Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Studies of kelp structure evolution have helped in the understanding of the adaptations that have allowed for kelp to not only be extremely successful as a group of organisms but also successful as an ecosystem engineer of kelp forests, some of the most diverse and dynamic ecosystems on earth.
Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth. [1] [2] Although algal kelp forest combined with coral reefs only cover 0.1% of Earth's total surface, they account for 0.9% of global primary productivity. [3]
A form of flowering plant that far exceeds Pando as the largest organism on Earth in area and potentially also mass, is the giant marine plant, Posidonia australis, living in Shark Bay, Australia. Its length is about 180 km (112 mi) and it covers an area of 200 km 2 (77 sq mi). [8] [9] It is also among the oldest known clonal plants.
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.
Scientists have identified the oldest living species on Earth is a deep sea organism that hasn't evolved in more than two billion years. And, it may prove Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution.
For premium support please call: 800-290-4726 more ways to reach us
A curious sea creature stalked a team of divers through a giant kelp forest in California, and even decided to nibble on one of their wetsuits.
Macrocystis pyrifera is one of the fastest-growing organisms on Earth. [23] [24]: 8 They can grow at a rate of 60 cm (2 ft) a day to reach over 45 m (150 ft) long in one growing season. [8] [25] [26] Juvenile giant kelp grow directly upon their parent female gametophyte. To establish itself, a young kelp produces one or two primary blades, and ...