Seaweeds and their importance

Seaweeds is the name implies to cover the macroscopic plants of the sea except the flowering plants. Most of the seaweeds are attached to rocks and also grow on other plants as epiphytes. Along the coast line of India, seaweeds are abundant where rocky or coral formations occur. This sort of substratum is found in the States of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat and in the vicinity of Bombay, Ratnagiri, Goa, Karwar, Vizhinjam, Varkala, Visakhapatnam and in the Lakshadweep and Andaman-Nicobar Islands. The seaweeds are classified into three important groups namely green, brown and red. Seaweeds contain different vitamins, minerals, trace-elements and proteins. Seaweeds are also a rich source of iodine.