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Empedocles' Kelp
● Anchored Life › Kelp

Empedocles' Kelp

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Category
Anchored Life
Subcategory
Kelp
Entries in Kelp
2
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168
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PDA entry

  • Kelp empedocles. A scraggly algae that grows below the reach of sunlight by metabolizing sulfur.
  • 1. Not a plant
  • Like Earth's kelp, this large algae lacks the complex leaf structure of true plants. In shallower water it can photosynthesize, and it expresses the purple photosynthetic pigment retinal.
  • 2. Deep habitat
  • In water below the critical depth (where the energy produced by sunlight exactly balances the energy spent on respiration), this kelp turns to bacterial partners to metabolize sulfur from hydrothermal vents and other sources. This allows it to survive conditions which would destroy larger, more spectacular kelp.
  • 3. Namesake
  • The philosopher Empedocles introduced the concept of the four classical elements to Western civilization, identifying them with the gods Hera, Zeus, Persephone and Hades. He also proposed two additional forces, Love and Strife, which would govern the interaction of elements. According to various legends, he leapt into a volcano, where he was either incinerated or transported to colonize the Moon.
  • Assessment: possible source of organic pulp and trace sulfur.

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