Algae

Procaryotic, eucaryotic, photosynthetic micro and

macro organism
Unicellular, microscopic and macroscopic

Algae

Sea weeds

Biological and Economic importance of

Algae

1. Primary produce most are aquatic

Floating phytoplankton- food for aquatic life
2. Commercial productsa. agar- well known solidifying agent used in
microbiology laboratory
Obtained from red algae (marine)-Geledium and
Gracilaria
Used in food industries for making pudding,
processed cheese, mayonnaise, jellies

Biological and Economic importance

of Algae

Used as a carrier for drug in pharmaceutical

industry
Lotion and creams also contain agar
b. Alginic acid and its salt obtained fron brown algae,
eg. Macrocystis, Agarum
Alginates- added in ice creams for smooth
consistency
Also in cheese and bakery products
Paper manufacturing
Printing of fabrics, paint thickening

Biological and Economic importance of

Algae
c. Carrageenan- polymer of galactose with sulfate
group
Extracted from red algae- Chondrus
Used as a stabiliser or emulsifier in icecream and
other milk products
Used as a thickening agent in shaving creams, lotion
and in the soap
Useful in textile and paper industries
d. Diatomaceous earth- composed of millions of
diatoms

Biological and Economic importance of

Algae
Used in filters, non reactive chemically
Finely divided- one gram is having 120sq mt
surface area
Also used for polishing delicate surface area
3. Algae as food- Porphyra used in Japan(called nori
served with fish)
(red algae)

Chondrus

Palmeta

Gracilaria-red algae (china)

Chlorella

Advantages of algal food

Rich source of proteins with all amino acids
essential for growth
Good source of carbohydrate and fats as well
Can be grown on waste materials

Algae and diseases

Prototheca-1.human skin infection

2. bursitis- joint pain

Cephaleuros- plant pathogen

Characteristics of Algae
Morphology- wide range
Spherical, rod shaped, club shaped, spindle
shaped(single celled sp)
Multicellular complex, group of same cells or
different cells (may resemble higher plants)
Cell wall- thin and rigid.
Diatoms have silica and therefore thick and very
rigid.
The motile algae have flexible cm called periplast
Some have an outer matrix secreted through cw

Unicellular algae

Algal pigments
Chlorophyll-a,b,c,d,e,
a is present in all

Carotenoid
Carotene- unsaturated hydrocarbon
Xanthophyll- oxygenated derivative

Biloprotein (phycobilin)

Water soluble
phycoerythrin

pigment-

phycocyanin

and

Motility
Motile algae- swimming algae
Flagella-in pairs, clusters
Types- whiplash (cylindrical and smooth), tinsel
(cylindrical and hair like), ribbon or strap like
Some dont have means of motility
Carried about by currents, tides, waves
Some spores are motile- zoospore
Other structures- eye spot, knob like structure,
gelatinous stalk

classification
Based onNature and properties of pigments
Chemistry of reserve food material
Types or number of flagella, morphology and
insertion
Life history, reproductive structures, and methods
of reproduction
Eg. Geledium
Very useful commercially

Rhodophycophyta

Chlorophyll a, b and phycoerythrin

Cell wall- cellulose
Reserve food- starch
Red algae
Marine forms
Asexual reproduction- non motile spore
Sexual reproduction- heterogamous
(spermatia and carpogonia)

Xanthophycophyta(yellow-green
algae)

 Chlorophyll a, c rarely e
Found in temperate environment(fresh water and
marine), also in soil
Occur as single cell, colonies, branched and
unbranched filaments
Flagella of unequal length
Zoospores
Asexual reproduction by cell division and
fragmentation
Sexual reproduction rare
Cell wall- cellulose, pectin
Reserve food material- chrysolaminarin(branched
glucan), oil
Eg Vaucheria

Chrysophycophyta- golden algae

Chlorophyll a and c
Beta carotene and fucoxanthin
Predominantly flagellate
Some have pseudopodia
Some are non-motile
Most forms are unicellular and form colonies
Reserve food material- chrysolaminarin(branched
glucan), oil
Eg. Ochromonas

Phaeophycophyta- brown algae

Chlorophyll a and c
Multicellular, brown pigment
Found in marine environment
Quite complex(some have several feet height)
Eg brown sea weed
Have holdfast and air bladder (give buoyancy)
Asexual reproduction- zoospore
Sexual reproduction- isogamous and heterogamous
Commercial uses-food, source of iodine and mineral
salt
Eg. Sargasso

Sea of Sargasso

Bacillariophycophyta-the Diatoms

Chlorophyll a and c
Found in fresh water, salt water, soil
Abundant in cold water
Plentiful form of plankton in Arctic
Wide range of shape
Unicellular, colonial and filamentous forms
Produce shell (CW) containing silica
These shells over the period give rise to
diatomaceous earth, commercially very important

Euglenophycophyta-euglenoid
Chlorophyll a and b
Unicellular, actively motile
Interesting example is Euglena (animal as well as
plant features)
Photosynthetic and contractile vacuole
No cell wall, having periplast
Anterior gullet and red eyespot
Reproduction by binary fission
Dormant cyst like structure is produced
Paramylon, oils as reserve material

Chlorophycophyta- green algae

Chlorophyll a and b
Freshwater
Some in marine and terrestrial environment
One chloroplast per cell, laminate, cup shaped and
reticulate
Chloroplast has pyrenoid- a site of starch synthesis
Single celled and colonial forms
Some has holdfast for attachment
Produce zoospore
Binary fission and isogamous, heterogamous
reproduction

chlamydomonas

spirogyra

volvox

Cryptophycophyta
Chlorophyll a and c
Biflagellate organisms, two unequal flagella, tinsel
type
Cells slipper shaped
Some have only plasmalemma
One or two plastids with or without pyrenoid
Reproduction by binary fission, zoospore and cyst
Sexual reproduction is seen in some

Cryptomonas

Pyrrophycophyta- the Dinoflagellate

Chlorophyll a and c
Plant and animal like features
Flagella are in girdle, one flagellum is encircling
and one trailing
Plasmalemma and some have cellulose plates in
plasmalemma (thecal plate)
Can produce red pigment, Gonyaulax (red tide)
Simple cell division and occasionally sexual
reproduction

group

chlorophyll carotenoid

biloprotein

Storage products

Rhodophycophyta
Red algae

a, rarely d

Beta carotene
Zea xanthin
Alpha carotene

Phycoerythrin
phycocyanin

Starch, oil

Xanthophycophyta
Yellow- green algae

a, c, rarely
e

Beta carotene
Diadinoxanthin
Heteroxanthin

Chrysolaminarin,
oils

Chrysophycophyta
Golden algae

a, c

Beta carotene
fucoxanthin

Chrysolaminarin,
oils

Phaeophycophyta
Brown algae

a,c

Beta carotene
Alpha carotene
fucoxanthin

laminarin, oils,
carbohydrate

Bacillariophycophyta
Diatoms

a, c

Beta carotene
Alpha carotene
fucoxanthin

Chrysolaminarin,
oils

Euglenophycophyta
Euglenoid

a, b

Beta carotene
Alpha carotene
Diadinoxanthin

Paramylon, oils

group

chlorophyll

chlorophycophyta a, b
Green algae

Cryptophycophyta a,c
Cryptomonad

Pyrrophycophyta
dinoflagellate

a,c

carotenoid

biloprotein

Storage
products

Beta
Starch, oil
carotene
Alpha
carotene
lycopene
Beta
Phycoerythrin Starch, oil
carotene
phycocyanin
Alpha
carotene
alloxanthin
Beta
carotene
Alpha
carotene
Peridenin

Starch, oil