Marine Plants Shetlands wildlife is internationally renowned and attracts many visitors to the islands.

Those elements that live on land such as birds, mammals and plants are relatively well known. However, we know a great deal less about our marine wildlife for the simple reason that it is very difficult to observe. Two important plants that grow around the coast of Shetland are eelgrass and maerl. In the right conditions both eelgrass and maerl can grow to form dense beds which support a wide range of other marine plants and animals. As a result they make an important contribution to the biodiversity of the islands. Shetland Biological Records Centre is keen to find out more about Shetlands marine life. Please help us by recording your sightings of eelgrass and maerl on the survey form at the bottom of this page and returning it to SBRC.2) ELGRASS - Zostera marina :- Although eelgrass grows in the sea, it is not a seaweed, but a group of marine flowering plants. However, it is unlikely that you will ever see the flowers because they are very small and usually hidden at the bottom of the leaves. Eelgrass grows in shallow coastal seas around the world generally in water less than 10m deep. It is usually found on sandy or muddy areas sheltered from strong tides and

currents.Eelgrass is only patchily distributed around the UK. This is partly due to a wasting disease in the 1930s which wiped out populations in many areas. Although eelgrass is nationally scarce, in the right conditions it can form dense beds known as meadows. Other plants that are often found associated with eelgrass meadows include sugar kelp and bootlace weed, together with burrowing animals such as razor shells and heart urchins. Beds of eelgrass are important for a number of reasons. They provide a wide range of habitats for many other plants and animals, including sheltered nursery areas for some types of fish. The plant roots form a dense network which stabilises the seabed, helping to reduce coastal erosion. In addition, decomposing plants support food chains both inside and outside the beds.Only one species of eelgrass occurs in Shetland, Zostera marina, known locally as Marlie. At present three eelgrass beds are known in Shetland, at South Voe, West Burra, Marlee Loch at the head of Brindister Voe, and in Whiteness Voe.

MAERL:- Maerl is the name given to several species of red seaweeds which have hard calcium skeletons. It grows as free living nodules on the seafloor and is one of the slowest growing plants in the North Atlantic, growing only a few millimetres each year. Maerl tends to grow best in tidal flows associated with rapids and in sounds between islands, such as in Bluemull Sound.Maerl is found from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, although it is a relatively scarce habitat. It can occur as simply a few scattered nodules, right through to extensive beds. Maerl beds develop very slowly and are usually made up of a mixture of live and dead nodules, although the proportion can vary greatly between areas. Large beds tend to be made up of a bottom layer of dead maerl gravel overlain by a thin layer of live nodules. It is easy to tell the difference between the two: live maerl is pink, but this colour fades gradually when dead.Both live and dead maerl provide habitats for a wide range of plants and animals, some of which are rare and largely confined to maerl beds. Keep a look out for different species living in and around maerl beds. These may include sugar kelp, an anemone called Cerianthus lloydii, common sea urchins, hermit crabs and harbour crabs.Please look out for maerl or eelgrass when you are diving. Have you found a few scattered individuals or been lucky enough to come across a large and well established bed? As well as looking at the two plants, try and record other plants and animals that live on or in these habitats, especially if they appear to be particularly common. For maerl, also have a look at how much is living (pink) and how much dead (cream coloured). Please describe the location of the maerl or eelgrass very carefully - give a grid or chart reference if possible. And, remember, if you see anything else interesting underwater, please let us know.SBRC DATA SHEET The following is the information required for the eelgrass and maerl survey, please fill in as much as you can. You can either copy and paste this information into a document or download this form as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF). Overview:- This Red Grape Kelp is very similar in appearance to the more common plant, Caulerpa. Although they are similar, this species is not at all related, and is a beautiful red coloration. This plant develops many branches that carry numerous small grapelike leaves. It will grow relatively fast under the right conditions, but is a favorite food for herbivores.The proper environment for Grape Kelp is an aquarium with plenty of live rock, and has moderate to high illumination. Protection must be provided for this species against predation from herbivorous fish, as this is one of their favorite meals. This is a wonderful plant to cultivate in a fishless refugium. It also makes a great supplementary food for herbivorous fish, and can be added to the main aquarium when trimmed. It will not tolerate inferior water conditions.

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The Red Smooth Leaf Kelp are red algae (Rhodophyta), and are very beautiful in appearance. Their branches and leaves are fern-like in appearance, and can reach a height of up to 10 inches. Their color can vary from a dark pink to deep red, and will add a beautiful diversity of color and form to your reef aquarium. The ideal set up for the Red Smooth Leaf Kelp is an established saltwater reef aquarium with plenty of live rock and low nutrient levels. This kelp should be supplied with moderate to strong lighting of at least 4 watts per gallon of flourescent lighting or preferably metal halides. Fish will typically not nip at this plant unless there is insufficient algae present in the aquarium. overview:- The Mermaid's Fan plant, a green calcareous algae found throughout the Caribbean, is used as a decorative plant in the marine aquarium. These plants have short stems that grow out of the substrate or live rock. These plants form a fan like leaf that is oval to round in shape. They are calcareous algae that deposit limestone (calcium carbonate) in their tissues. The Mermaid's Fan plant is generally hardy in the right conditions, and few fish will feed on them. In addition to light, they require sufficient calcium to grow. They are not as tolerant of high nitrate or phosphate levels compared to some other algae. They also do not tolerate extensive pruning. overview

Chaetomorpha Algae, also known as Spaghetti Algae or Green Hair Algae, is an excellent macro algae for refugiums. Each cell grows end to end, creating long, stiff strands. It grows in filamentous clumps, resembling a ball of fishing line. This algae is fast growing and is not palatable to many herbivorous species. Chaetomorpha Algae removes both phosphates and nitrates from the water. To increase the amount of nutrients this algae exports, use moderate to high lighting and keep it in an area of high water flow. It should ideally be tumbled in an algae filter. This algae is sold by the bag and will arrive in a dense mat.

Plant life in the ocean is very important to the survival of all parties involved. Plants are the basis of the food chain for almost all animals, mainly excluding those found in the deeper regions of the waters where there is very little to no sun light available to plants (although it could be argued that the only way the bacteria could survive to chemosynthesize is by "breathing" the oxygen supplied by plants further up in the ocean). There are bacteria that can live as deep as 1500m to 3200m near deep sea hot vents. These bacteria use a compound called hydrogen sulfide, instead of sunlight, to make their food. The bacteria get the hydrogen sulfide from deep sea hot water geysers that release this compound. In fact, because of these tiny bacteria an entire community of animals can survive and thrive in these hot vent areas.

There are many plants that live and thrive in the ocean. They include seaweed, rockweed, sargassum, and seagrass. Plants in the sea serve as places of shelter for tiny fish. Their long weed-like tentacles make perfect hiding places when trying to escape predators. Seaweeds are able to survive in the ocean because they go through the process of photosynthesis and have a gelatinous coating that protects it from taking in too much salt water, which would increase the solutesolvent ratio and eventually plasmolyze the cell.

COMMON TYPES OF PLANT MARINE LIFE

Kelp: Kelp is a type of seaweed. It is brown and has a long, ruffled shape. Kelp attaches easily to rocks and serves as a good hiding place for small fish and crustaceans. You can often find Kelp tablets in many health food stores. The nutritional properties found in the kelp are beneficial for humans, and many people take kelp as a daily supplement. Seaweed: Under the ocean seaweed grows in large patches. The tallest plants are called rockweed or seawacks. Seaweed has no roots, but can attach easily to rocks that lie beneath the ocean floor, rocks that protrude into the open from the ocean floor, or the ocean floor itself. Many types of seaweed are used as food substances. For instance, the Japanese use seaweed to wrap sushi, kelp is used as a nutritional supplement, and Irish moss produces a gelatin that is used as a thickener in soups, dairy products, shoe polish, and soap.Sea plants come in various types and forms. Some types of sea organisms that you may consider to be a sea plant are not really plants at all! There are also types of sea plants can actually be grown in salt water or brackish water home aquariums. Seagrass One of the most common types of sea plants falls under the seagrass distinction. The plants considered seagrass actually come from four different plant families. All of these plant families are able to grow in salt water. These sea plants are flowering and grow in underwater meadows. These beds or meadows are essential to sea life ecology. Although this type of sea plant is not fed upon by most fish it does provide cover for many different species of fish. They also provide erosion and wave protection and may provide a source to fertilize soil. They were used in the past as a filler for mattresses as well.