seaweed

seaweed,name commonly used for the multicellular marinealgae. Simpler forms, consisting of one cell (e.g., thediatom)或一些细胞,通常不称为seaweeds; these tiny plants help to make up plankton. The more highly developed types of seaweed usually have a basal disk, called a holdfast, and a frond of varying length and shape, which often resembles a plant in having stemlike and leaflike parts.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Types of Seaweed
• Reproduction in Seaweeds
• Common Species and Their Uses

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia,6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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