmacology indicate that they can have a positive effect even in oncological diseases.

These days, many salons can offer some algae-related treatments. With them, there are various masks, wraps and balms.

6. Flamingos got their unusual color because of algae

All flamingo chicks are born grey. Only then do they acquire that delicate pink color for which they are famous. The whole secret is that they usually eat food that has a natural dye in its composition. Just the same, it is contained in algae.

The main food of birds is crustaceans, and they, in turn, feed only on algae. So it turns out that the dye enters the flamingo’s body even after one step.

By the way, in zoos, carrots or beets are specially added to birds to maintain their pink color, because these vegetables contain the same coloring matter.

5. Red and brown algae thrive in the deep sea

For the most part, algae choose for life a depth from the surface to 40 meters. In this space they can be seen in all their diversity.

But the deeper the bottom, the fewer varieties of algae can survive there. If the water is clear, then some of the brown and red algae can thrive at depths up to 200 meters.

However, in 1984, one of the algae disproved the idea that it was impossible to survive deeper. She was found at a depth of 268 meters. To this day, this figure remains a record for photosynthetic organisms.

4. Flavor enhancer based on algae

The well-known taste and smell enhancer monosodium glutamate was produced on the basis of konobu algae in 1908 in Japan.. Its creator, chemist Ikeda Kikunae, was interested in the taste of dashi broth, which is the basis for many Japanese dishes.

Since this broth was made from konobu seaweed, the chemist suggested that it was in them that this taste was contained. He got glutamic acid.

This was the beginning of the production of flavor enhancers, which can be found on almost every package in the grocery store. Monosodium glutamate obtained as a result of research and ready for production was named E621.

3. Seaweed dishes are popular among people

However, people eat algae for food and just like that. Varieties such as sea kale only benefit the body. All edible algae can be proud of their composition and richness of minerals. They are fully able to compensate for the lack of iodine in the body.

Its low content is fraught with thyroid disease, hypothyroidism and Graves’ disease. The most common variant of their use today is sushi..

From red algae, people have learned to get a substance called “agar-agar”. It can easily replace gelatin, therefore it is used in the preparation of confectionery.

2. Algae have been in space

Scientists have already tried to launch plants into space. One of the first test subjects was chlorella algae.. Now the main interest of researchers is concentrated on whether they can process substances while on space stations.

This study is very important, as it could help create a cycle of substances on the spacecraft. To do this, scientists are experimenting with hardy species that can produce many useful elements using very little of the received sunlight.

1. Thanks to them, the Red Sea got its name

One of the assumptions why the Red Sea was named that way was the version with red algae.. One variety grows there, which contains a large amount of red pigment.

These algae grow right near the surface, so during seasonal breeding, they cause blooms in the water. It doesn’t appear to be blue, but red-brown.

The color itself is not very intense, so with a large volume of water it is not so noticeable. In addition to it, there are also historical, biblical and geological versions.