Kelp

Kelp is a large type of seaweed that grows in cool coastal oceans. Seaweed is a plant-like organism that lives in the water and uses sunlight to make its own food, a process called photosynthesis. Kelp grows in groups that can form tall underwater forests. These forests sway with the waves and create places where many animals can hide, rest, and find food.

Kelp attaches itself to rocks or solid surfaces on the ocean floor using a root-like part called a holdfast. A holdfast grips tightly, but it does not take in water or nutrients the way plant roots do. From the holdfast grows a long, flexible stem-like part called a stipe. The stipe leads to wide, leaf-like parts called blades. Blades help kelp take in sunlight and move gently with the water.

Some kelp blades have small air-filled sacks called floats. These floats help pull the blades upward toward the sunlight near the surface of the water. Sunlight is important because kelp uses light to make its food. In very tall kelp, the stipes and blades can grow upward like underwater trees, forming thick forests that many sea creatures use as homes.

Kelp forests support many living things. Fish, sea snails, crabs, and sea otters often live among the blades. Some animals hide in the kelp to avoid predators. Others use the forest as a place to look for smaller animals to eat. These forests also help protect the shoreline by slowing waves before they reach the land.

Kelp grows quickly when it has enough sunlight and nutrients in the water. Nutrients are tiny natural substances that help living things grow. Because kelp grows so fast, it can recover after storms or strong waves break off some blades. Pieces of broken kelp often drift to the shore, where they become part of beach ecosystems.

People study kelp to learn how ocean habitats work. Kelp is sometimes used for food, for thickening products like toothpaste, or even to make certain gels. By understanding kelp, scientists can learn more about the ocean and how plants and animals depend on one another to survive.