Is kelp a vascular plant?
Nope, not vascular. It’s not exactly a plant, either. Vascular tissue developed in land plants because they needed some way to cope with the changes in environment from living in wet water to dry land. In the water, plants don’t have to be particularly stiff because they’re approximately the same density of water, and thus, don’t feel much force from gravity. They don’t have serious problems transporting or preserving water because they’re completely surrounded by water. Other uses were developed for vascular tissue by plants, such transporting materials to and from specialized areas. Because algae have no vascular tissue, they tend not to have specialized tissue separated by great distances. The water around the kelp likely distrubutes much of the raw materials the plants need (like CO2 and minerals) and this distribution is likely helped by the creatures that living among the kelp. Referring to them as kelp forests is an accurate description as it seems life in them is far from simpl
