Researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden have discovered 20 new species of Sea Lettuce in the Baltic Sea Region. In this article, we explain what sea lettuces are and the significance of the new discovery from the IAS exam perspective.
Sea Lettuce
Sea lettuce is a type of green algae that grows along the coasts and is a potential food source.Â
- A new survey conducted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg which surveyed over 10,000 kilometres of the coastal area, has identified a total of twenty distinct sea lettuce species along the Swedish coast.
- Sea lettuce belongs to the genus Ulva which is a prominent species of green macroalgae and is scattered extensively across the Baltic Sea region stretching from the Atlantic waters to the Bay of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea.
- Sea lettuce has attracted the interest of the aquaculture industry due to its rapid growth and easy reproduction.
- Research is ongoing both in Sweden and abroad for utilising sea lettuce in the food industry and for different biochemical applications.
- It is said that there are multiple species of sea lettuce but only a handful of them are identified and the total number is not known.
- Researchers also identified invasive species of Sea lettuce in the Baltic Sea. Identifying invasive species is important to maintain and protect valuable ecosystems along the coasts and to mitigate the risk of invasive species out-competing the native species.
- Sea lettuce is very nutritional with relatively high protein content, healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids, and dietary fibres.Â
- Sea lettuce also has valuable biochemical molecules and research is ongoing for its use in the food industry and for different biochemical applications.
Source: Scitechdaily.com
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