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Hola, and welcome to the moment you have all been waiting for...... The Botanist Page!!! (Cheers) Today Mr. Snuggles and I will be educating you about aquatic botany. Those are fancy words that mean the plants in the ocean. We will discuss how plants provide balance in the ocean, and up on land.

Mister Doctor Professor Dylan    Botanist Extroadinaire  

     Ahh, the sea. So mysterious, so beautiful, so, um. Wet! You know when you walk on the bank of the ocean and you feel something squishy? What your stepping on is seaweed. Seems gross, right? But without ocean botany, our world would be a lot different. There would be no sea life. Modern day medicines might not exist. Our walls might all be the same color. We might die of infection. Cows would have a boring diet. And the worst of all...  Ice cream would be FLAVORLESS!!! But it's alright. We're doing just fine... I said we're alright. SETTLE DOWN CHILDREN! Anywho, the ocean and the things inside it (namely, plants) provide balance, not only in the ocean, but up on land as well. So as you can see, the ocean is important. Let's find out why.

The big green leafy stuff of the big blue

     So as we discussed, plants play an important part in the balance of Earth. We will go into more depth of the importance that aquatic botany plays in the ocean. Here we go! 
     Botanist Research:
Many different species of the ocean are very similar to plant life on land. Some species include: algae, sea sponge, sea grasses, seaweed, kelp, phytoplankton, water lily, and others. Often, two types of plants are very similar. Kelp is a leafy plant that roots itself into rocks. Algae are kelp that floats on top of the ocean. Some plants have roots and are securely rooted into rocks. Some, float on top of the water for more sunlight. Plants come in many colors. Sea grasses and seaweed are generally green, but can be red and brown. Leafy plants vary in length. Plankton is part animal and part plant. The plant part is called phytoplankton, which sustains numerous organisms. The blue whale and other whales eat phytoplankton. Phytoplankton makes up over half of all the photosynthetic activity on earth. All ocean plants are producers, due to this, plant life rarely exists below two hundred feet.

Ocean plants are much like plants on land. Plants adapt to survive in the big blue. Adaptations vary depending on the type of plant. All plants have at least 3 of these adaptations alike. 1) Plants combine sunlight and nutrients from the water to create energy. 2) Sea plants can move around to obtain maximum sunlight. 3) Pollen floats around with ocean currents so they can reproduce in new places. Each plant also does other things to survive. Leafy plants can be red, green, or brown in color. This can help plants blend in with their surroundings. Also, some plants float on top of the water, and some are rooted firmly into rocks, dirt, etc. This can be to gain more sunlight, hide from predators, or other things.

We may not realize it, but ocean plants also have an impact on human life. Many things we have already used today contain plants, or nutrients of plants from the ocean. Toothpaste and medicine contain ingredients from algae and kelp. Ice cream, paints, and others all contain plant nutrients. Plants also provide balance to our earth. Phytoplankton slow down and absorb carbon dioxide. Plants provide solid nourishment for animals big and small. Plants are at the bottom of the energy pyramid and are vital to all organisms. Within their ecosystem, plants also provide protection from predators as they can camouflage the fish.

Within the ocean, all different types of relationships exist. There is mutualism, when both organisms benefit. Commensalism is the most common relationship in the ocean; this is where one organism benefits and the other organism is unaffected. Parasitism is where one organism benefits and the other is harmed. A symbiosis is a long term association between two or more species. These symbiotic relationships happen all the time in the ocean. Some relationships include: phytoplankton and whales, algae and coral, ocean currents and pollen, sea horses and sea fans, and sea sponges and crustaceans.

Plants can be so different. Everything depends on a balance in the ecosystem. A balance of chlorophyll gives leafy plants their greenish color. When fungi reproduce, it creates a intertwined group of small threads. Phytoplankton make up over half of the earth’s photosynthetic activity. Algae can appear as thread-like, net-like, or hollow balls. Duckweed can be used to feed cattle, fish, and birds. The ocean is a very important part of our life. Whether we realize it our not, the ocean provides for us in many ways. Being educated about this subject can awaken you to the action that needs to be taken today. We need to save the ocean. 
    

Many spieces live in the ocean

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Cooli-o Kelp-o Vide-o

Contagious Plantagious Phototatious Galleraous   click to make biggy

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