Talk:Seaweed

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Food Portal
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Food and drink, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of food and drink articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
B This article has been rated as B-class on the quality scale.
High This article has been rated as High-importance on the importance scale.
Seaweed is within the scope of WikiProject Plants, an attempt to better organize information in articles related to plants and botany. For more information, visit the project page.
B This article has been rated as B-class on the quality scale.
High This article has been rated as High-importance on the importance scale.

Please have someone edit this page. Seaweed contains flouride with is very dangerous and I just had some health problems from eating too much seaweed.

People should not eat too much or they can get sick. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.149.47.249 (talk) 07:18, 13 December 2007 (UTC)


Contents

[edit] Algal groups

Seaweeds are to be found among all the major algal groups: the blue-green, red, green, and brown algae.

This simply isn't true. First, there are no seaweeds among the blue-green algae, which are now often not even considered algae. Second, there are several other major groups of algae, such as the diatoms and dinoflagellates, which do not include any seaweeds. -- Josh

I realize that the dividing line between large filamentous forms and microthallic algae as to the term seaweeds in common parlance is fuzzy -- However, we do have three species regarded as "seaweed" in Hawaiian waters that are in the (old) group of blue-green algae (i.e., cyanophytes), and there are terrestrial and freshwater examples (not "seaweeds" of course). Not sure about your second point? I did not list groups that do not have any seaweeds in them. Marshman

I guess you are saying these others ARE "major groups" -- I'd agree with that point, certainly. I'll reword the text. Marshman

That is indeed what I meant. Checking the blue-green algae bit, it seems you're right, so I've added them back to the article (as cyanobacteria, which is a more common name nowadays). Feel free to adjust as you see fit, of course.

I was going to suggest that if phycologists are purists about this "common parlance" name, we could develop a paragraph about it. Maybe if we get further disagreements. Thanks for input. Marshman

I just reworded the text to make it clearer that seaweeds are subgroups of algae. Fosnez 11:24, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

It would be helpful to cross-link or combine this page with "Kelp," as the two terms are used interchangably despite any technical differences. --Kris Schnee 21:50, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

A reference would be useful as kelps are a type of seaweed by most vernacular definitions. Combining them is not approrpiate, though, as not all seaweeds are kelp. In areas where people live near kepl beds that are harvested, such as coastal California, the two terms are not used interchangably. Sloppy usage doesn't require that information sources conform to it at all times. It would be like merging maples into trees.
Good points, Marshman. 'Seaweed' is used in all sorts of ways. The article needs a bit of work, it lists photosynthetic bacteria in the beginning, then limits seaweeds to protists, which Wikipedia defines as eukaryotes. Probably needs a good outline, then a rewrite. KP Botany 22:10, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Seaweed/algae

The two sites "Seaweeds" and "Algae" rather overlap - should they be amalgamated ? Osborne 08:58, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

I am not confident in the use of Wikipedia. But I think this article should be united with Algae. ?or rerouted. Any-way no more to be added to this site and all transferred to "Algae". What do you think?? {helpme} Osborne 14:44, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

"Seaweed" is a colloquial term with multiple usages. It can be used, for example, to mean the macro-algae, in which case it would not be synonymous with algae. Your knowledge about algae and willingness to tend to details will make up for any lack of experience you have in actually using Wikipedia, so don't worry. Try to use edit summaries, though, to tell people what you did, and to let folks know when you have a question. KP Botany 03:20, 14 February 2007 (UTC)
As someone with an interest in the very many freshwater Algae which could never be described as seaweed, I would counsel against any merge with Algae. 87.113.74.78 22:15, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Ah but "Seaweed" should/should be united UNDER Algae. Othertwuse there will be too much duplication - refs etc. I don't intend to add any more to "Seaweed".Osborne 12:16, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Kim vs. Nori

I gather that Kim is a Korean word for what is known in Japan as Nori. In English, this food seems to overwhelmingly be called nori. For example, a search for kim on onelook does not come up with this meaning, but nori gives for example Merriam-Webster. Even if we do call it kim, we shouldn't link to a disambiguation page. Kingdon 20:57, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] food trace elements

Doesn't seaweed contain traces of almost every element? Puddytang 13:41, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Water quality monitoring

No mention of water quality monitoring using seaweeds. Now becoming common place in Europe!

[edit] Seaweed's Nutritional Value

Has anyone ever categorised the different nutritional values of the various species (may not be correct technical term) of seaweed that are out there?

What is the nutritional value of the various different types of seaweed that are in existence?

I'll probably research this myself and have a go at adding it in future, but it certainly is related to seaweed's usage as a food.

ConcernedScientist 20:01, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Genetically Modified Seaweed

Is it feasible to alter the types of chemicals that seaweed produces in order to enhance its nutritional value? This would probably meet opposition from environmental campaigners, but it would probably be useful to someone for something (it could ensure that seaweed is capable of producing at least some of those food compositions which are usually found likeable in land-grown foods).

Certainly, it should be possible to GM seaweed so that it becomes less susceptible to man-made pollution (that is, the up-take from man-made pollution could be decreased significantly via some simple modifications).

ConcernedScientist 20:01, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

  • The opposite could/can also be done. Increasing the absorption rates of specific pollutants in order to clean them up from a contaminated zone. Algae#Pollution_control Dogsgomoo 23:16, 26 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Seaweed Usage within Fish Farming

Can seaweed be used for the purposes of fish farming? I have viewed Fish farming in order to gain a better idea concerning possible applications of seaweed to that arena (assuming that there are fish that can eat seaweed or some processed derivative of seaweed/'marine algae'/kelp).

[edit] Bio-Fuel Applications of Seaweed

Yep, somebody must have done some work at some point in an attempt to extract ethanol from seaweed for the purposes of fueling cars. The primary advantage with doing this is that it frees up agricultural land (that would otherwise be idiotically allocated to bio-fuels despite hunger and food scarcity issues) for conventional food production.

[edit] Disadvantages/Problems Induced by Seaweed

Surely Seaweed can be evil? They ca at least be slimey?

ConcernedScientist 20:01, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Applications within Industrial Dyes?

I know that some species of marine snail can provide dyes - but what about seaweeds?