The Pacific Ocean is a large body of water in the world. It is located between Asia, Australia and the Western Hemisphere. This large body of water is made up of salt water that contains many marine species. These marine species include plants, animals and other sorts of organisms. Below are 17 Plants That Live In the Pacific Ocean.
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1. Spiral Wrack
The Spiral Wrack is a species of brown algae plant. It can go by its other name which is Spiral Wrack. The length of this plant is medium.
The average Spiral Wrack may reach 30 centimetres in length. The branches of this plant are often split into two. The Spiral Wrack also usually grows on hard surfaces such as rocks. The leaves of this plant species are flat and twisted.
2. Seagrass
The seagrass is a plant that grows in the Pacific Ocean. It prefers to thrive in the shallow parts of the ocean floor. Seagrass may form as patches or carpet at the bottom of the ocean.
The leaves of the seagrass are very long. The roots are buried deep into the sand of the ocean. The seagrass helps in maintaining the speed of the Impact of Ocean Currents in the ocean. It has the ability to slow down the currents that are carried by the ocean waves.
3. Kelp
Kelp is also a plant species of the Pacific Ocean. It grows best in the Pacific Ocean because of the cool temperature of the water. The kelp plant may form beds or forests deep in the ocean.
Kelp has the same ability as the seagrass. This plant species is also able to slow the speed of the ocean currents by taking in the energy of the waves. Moreover, it is crucial for marine animals as they feed on the small organisms hiding among a group of the plant.
Read: Endangered Plants In the Ocean
4. Wakame
Wakame is a type of a famous seaweed plant that can be found in the ocean. It is often described as superfood. It is described as a sea plant that can help fight illnesses such as diabetes or hormonal imbalance.
Wakame has a slight sweetness to it. The texture is very soft, very smooth and almost similar to that of a jelly. Wakame is a sea plant that usually ends up being used for cooking many variations of soups. It may also be added as a vegetable in salads.
5. Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton is a very small plant. It’s so small that it would be impossible for the naked eye to see its true form. Also, phytoplankton contains fluorescent. This fluorescent feature is what makes them to be a bit recognisable in the water.
It may just look like a green layering forming on the surface of the water in the ocean. Phytoplankton contains chlorophyll. Thus, it carries out photosynthesis. It absorbs all the carbon dioxide around it and releases oxygen out which is a good thing.
6. Waterwheel Plant
The Waterwheel plant also exists in the Pacific Ocean. This species is an interesting one. It has a similar feature to a plant often found in land. The plant that it has a close resemblance to is called the Venus flytrap.
Whereas the Venus flytrap captures land creatures, the Waterwheel traps small organisms in water. The Waterwheel plant feed on tiny invertebrates that come close to it. Other than that feature, the Waterwheel plant is able to move at a rapid speed. Unfortunately, many of the plant’s species are extinct.
7. Sugar Kelp
Sugar kelp is a plant species that often grows in the rocky areas of the ocean. This particular species of kelp is extremely long and huge. It may grow to as high as 5 metres.
Also read: Ocean Plants
A single blade of the Sugar kelp may also be 20 centimetres wide. The surface of the Sugar kelp is smooth. When the kelp form a forest, the forest help to protect marine animals.
8. Giant Green Anemone
The Giant Green anemone is a sea anemone. The sea anemone is able to grow up to 17.5 centimetres. However, some species may reach a height higher than that. The colour of the Giant Green anemone is brown or a dark shade of green.
But when this species of sea anemone gets enough light from the sun, the colour could turn into a light shade of green. The Giant Green anemone has tentacles it can use against predators. The tentacles can also be used to catch food.
9. Giant Plumose Anemone
The Giant Plumose anemone is another species of sea anemone in the Pacific Ocean. It often prefers to grow where the ocean currents are not too strong. The average height of this sea anemone is usually 50 centimetres. However, it may also grow up to 1 metre.
The Giant Plumose anemone comes in many colours. These colours include orange, brown and white. The Giant Plumose anemone also has tentacles. In comparison to the Giant Green anemone mentioned before, this species use its tentacles mostly to drive away other anemones from growing too close.
10. Red Algae
The Red algae is an algae that is able to live in the deepest parts of the ocean. What makes it able to do so lies in its colour. The colour red is caused by a pigment it contains called phycoerythrin.
The pigment it has is able to reject red light and receive blue light instead. Blue light is the only light that can still enter the deep parts of the water. Thus, the colour pigmentation of this species enables itself to still carry on photosynthesis.
11. Sargassum
Sargassum is a plant with a high number of population in the Pacific Ocean. This plant species has a lot of branches where leaves grow. There are also plenty of small, round fruit-like thing that grow on Sargassum.
The fruit-like structure is actually not fruit but it’s a small plant filled with oxygen. The oxygen helps Sargassum to float on the surface of the ocean water. The Sargassum is an important plant that provides habitat and shelter to many crabs, fish and sea turtles.
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12. Diatoms
Diatoms are small actually that are closely related to phytoplankton. These groups of small plants are very, very old. They have existed ever since the beginning age of the Jurassic period on Earth.
They are indeed an ancient groups of plants that still successfully survived the varying nature of the ocean. The shape of the diatoms may resemble ribbons, stars or fans. They may also come in a zigzag formation. Diatoms play an important role in research and studies. They help to determine the quality of the ocean water.
13. Oarweed
Oarweed is a actually a species of seaweed. It is very thick with a surface that mimicks the feel of a leather. The stalk of an oarweed is not stiff, it is very flexible and bendy. Thus, this plant species does not break easily.
Read: Types of Seaweed In the Great Barrier Reef
Moreover, it is brown in colour. The Oarweed can grow to tall heights. It may grow up between 2 metres and 3 metres in length. The size of the leaf is wide and huge in size.
14. Coralline Algae
The Coralline algae is also a plant found in the Pacific Ocean. It has a structure that is different than the other plant species. Instead of having features such as flexibility or softness like any common plants, the Coralline algae is tough. It is a hard plant that feels like a rock.
The reason for its toughness and stiff structure is because it contributes to the build up of the coral reefs. The Coralline algae is able to grow on other animals and even on other kinds of algae.
15. Bladderwack
The Bladderwrack is another plant species that grows in the water of the Pacific Ocean. The plant can grow to a very tall plant species. It may reach the height of 90 centimetres. The branches are also often split into two parts.
This plant species is crucial to our world. It is actually the first source where iodine was first discovered. The Bladderwrack plant was a lifesaving plant. It helped to heal swelling caused by a lack of iodine in the body.
16. Sea Lettuce
The Sea Lettuce is plant that belongs to the green algae. The height of the sea lettuce is medium. The average length of the species is around 18 centimetres. However, there are certain cases where this green plant can grow even higher than that number.
Some species of Sea Lettuce can actually grow up to 30 centimetres in length. The plant has a very thick structure. The Sea Lettuce also likes to grow around rocky areas. The Sea Lettuce is safe to eat. People consume Sea Lettuce in many forms.
17. Kombu
Kombu is a brown algae plant. It is closely related to the kelp species. Similar to the Sea Lettuce, Kombu is also edible and safe for consumption. In fact, the Kombu is famous for producing the glutamic acid which is popularly called as umami.
Other than that, Kombu is also rich in iodine which could help people who suffer from iodine deficiency. However, consuming too many of this plant may cause an overdose. Besides being used as food, Kombu can also be used as biofuel.
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These varying species of plants that live in the Pacific Ocean may have slight differences with one another. But one thing is clear, these plants hold their crucial role in maintaining the ocean ecosystem. They are also vital to all kinds of organisms living in the ocean.