ALGAE

plantlike protists that contain the green pigment chlorophyll and

perform photosynthesis.

Each form of chlorophyll (a,b,c) absorbs different wavelengths of

light, allowing algae to use more of the energy of sunlight than just
the red and violet wavelengths.

ACCESSORY PIGMENTS absorb light at different

wavelengths than chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll and accessory pigments allow algae to harvest and use

the energy from sunlight, also giving algae a wide range of colors.
 UNICELLULAR ALGAE
EUGLENOPHYTES
phylum Euglenophyta

● two flagella, no cell wall

● have chloroplasts, but
similar to zooflagellates
● ponds and lakes
● excellent swimmers
● can live as heterotrophs,
nutrients from decayed organic
matter
● store carbs in small
storage bodies
● eyespot - cluster of reddish
pigment, helps find sunlight
● pellicle - intricate cell
membrane, folded into ribbon-like
ridges, each ridge supported by
microtubules; tough and flexible
● can crawl through mud
when there is not enough water
for swimming
● binary fission
 CHRYSOPHYTES
phylum Chrysophyta = golden plants
● yellow-green algae, golden-brown algae
● gold-colored chloroplasts
● cell walls of some contain carbohydrate pectin instead of
cellulose, others both
● store food in form of oil
● asexual and sexual
● solitary, some form threadlike colonies

DIATOMS
phylum Bacillariophyta
● among most abundant
● produce thin, delicate cell walls rich in silicon (Si) - main
component of glass
● cell walls have fine lines and patterns

DINOFLAGELLATES
phylum Pyrrophytia = fire plants
● half are photosynthetic, half are heterotrophs
● two flagella that wrap around the organism in grooves
between two thick plates of cellulose that protect the cell
● binary fission
● luminescent
ECOLOGY OF UNICELLULAR ALGAE
● common in both fresh & salt water
● base of the food chain
● phytoplankton - small, photosynthetic organism found near
the surface of the ocean
● ½ of photosynthesis on earth is carried out by phytoplantkon

ALGAL BLOOMS
● many protists grow rapidly in regions where sewage is
discharged
● they recycle sewage and waste
● when waste is excessive, populations grow into enormous
masses - blooms
● these blooms deplete the water of nutrients, and cells die in
great numbers
● decomposition of these dead algae can rob water of its
oxygen and disrupts the equilibrium.
● great blooms of dinoflagellates Gonyaulax and Karenia - “red
tides”, potentially dangerous toxin, can cause serious illness,
paralysis, and death in humans and fish
 MULTICELLULAR ALGAE
RED ALGAE
phylum Rhodophyta = red plants
● able to live at great depths due to their efficiency in
harvesting light energy
● chlorophyll a & reddish accessory pigments phycobilins
● phycobilins - especially good at absorbing blue light, enable
red algae to live deeper in the ocean
● green, purple, reddish black
● polar regions to tropics
● grow anywhere from ocean’s surface to depths up to 260 m
● complex life cycles
● lack flagella and centrioles
● formation of coral reefs - help maintain equilibrium, provide
nutrients & calcium carbonate
 BROWN ALGAE
phylum Phaeophyta = dusky plants

● chlorophyll a and c & brown

accessory pigment fucoxanthin
● dark, yellow-brown color
● largest and most complex algae
● mostly marine
● cool, shallow waters of
temperate or arctic areas
● giant kelp, Sargassum - Sargasso
Sea, Fucus aka rockweed
● holdfast - structure that attaches
the alga to the bottom
● stipes - flattened stemlike
structures
● blades - leaflike structures
● bladders - gas-filled swellings,
float and keep alga upright in
water
 GREEN ALGAE
phylum Chlorophyta = green plants
● similar to plants
● cellulose in walls
● chlorophyll a and b
● store food as starch
● might share an ancient algalike ancestor with mosses
● fresh and sea water, moist areas on land
● most live as single cells, some form colonies
● a few are multicellular and have well-developed specialized
structures
● chlamydomonas, spirogyra, volvox, ulva (sea lettuce)

ECOLOGY
● base of the food chain
● home to many animal species
● rich in vitamin C & iron
● chemicals used to treat stomach ulcers, high blood pressure,
arthritis, etc.
● nori - dark green, paper-thin, wrapper for rice, fish, veggies,
sushi
● algin - thickener made from brown algae
● chemicals used to make plastics, waxes, transistors,
deodorants, paints, lubricants, artificial wood
● agar - derived from certain seaweeds, thickens nutrient
mixtures used to grow bacteria and other microorganisms in
labs