The below mentioned article provides a note on algae. Algae are eukaryotic photosynthetic thallophytes lacking archegonia. Although most of the taxonomic groups of algae include multicellular macroscopic organisms, there are also unicellular forms in majority of such groups. That is what justifies their inclusion among microorganisms. As a major group of living organisms, algae are highly heterogenous in size, morphological [...]
In this article we will discuss about the morphological and cellular characteristics of algae. Morphological Characteristics of Algae: Algae exhibit a very wide range of morphological diversity. The simplest forms are unicellular, microscopic, motile or non-motile eukaryotic cells. They may be spherical (Protococcus, Chlorella), or pyriform (Chlamydomonas). When motile (Volvox, Chlamydomonas) the cells are generally provided with a pair of [...]
In this article we will discuss about the classification of algae. A generally agreed classification of algae recognizes nine broad taxonomic groups, called Divisions. These are Chlorophycophyta, Xanthophycophyta, Bacillariophycophyta, Phaeophycophyta, Rhodophycophyta, Chrysophycophyta, Euglenophycophyta, Cryptophycophyta and Pyrrophycophyta. Among these, the members of the first five Divisions are distinctly plant-like organisms, but the others, particularly the flagellates, have some animal-like characters. For [...]