The Lives of Seaweeds - (Lives of the Natural World) by Julie A Phillips (Hardcover)

About the Book

As photosynthetic organisms, seaweeds and other algae transfer billions of tons of carbon globally from the atmosphere to the deep ocean each year. Coming in all manner of colors, shapes, and sizes, from bioluminescent single-celled algae to giant kelps, they form the basis of most marine food webs, and are found in almost all environments on the planet. Touted as the biofuel of the future, seaweeds and algae also hold promise for biodegradable packaging, offer a nutritious food source, and exhibit antiviral and antitumor properties. Combining accessible text with stunning images and graphics, this book takes a deep dive to explore the unique characteristics of seaweeds and other algae, outlining their extraordinary evolution as well as their morphology, life histories, ecology, and uses. Offering rare insights into the algal world, The Lives of Seaweeds is essential reading for naturalists and marine life enthusiasts.

Book Synopsis

An engaging and richly illustrated exploration of the natural history of seaweeds and other algae

As photosynthetic organisms, seaweeds and other algae transfer billions of tons of carbon globally from the atmosphere to the deep ocean each year. Coming in all manner of colors, shapes, and sizes, from bioluminescent single-celled algae to giant kelps, they form the basis of most marine food webs, and are found in almost all environments on the planet. Touted as the biofuel of the future, seaweeds and algae also hold promise for biodegradable packaging, offer a nutritious food source, and exhibit antiviral and antitumor properties.

Combining accessible text with stunning images and graphics, this book takes a deep dive to explore the unique characteristics of seaweeds and other algae, outlining their extraordinary evolution as well as their morphology, life histories, ecology, and uses. Offering rare insights into the algal world, The Lives of Seaweeds is essential reading for naturalists and marine life enthusiasts.

Review Quotes

"With its detailed analysis and clear writing, this book is well suited for scholars and students who are interested in marine ecosystems, biological diversity, and marine conservation. As a popular science book, it will be useful for readers as an encyclopedia of algae. Readers who are not familiar with the natural history of algae can appreciate the extraordinary evolution and vitality of algae."---Weilan Ge, H-Net Reviews

"A very well produced and well structured overview of what algae, especially seaweeds, are, how they live, what they are like and how important they are."---Martin Wilkinson, Ocean Challenge

"Visually, The Lives of Seaweeds is simply stunning. . . . The content is also spectacular."---Gareth Dowle, Marine Biological Association

"A celebration of these underappreciated organisms."---Gabor Lovei, Conservation Biology

"A highly informative, profusely illustrated book."---Anthony Payne, Glasgow Naturalist Society

"Dip into this book and the chances are that you'll start noticing and appreciating underwater plant life in an entirely new way."---Steve Weinman, Divernet

"[An] excellent book. . . . If you have been indifferent to seaweeds and other algae before reading this book, I guarantee you that you will henceforth see them in a totally different light. You will learn, you will appreciate, you will marvel, and you will yearn to know more."---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds

About the Author

Julie A. Phillips is an environmental consultant in aquatic ecosystem health, algal blooms, and seaweed communities. She has investigated a diverse range of algal projects on reproduction, life histories, ultrastructure of motile cells, chemical composition of pheromones, taxonomy, biogeography, invasive species, ecology, biodiversity, and conservation. Prior to consultancy, she was research fellow at Monash University and the University of Queensland.