Weird and wonderful members of the plant kingdom - Marine marvels

Did you know that the plant life of our oceans makes up around 85% of all the greenery on the planet?

Through photosynthesis, marine plants and algae provide much of the worlds oxygen supply and take in huge amounts of carbon dioxide - which may be a useful tool in reducing the severity of climate change. One type of marine algae is kelp, which is important because it provides shelter and food for a vast range of sea creatures. It's also used by us, in many everyday products, including toothpaste and ice cream, and it serves as a buffer by absorbing energy from waves before the waves hit the shoreline, protecting many of the sandy beaches along the American and African coasts.

Another important marine plant is phytoplankton. These are tiny plants that serve as food to many of the ocean creatures from the smallest of fish to large whales. Some scientists estimate that phytoplankton provide the earth with almost half of its oxygen! Essentially, marine plants are the basic element of the food chain. Without marine plants no marine animal would ever have existed.

Freshwater plants are also fascinating things:

• In a single growing season, ten rather small water hyacinths can increase their numbers to become more than 600,000 plants - forming a mat that is an acre across and weighs more than 180 tons!
• The giant Water Lily, Victoria, has such large and buoyant leaves that each one can support the weight of a six year old child - they grow up to eight feet across!