Marine ecosystems
Allies against climate change
Neither plant, animal, fungus, nor bacterium. These organisms from the Protista kingdom can be green, red, or brown. Nearly 15,000 different species have been identified worldwide. Their role is essential for the planet as a whole because, just like terrestrial forests, macroalgae capture and store CO2.
They also provide shelter for hundreds of marine species while helping slow down coastal erosion in the face of climate change.
They are widely distributed along the Spanish coasts -from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands- creating underwater landscapes of great richness that contribute to biodiversity and to the ecological balance of coastal ecosystems.
A challenge ahead
What environmental conditions do they need?
Availability of light, essential for photosynthesis to produce food and oxygen
High tolerance to variations in salinity, though these changes strongly affect their growth
A rock or solid surface to which they can attach
A wide temperature tolerance, from 10 °C to 35 °C
They are a renewable resource of high economic value whose use has been known for more than 5,000 years.