Seaweed
Seaweed or macroalgae refers to several species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of red, brown, and green macroalgae. Marine algae species such as kelps provide essential nursery habitat for fisheries and other marine species and thus protect food sources; ocean algae species from seaweeds to planktons play a vital role in carbon capture, producing up to 90 percent of the planet's oxygen. Understanding these roles provides guiding principles for conservation and sustainable use of seaweeds to take precedence over industrial exploitation. Mechanical dredging of kelp, for instance, destroys the resource and dependent fisheries. Certain species of seaweed are valuable for nutrition, biomedicine, bioremediation, and other uses.
Notomithrax ursus
There is also evidence that the species of algae that the seaweed crab attaches to its body are preferred species for consumption as well, so the masking behavior of these crabs serves as food storage. The crab can eat up to 4.1% of the algae masking them when there is no food available to consume. The types of algae for masking may also be chosen based on “calorific value or content of vitamins, nitrogen, or specific nutrients such as sugars and amino acids”.