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    Algae General Charcterstics

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    Sahil Azam
    Algae are a diverse group of eukaryotic organisms that range from unicellular to multicellular forms. They are photosynthetic but some are chemoautotrophic. Algae are found in a variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats including freshwater, marine, soil, rocks, and symbiotically within other organisms. They reproduce through both asexual and sexual means and have life cycles that involve haploid and diploid generations.

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    Algae General Charcterstics

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    Sahil Azam
    789 views16 pages
    Algae are a diverse group of eukaryotic organisms that range from unicellular to multicellular forms. They are photosynthetic but some are chemoautotrophic. Algae are found in a variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats including freshwater, marine, soil, rocks, and symbiotically within other organisms. They reproduce through both asexual and sexual means and have life cycles that involve haploid and diploid generations.

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    Algae general charcterstics

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    Algae are a diverse group of eukaryotic organisms that range from unicellular to multicellular forms. They are photosynthetic but some are chemoautotrophic. Algae are found in a variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats including freshwater, marine, soil, rocks, and symbiotically within other organisms. They reproduce through both asexual and sexual means and have life cycles that involve haploid and diploid generations.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    789 views16 pages

    Algae General Charcterstics

    Uploaded by

    Sahil Azam
    Algae are a diverse group of eukaryotic organisms that range from unicellular to multicellular forms. They are photosynthetic but some are chemoautotrophic. Algae are found in a variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats including freshwater, marine, soil, rocks, and symbiotically within other organisms. They reproduce through both asexual and sexual means and have life cycles that involve haploid and diploid generations.

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    ALGAE

    GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
    Algae are simplest eukaryotic organisms, may be
    unicellular or multicellular.
    Plant Body: Thalloid , not differentiated into root,
    stem and leaves.
    Nutrition: Mostly algae are Photoautotrophic; some
    forms are Chemo-autotrophic also.
    Universal in occurrence.
    Flagella: may be single, in pairs, many in no.,
    isokont or heterokont.
    Alternation of Generations in reproduction.
     Found in a variety of habitats.
     Fresh water, marine, on rocks, soil, on plants and
    within animals.
     Aquatic forms are most common.
     On the basis of habitat, algae are classified into
    three groups:
    1. Aquatic forms
    2. Terrestrial forms
    3. Algae of unusual habitats
    occur in ponds, lakes, rivers etc.
    (eg. Spirogyra, Chlamydomonas)
    occur in saline conditions (sea &
    oceans) (eg. Sargassum, Porphyra)
    found in soil, rocks, tree trunks, moist walls etc.
    Eg. Fritschiella, Trentifolia
    a. Halophytic algae: found in
    highly saline water
    (eg. Dunaliella salina)

    b. Epiphytic algae: found on


    surface of other plants/algae
    (eg. Oedogonium)

    c. Epizoic algae: found on other


    animals-snails & fish
    (eg. Cladophora crisposa grow on
    snail)
    d. Endozoic algae: grow inside
    animals
    (eg. Zoochlorella inside Hydra)
    e. Symbiotic algae: found in
    symbiotic association with fungi
    (lichens), with bryophytes,
    pteridophytes, angiosperms &
    gymnosperms
    (eg. Nostoc within the thallus of
    Anthoceros)
    f. Parasitic algae: algae parasite on
    plants/animals
    (eg. Cephlaeuros virescens causing
    Red Rust of Tea)
    g. Thermophytic algae: grow in hot springs.
    Eg. Halosiphon lignosus
    h. Cryophytic algae: found in snow.
    Eg. Chlamydomonas nivalis
    • Wide range, unicellular to multicellular, microscopic to
    macroscopic.
    • Size range from micron to several metres.
    • On the basis of thallus organisation, algae are of following
    types:
    a. Unicellular forms: eg. Chlamydomonas, Chlorella
    b. Colonial forms: eg. Volvox, Pediastrum
    c. Filamentous forms: eg. Ulothrix, Spirogyra
    d. Siphonaceous forms: eg. Vaucheria
    e. Parenchymatous forms: eg. Ulva
    Great diversity in pigmentation in different algal groups.
    Pigments in algae belong to 3 major categories:
    a. Chlorophylls: fat-soluble green coloured pigments,
    5 types, chl. a, b, c, d & e.
    b. Carotenoids: fat-soluble yellow coloured pigments,
    2 types; carotenes (5 types) & xanthophylls (20 types).
    c. Phycobilins (Biliproteins): include
    Red-coloured Phycoerythrins (Rhodophyceae) and
    Blue-coloured Phycocyanins (Cyanophyceae).
    Except in Cyanophyceae (Blue-green algae),
    pigments in algae are found in membrane-bound
    organelles called as Plastids.
    In Blue-green algae, pigments are present in
    peripheral cytoplasm (chromoplasm)
    Plastids are of two types:
    a. Leucoplast: colourless plastids
    b. Chromoplast: coloured plastids
    Cup shaped: Chlamydomonas, Volvox
    Discoid shaped: Vaucheria, Chara
    Girdle shaped: Ulothrix
    Reticulate shaped: Oedogonium
    Spiral shaped: Spirogyra
    Stellate shaped: Zygnema
    These are proteinaceous bodies present in
    chromatophores.
    Organelle for synthesis and storage of starch.
    In some chlorophyceae, pyrenoids are surrounded
    by starch grains.
    Pyrenoids absent in blue-green algae.
    Also called as Food Reserve.
    Food accumulates in the form of polysaccharides.
    Stored form of food functions as an important
    source of energy that can be released and used in
    ATP production when required.
     Cyanophyceae: cyanophycean starch
     Chlorophyceae: starch
     Rhodophyceae: floridean starch
     Phaeophyceae: laminarin, mannitol & oil
    Algae reproduce by 3 methods:
    1. Vegetative Reproduction: by cell division, fission,
    fragmentation, hormogonia, adventitious branches,
    tubers, budding etc.
    2. Asexual reproduction: by variety of motile and non-
    motile spores (zoospores, aplanospores, hypnospores,
    akinetes, azygospores, tetraspores)
    3. Sexual reproduction: autogamous, isogamous,
    anisogamous and oogamous gametic fusion.
    5 types of life cycle based on the number of
    haploid and diploid generation:
    a. Haplontic
    b. Diplontic
    c. Haplobiontic
    d. Diplobiontic
    e. Haplodiplontic

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