| PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION | Calcareous green algae look like a plant. Halimeda is dark green and branched with small flattened disks about 6 mm (0.25 in.) in diameter. It has a root-shaped holdfast buried in the soft, sandy bottom. | | SIZE | 7.5–12.5 cm (3–5 in.) tall | | RANGE | Throughout the world's tropical oceans | | NATURAL HISTORY | Halimeda at first may appear to be sea grass, but it is an alga. It forms green mats on the lagoon floor. These mats may cover an area of several square meters. | | FOOD | Produced through photosynthesis | | PREDATOR | Snails, limpets, amphipods, isopods, sea urchins, hermit crabs, other crabs, damselfish, parrot fish, lobsters, stingrays, and sergeant majors | | SHELTER | The algal beds provide shelter for many small invertebrates, sea slugs, crustaceans, and worms. | | ABIOTIC IMPACT | Productivity depends on light, water, and temperature levels. |
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