Red algae are a large group of multicellular marine algae with over 5,000 species. They contain phycoerythrin pigment, which allows them to grow at greater depths. Some red algae, known as coralline algae, help form coral reefs. They are also used as food, such as nori and Irish moss, and carrageenan is extracted from them for use as a stabilizer and thickener in food and beverages. Red slime algae is actually a type of cyanobacteria, not a true algae.
Red algae are one of the largest phyla of algae, with over 5,000 distinct species. They are almost exclusively multicellular marine algae, and many of the common algae varieties that people eat belong to this group. They can be contrasted primarily with brown and green algae, and should not be confused with the phylum Dinoflagellata, which are algae that cause so-called red tide.
People may also talk about red algae when what they are referring to is red slime algae. This is actually a type of cyanobacteria and not a true algae. Often, red algae are thought to be a link between bacteria and true algae and are over three billion years old. While red algae aren’t particularly physically attractive, they are one of the most important things on the planet. It is responsible for a huge amount of oxygen creation and it is thought that if red algae did not exist, the earth’s skies would not be blue.
True red algae are red because they all contain a specific pigment, phycoerythrin. This pigment absorbs blue light and reflects red, giving the seaweed its color. This is an evolutionary device that allows it to grow at slightly greater depths than other types of algae, as blue light penetrates water better than longer wavelength light. While a number of species are deep red, so it’s obvious which group they belong to, others have relatively small amounts of phycoerythrin and high amounts of chlorophyll, which can make them look more blue or green.
There are certain types of algae that actually play a vital role in creating coral reefs. There are some atolls in the Pacific where coral reefs actually owe much more of their development to red algae than coral. These types, known as coralline algae, have formed a carbonate layer, much like coral, around themselves. This helps coral reefs form around them and in some cases these seaweed reefs can be huge.
Many types are also used as food around the world, especially in Asia. They are consistently very rich in nutrients and, like other algae, are extremely easy to grow. This makes them an ideal food source, as huge amounts of food can be produced with minimal maintenance. Nori is a very famous species of red seaweed that is grown all over the world, especially in Japan. Nori is an important seaweed in cooking, especially in making sushi rolls.
Irish moss, or Chondrus crispus, is another important red edible seaweed, grown throughout the Atlantic Ocean. It is a major source of carrageenan, used in many foods and beverages as both a stabilizer and thickener. People can find carrageenan in many things like ice cream and non-dairy frozen desserts. In the Caribbean, red seaweed is used directly to make a drink with sweet and condensed milk and flavored with ice.
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