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Kelps
Kelps
Laminariales
Chromista
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
3-7 yrs
Size
Huge
Diet
Photosynthetic
Biome
Temperate coastal ocean
Range
Worldwide
Movement
Sessile
Breeding
Spores
Defense
Toxins
Status
Common

About

Kelps are large brown algae that form dense underwater forests along cold, nutrient-rich coastlines, anchoring to the seafloor with root-like holdfasts. Some species, like giant kelp, can grow up to 60 centimeters in a single day, making them among the fastest-growing organisms on Earth.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    spore
    A microscopic zoospore drifts on the current and settles onto bare rock to take hold.
  2. 2.
    young blade
    A holdfast grips the seafloor as the first blade unfurls and reaches toward the sunlit surface.
  3. 3.
    mature kelp
    Fully grown — a towering frond buoyed by gas bladders, swaying in the kelp-forest canopy.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Chromista
Phylum
Ochrophyta
Class
Phaeophyceae
Order
Laminariales