It is impossible to overestimate the importance of algae in nature and human life. Thanks to the processes of photosynthesis, they are the main producers of a huge amount of organic substances in fresh and salt bodies of water. Of particular note is the fact that algae intensively produce oxygen in the water, so necessary for river and marine inhabitants. Man has long appreciated these plants and found them to be used in many industries and in agriculture.
The value of algae in nature and human life
Perhaps the most important function that absolutely all types of algae perform is the absorption of carbon dioxide from water. In exchange, they emit oxygen, without which it is impossible to imagine the life of modern plants and animals. Equally important is the participation of algae in the circulation of substances on the planet. Its cyclical nature allows all kinds of living creatures to exist on earth for more than one thousand years. In addition, algae are the main source of organic substances in water bodies, which are an excellent forage base. A huge number of animals depend on it. Equally important is the evolutionary value of algae. They significantly influenced not only the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere, but also the formation of its relief. In addition, these plant organisms (both unicellular and multicellular) play an important role in the self-purification of rivers, lakes and ponds, as well as wastewater. Algae, especially their unicellular representatives, are an excellent indicator of salinization and pollution of a reservoir. But they live not only in water, but also in soil. Participating in the cycle of silicon and calcium, they actively enrich the earth with these components.
The Importance of Algae in Agriculture
The great importance of algae in nature and human life is due to their ability to produce organic matter. Therefore, they are widely used in the perfumery, food, and pharmaceutical industries. But even more of them are used in agriculture. In developed countries, fertilizers are made from algae. If you spray them with seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and gourds, then they not only grow faster, but also give a large crop. In addition to vegetable growing, algae penetrated into livestock. Cows, geese, chickens, ducks become more productive with a particularly balanced diet. Organic algae are introduced into food for farm animals.
The importance of algae in the food industry
Every year, on all continents of the planet, people consume several billion tons of processed algae. First of all, we are talking about seaweed. It belongs to brown algae. It contains a huge amount of nutritious and, importantly, useful substances. These are iodine compounds and calcium, which is necessary for normal metabolism. The importance of algae in nature and human life is simply enormous. Growing marine and freshwater crops is very encouraging. They are increasingly used in the food industry. For example, Japanese cuisine uses seaweed flour for baking bread. And this is the main product on the table in every family. Algae is added to puddings, pastries and even ice cream. Recently, their application in preservation has been no less relevant. In many countries, more and more cafes open every year, where you can order various dishes exclusively from seaweed.
Unicellular algae and their importance in astronautics
Oddly enough, but it is precisely the simple unicellular alga Chlorella that plays a huge role in modern astronautics. It is capable of producing large amounts of oxygen. In this, almost all types of plants are inferior to it. It is important that it has microscopic dimensions, which means that it does not take up much space. It has a short vegetation process and a very high breeding rate. All obtained chlorella biomass can be used at orbital stations not only for oxygen production, but also as food. Her nutritional qualities are truly impressive. The protein content in chlorella is at least 50 percent of the dry weight. In addition, this alga contains essential amino acids and vitamins for human life. All this makes the use of chlorella in space flights very promising.
The use of algae in microbiology
The diversity and importance of algae is great. They found their application even in microbiology. Agar-agar is produced from brown and red algae. It is able to solidify at room temperature and turn into jelly. It was this property of him that became decisive in the choice between gelatin and agar in the production of culture media for the cultivation of microorganisms. This substance has good nutritional properties and does not melt in a thermostat. Therefore, at present, all artificial nutrient media are prepared on the basis of agar.
