seaweed

From bryozoans and snails to shrimps, eels, swordfish, and whales, the Sargasso Sea provides a home to countless types of marine life, thanks to the prevalence of microalgae called sargassum. Following a single blade of this extraordinary seaweed as it grows and spreads, readers see what it provides for the sea's organisms: a base for hydroids and tube worms to filter and feed, shelter for anemones and nudibranchs and their nutritious waste, hunting grounds for crabs and amphipods, and a source of nourishment and protection for the fish, birds, whales, and reptiles that feed on these smaller creatures.

In prose, examines the food chain on the Pacific coast of North America and what happened when sea otters were hunted to near extinction.

When Nanami's Gram from Maine visits Japan, Nanami's Japanese grandmother, Baachan, takes them to the seashore to gather wakame seaweed. Includes several recipes for wakame.