Multicellular Primary Producers
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Transcript of Multicellular Primary Producers
Multicellular Primary Producers
Seaweeds and GrassCh. 6
Structure• Thallus:
– Complete body• Blades:
– Leaf-like portions• Pneumatocyst:
– Gas-filled bladders– What’s the importance of
these?• Stipe
– Stemlike structure, support• Holdfast:
– Attaches the thallus to the bottom
Types of Seaweed: Green Algae• 10% of the 7,000 species
of green algae are marine• It is thought that land
plants evolved from green algae– Similar pigments and food
reserve
• Common on rocky shores and tidepools
Galapagos Iguana
Iguanas, Green Algae, and Sea Lions?
Brown AlgaeDead Man’s Fingers Rockweed
•Color varies from olive to dark green•There are yellow-brown pigments, in addition to chlorophyll•Often exposed on low tides
More Brown Alage: The Kelps
Bull Kelp• Nereocystis• Up to 100 ft long• Large pneumatocyst at upper end
– Filled with mixture of gasses, including CO2
Giant Kelp• Macrocystis• Largest kelp—up to 330
ft!• Can grow 20 inches in
one day!
Giant Kelp
Life in the Kelp Forest
Red Algae• More species of red
algae than green and brown combined
• Shallow water, marine environments
• Chlorophyll masked by red pigment (phycobilins)
• Coralline algae shown with gooseneck barnacles
Economic Importance of Kelp and Other Seaweeds
• You tell me . . .