• The marine biome is home to thousands of plants essential to the balance of life on Earth.Andrew Dernie/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  According to the University of California Museum of Paleontology, the marine biome extends over "about three-fourths of the Earth's surface and include[s] oceans, coral reefs and estuaries." Thousands of plant species live in these diverse, vital ecosystems, many of which have yet to be discovered by scientists. Plants in the marine biome are extremely important to life on Earth, and aquatic animals and humans alike depend on them.
  
  

Oxygen Production

• Algae, the general term for aquatic plant species, is vital to life on Earth because it supplies an estimated 70 to 80 percent of all oxygen in the atmosphere, according to Ecology.com. Most marine plants are barely visible single-celled photosynthetic organisms that float freely along the water's surface. These plants absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and, through the process of photosynthesis, convert it into oxygen. While land plants produce a large portion of the Earth's oxygen, algae is much more abundant because around 70 percent of the planet's surface is ocean. There are over 7,000 species of algae found around the world.
  
  

Commercial Use

• Marine plants, like land plants, have been extremely beneficial to humans during the history of mankind. For centuries, humans have used marine biome plants for a variety of commercial purposes. Many common fertilizers, pest controls, sewage treatments, rubbing compounds, cleaners and pharmaceuticals contain algae. In addition, humans around the world consume algae or seaweed as part of their regular diet, particularly in Asia. These plants provide a wealth of health benefits comparable to their leafy green terrestrial cousins.
  
  

Physical Attributes

• Although marine biome plants do share many physical attributes with terrestrial plants, they differ in several important ways. Marine plants, unlike land plants, don't have roots, stems, leaves or seeds, according to Amazing Oceans. Instead they absorb their nutrients from the sun's energy and from minerals, salt and other nutrients present in the water. Many marine plants attach themselves to rocks and other stationary objects using rhizomes to prevent themselves from drifting away with the current. Marine plants also don't produce flowers but rather small spores that grow new plants without the need for pollination.