Brown Seaweed

Padina pavonica

Brown Seaweed

This very interesting form of Brown Seaweed blooms from June to September in the Mediterranean Sea. It has a glowing white appearance that is due to the presence of calcium carbonate deposits on the outside of the algae in the form of aragonite crystals. These crystals are not known to spontaneously develop in the Mediterranean and are normally only formed in controlled conditions. The plant’s ability to fix calcium to its outer structure in this unique and fascinating way has led researchers to see whether this mechanism could be transformed into a biological agent for the same purpose.

What is Brown Seaweed Used For?

The study of the evolutionary development and diversification of a species, or of a particular feature of an organism and how those characteristics are expressed in the development of more complex organisms is called phylogenetics. The algae _Padina pavonica_ in it’s efforts to form a relationship with the sun, produce food through photosynthesis, and fixate it structure in its environment, figured out how to fix calcium into its outer structure in the midst of conditions that made this extremely difficult. It is through our understanding of how plants have made adaptations to survive in their environment that we look for answers to how we may do the same. Some of the constituents in _Padina pavonica_ are being researched for their ability to support the structure and function of bone and connective tissue.*