NAME : EUNICE OSEI-OWUSU

DATE : 19TH APRIL, 2021.

SID : 10742813

DISCUSS ON THE TOPIC ALAGE ARE HARMFUL AND BENEFICIAL.

Algae are a diverse group of aquatic organisms that can photosynthesize. It covers many
different organisms capable of producing oxygen through photosynthesis and are not closely
related but have features uniting them and distinguishing them from other major group of
photosynthetic organisms; the land plants. Algae are one of the most promising long- term
sustainable sources of biomass and oils for fuel, food and other products. Nearly all these
benefits stem from the fact that these algae have evolved over billions of years to produce and
store energy in the form of oil. Algae have many harmful effects as well. Some usefulness of
algae include:

Algae used as food: algae are one of the producers of aquatic environment. Algae are considered
rich in proteins, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins A, B, C and E and anti-oxidants. About 70
species of marine algae are used as food. Prophyra tenera (amanori or nori bread in Japan) has
30-45% protein, 4-45% carbohydrates, vitamins A, B, C and iodine. Chlorella, in terms of its
nutritional value is comparable to mixtures of soybeans and spinach. Spirogyra and Oedogonium
are dried and sold in Indian market for preparing soup. Dried and salted Ulva is also used as food
by certain people. Spirulina (cyanobacteria) is a rich source of proteins, vitamin B-complex and
minerals. Some biscuits are fortified with powdered Spirulina nowadays making them nutritious
and good for the body. Nostoc commune is also boiled and eaten as food in China and Java.
Some microalgae are used as dietary supplements to advance human health.
Image from Wikipedia.

Secondly, algae are used as a source of minerals. Bromine is extracted from red algae such as
Rhodomeria and Polysiphonia. Iodine is also extracted from kelps such as Fucus, Ecklonia and
Macrocystis.

Algae are also used as medicines such as antibiotics, coagulants, anticoagulants and laxatives.
Green algae (Caulerpa and Chlorella), brown algae (Laminaria and Ascophyllum) and red algae
(Polysiphonia) are algae which produce antibiotics. Carrageenan is used as a coagulant because
it helps in blood clotting which helps in emergency cases where there is haemophilia.Sodium
laminarin sulphate extracted from Laminaria is an effective blood anticoagulant used to help the
free flow of blood throughout the body. Agar is used as a laxative. Extracts from Corallina and
Durvillea are used for expelling worms.

Sewage disposal has been improved by the use of algae. Chlymadomonas, Chlorella,
Oscillatoria and Scenedesmus are grown in sewage oxidation ponds. They provide surplus
oxygen for aerobic decomposition by bacteria and fungi, purifying these wastes while producing
a biomass suitable for biofuel production.

Algae are used to control mosquito larvae: Anabaena, Nostoc and Nitella secrete toxins that do
not allow mosquito larvae to grow in ponds, ditches and many other stagnant waters and reduces
their rapid multiplication. This serves as a biological control method to get rid of mosquitoes and
malaria reduction on the whole.
Another benefit of algae is in agriculture:

 For nitrogen fixation: the right type of soil additive can make a world of a difference
when it comes to the development and vitality of a plant. Nitrogen is a primary nutrient
that plants require in order to develop properly and move from one phonological stage to
the next. Unlike plants, algae possess the ability to extract nitrogen from the air and
deposit it into the surrounding soil or water. Examples include Anabaena, Aulosira,
Spirulina and Nostoc. It is estimated that these blue green algae can fix 15-40kg nitrogen
per season. All nitrogen fixing blue green algae are filamentous and contain specialized
cells called heterocyst which help in nitrogen fixation. Blue green algae are also used for
the reclamation of saline lands.
 For fertilizers: large brown and red algae are used as organic fertilizers. They are rich in
potassium. In coastal areas, sea weeds are directly ploughed as green manure for
cultivation. Sea weed extracts are sold as liquid fertilizers.
 Plant growth hormones such as auxin and gibberellins can be isolated from some marine
algae. Hormones are chemical substances synthesized in particular cells and transported
to other cells where they influence a development process in small quantities. Auxins are
a class of compounds that stimulate cell elongation and cell enlargement in plants and
gibberellins are a group of compounds that exhibit growth promoting properties and can
be used in meristem culture. These plant hormones are really essential for the growth of
plants.
 In addition, the application of algae has been shown to supress soil-borne plant pathogens
and repel pest, which decrease the need for chemical fertilizers and hazardous pesticides
and as a result increasing crop yield and producing healthy crops.

Algae are also very useful in industries. They are a natural source of many commercial
products which include:

 Agar: it is a jelly-like complex polysaccharide (phycocolloid) stored in the cell wall of

certain red algae Gelidium and Gigartina. Agar extracted from these agarophytes is used
for various purposes such as solidifying culture media in laboratories. Agar-agar is also
used in the preservation of cooked fishes, sheep tongues, sizing of silk, making adhesive
for plywood, as thickening material in the preparation of ice cream, malted milk jelly
 candies, pastries, soups and sauces, in photography industry. It is sometimes used in
place of pectin for making jams jellies, marmalades and other preservatives due to its
galactose and sulphate content. It is also used for making moulds for artificial leather, silk
and insulating material against heat and sound.
 Carrageen (carrageenan): it is a sulphated phycocolloid similar to agar, found in cell
wall of red algae such as Chondrus crispus (Irish moss), Gigartina and Eucheuma. It is
used as stabilizer or emulsifier in foods such as ice cream, other milk products and
relishes. It is used as a binder in tooth paste and other pharmaceutical products, as well as
an agent in lacer therapy. It has been found to be useful in finishing leather textile and in
paper industries. It is used as a thickening agent in shaving creams and lotions and in the
soap industry. It is also used to thicken sauces and soups or fresh salads.
 Diatomite: it is a rock like deposit of siliceous frustules (cell wall) of fossilized diatoms.
Diatomite is used in the preparation of explosives, bleaching powders, cement, cosmetics,
chocolates, metal polish, automobile polish and shoe polish. They are also used in
insulation of refrigerators, boilers, furnaces and pipes in packing corrosive chemicals,
light bricks, construction of sound proof-rooms, filter for oil, refining sugar and liquors.

Algae used as fodder: Rhodymeria, Sargassum, Laminaria, Pelvetia, Fucus (rock weed) and
Macrocystists are collected from sea shores and used as fodder to feed cattle, poultry and pigs.

Research organisms: Some chlorophyceans such as Chlamydomonas and Volvox are important
research organisms in biological labs. Volvox is used as a model organism for understanding cell
death and cell interactions. Chlymadomonas, even though tiny and single celled, has been useful
in countless studies including fresh water ecology, cell division, physiology, genetic structure
and function and genomic evolution.

Algae like any other plant when grown using sunlight, absorb carbon dioxide as they grow,
releasing oxygen for the rest of living things to breathe. For high productivity, algae require
more carbon dioxide, which can be supplied by emission sources such as power plants and
ethanol facilities. Green algae like Chlorella and Synococcus are used in space flight to get rid of
exhaled carbon dioxide, generate oxygen and as food. About 50% of total carbon dioxide
fixation on earth is carried out by algae through photosynthesis.
Algae have harmful effects which include:

Blocking of photosynthesis: epiphytic algae which are found on other plants and trees block
photosynthesis and indirectly harm them.

Contamination of water supply: algae are harmful to humans in several ways. Volvocales,
Chlorococcales, Myxophyceae are aquatic and they change the color of water either to green or
blue green causing the death of fishes. Some blue-green algae have been reported poisonous and
they directly cause the death of living stock that drinks this contaminated water. They
contaminate the water of city reservoirs. This contamination develops a foul odor in the water
and makes the water unhygienic. The algae also form some mucilaginous secretions which are
harmful bacteria and other pathogens causing several human and animal diseases.
Dinoflagellates like Gymnodinium and Gonyaulax form red tides in sea and other marine
environments.

Parasitic algae: the well-known disease ‘red rust tea’ is not caused by any parasitic fungus but
an algal form of Cephaleuros virescens. This causes havoc to tea plants in Assam tea gardens.
Besides, this parasitic form attacks several other plants, e.g. Mangifera, Rhododendron and
Coffea. The heavy losses are caused to tea and coffee by this parasitic algal form. This reduces
yield, and income.

Mechanical injury: Sometimes the filamentous forms of algae as well as other types are found
in such a great abundance where they tend to behave like a net that many fishes and other aquatic
lives may get entangled, choking their gills impeding movement of fins etc causing direct death
to these aquatic lives.
Image from Wikipedia.

Water blooms: in several water reservoirs, sufficient nutrient availability particularly

phosphorus results in luxuriant growth of algae that float on water surfaces in masses and look
like foam or soap lather. These algal masses are referred to as water bloom. The algae block the
gills of fishes making the respiration odifficult. Water blooms cause oxygen depletion in the
water of reservoirs thus causing death of aquatic animals. Algae blooms are a form of bacteria
and can cause skin or respiratory irritation when exposed to them. Some common water
blooming algae are Anabaena, Oscillatoria and Microcystis.

Deterioration of exposed fabrics: commonly in rainy season, if the wet fabrics are exposed,
within a few days a blue green alga appears on it and makes the cloth black spotted and weak.
This was a serious problem during the Second World War. This algal growth is usually followed
by bacterial infection and the fibers are completely destroyed.

Paralytic shell- fish poisoning: bloom forming dinoflagellates like Gonyaulax secrete powerful
toxins called saxitoxin which kill large numbers of fishes and invertebrates. However marine
shell-fishes feed on large amount of Gonyaulax remain unharmed. Humans who eat such
poisoned shell fishes are affected with a fatal paralysis called PSP.

Algae have serious health problems .Coming into contact with some algae cause skin irritation
and itchy eyes. Some cause allergic reactions such as rash, difficulty in breathing, swelling and
anaphylaxis. Other potential side effects of algal consumption include goitre and gastrointestinal
effects. Some types of dried seaweed are high in iodine, which could cause an increase in the
amount of thyroid-stimulating hormone in the body and give the skin a yellow tint or acne when
consumed in large amounts. Pregnant women should avoid the brown algae Laminaria, as it may
dilate the cervix, resulting in preterm labour. Other types can be high in sodium, increasing blood
pressure and cases of heart diseases. Spirulina sometimes worsen autoimmune diseases like
phenylketonuria and may also interact with medications that suppress immune function. Products
contaminated with microcystin causes liver, kidney, and brain damage and those contaminated
with cyanotoxin, both contaminants from algae, could cause seizures, pancreas, heart or
respiratory problems. Some toxic algae also cause numbness, weakness, diarrhoea,, nausea,
tingling and death.

In conclusion, algae provide the human body with necessary nutrients and they help turn our
planet into a more suitable place to reside thus more research should be conducted on them to
increase our knowledge on their harmfulness as well so as to prevent their occurrences which can
be sometimes very fatal.

REFERENCES
https://www.bioflora.com/benefits of algae.

www.allaboutalgae.com/benefits/

www.iologydiscussion.com >algae usefulness

Trisha. Useful and harmful activities of algae www.biologydiscussion.com >algae7