Figure 2: Seaweed farming for greener Western Indian Ocean
marine ecosystem
Seaweeds can detect danger and alert other marine species via signals.
For example, diseases in seaweed can affect the color or smell of the
seaweed, signaling its presence in the marine ecosystem (59). On the
other hand, seaweed has a bigger contribution on oxygen production as it
produces 50-80% more than terestrial plants. This is contributed by the
fact that photosynthetic processes can take place at all parts of the
plants (60-63). Though feeding energy is generated for living, seaweed
provides energy as a food for other marine species and also supplies
organic nutrients for other marine life (8, 48, 64, 65). On the other
hand, seaweed functions as nutrient absorbers in the marine ecosystem,
this is important as not all nutrient entering the ocean have a good
effect some may kill marine life and damage the marine ecosystem (66,
67). In this case seaweed will absorb and trap excess nutrients and make
marine ecosystem safe (68). Although iron is essential for seaweed to
undergo photosynthesis and other autotrophic organism, excessive iron
ion in oceanic ecosystem may damage marine life (69-71). Therefore, the
existence of seaweed in WIO marine ecosystem is important for
continuation of life forms.