Under Water to get out of the Rain - Part 5 - 2 strange plants

This probably isn't at all interesting to most people, but I found it very interesting. Here is Trevor on an island called Graciosa:

There are other sand binders such as Caulerpas, seaweeds that resemble green leaves, fern fronds or clusters of tiny grapes. They arise from creeping runners, much as strawberry plants do, and the underground cobweb of runners keeps the sand in place. Unlike all the other plants and animals, which are built of millions of tiny cells each independently controlled by its own nucleus, Caulerpa shuns compartmentalisation in favour of tubular construction. No matter how many metres its runners spread, or how numerous its upright fronds, the entire plant is a continuous hollow tube without interruption. As it doesn't waste energy manufacturing cross walls, the tube can extend at a phenomenal rate. Floating in the film of protoplasm that lines the inside of the tube are billions of nuclei, although how these coordinate its activities is hard to imagine. Caulerpa's non-cellular success shows that there is another way to construct living things that works. Surprising then that few other organisms have followed suit.

Caulerpa racemosa

caulerpa taxifolia

I read something more on the internet about these plants (alga) and it turns out that they are not usually admired because they are terribly invasive, and 9 types of them are banned in California. Few fish can eat them so they ruin the local fishery. The fish that do eat them become not suitable for human consumption: it turns out that they become hallucinogenic. So although interesting they are also quite creepy.

On with Trevor Norton:

My favourite plant from these submerged sands was Acetabularia, a formidable name for such a delicate plant. Imagine a tiny parasol perched on a thin stalk, the whole thing apparently made from pale green chalk and resembling a beautifully stylised daisy carved by a Japanese craftsman. Yet it is merely a relative of Caulerpa reinforced with calcium - a common ploy to make it less appetising to grazers. [??? I thought they didn't like it.] It also has an internal surprise. Whereas Caulerpa has a superabundance of nuclei, Acetabularia has only a single mega- nucleus at it base, which manages to supervise the growth, development and daily activities of the 'root', stem and umbrella of one of the prettiest things in the sea. 

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