Seaweeds of the World - (Guide to Every Family) by John Bothwell (Hardcover)

About the Book

A lavishly illustrated guide to the seaweed families of the world. Seaweeds are astoundingly diverse. They are found along the shallows of beaches and have been recorded living at depths of more than 800 feet; they can be microscopic or grow into giants many meters long. They're incredibly efficient at using the materials found in the ocean and are increasingly used in the human world, in applications from food to fuel. They're beautiful, too, with their undulating shapes anchored to the sea floor or drifting on the surface. Seaweeds aren't plants: they're algae, part of a huge and largely unfamiliar group of aquatic organisms. Seaweeds of the World makes sense of their complicated world, differentiating between the three main groups--red, green, and brown--and delving into their complex reproductive systems. The result is an unprecedented, accessible, and in-depth look at a previously hidden ocean world. Features more than 250 beautiful color photos as well as diagrams and distribution maps. Covers every major family and genus.

Book Synopsis

A lavishly illustrated guide to the seaweed families of the world

Seaweeds are astoundingly diverse. They're found along the shallows of beaches and have been recorded living at depths of more than 800 feet; they can be microscopic or grow into giants many meters long. They're incredibly efficient at using the materials found in the ocean and are increasingly used in the human world, in applications from food to fuel. They're beautiful, too, with their undulating shapes anchored to the sea floor or drifting on the surface. Seaweeds aren't plants: they're algae, part of a huge and largely unfamiliar group of aquatic organisms. Seaweeds of the World makes sense of their complicated world, differentiating between the three main groups--red, green, and brown--and delving into their complex reproductive systems. The result is an unprecedented, accessible, and in-depth look at a previously hidden ocean world.

• Features close to 250 beautiful color photos as well as diagrams and distribution maps
• Covers every major family and genus

Review Quotes

"This concise and lavish volume is almost as good as a trip to the shore."-- "Choice"

"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year"

"I was wowed by [this book's] design, the quality of the printing, the abundance of superb colour photographs, and the clarity of many of the diagrams."---Francis Bunker

"All the major seaweed families and genera are covered in exquisite detail, beautifully complemented by stunning photographs and bold layouts which draw your eye to the page. . . . Whether you're a hardened phycologist or just interested in finding out more about the delicate fronds that waft around your ankles in the shallows, this is definitely a user-friendly guide. Highly recommended."---Rose Fulton, Green Fuse

"This book is beautiful."---Charles Bergquist, Science Friday

About the Author

John H. Bothwell is a phycologist in the Department of Biosciences at Durham University. He has studied seaweeds in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Indian oceans for more than twenty years, and his group published both the first description of a brown seaweed sex chromosome and the first genome sequence of a green seaweed.