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 products-
a. 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 pigment- phycocyanin and
phycoerythrin
 Motility
• Motile algae- swimming algae
• Flagella-in pairs, clusters
• Types- whiplash (cylindrical and smooth), tinsel
(cylindrical and hair like), ribbon or strap like
• Some don’t 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 on-
• Nature 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 a, rarely d Beta carotene Phycoerythrin Starch, oil

Red algae Zea xanthin phycocyanin
Alpha carotene
Xanthophycophyta a, c, rarely Beta carotene Chrysolaminarin,
Yellow- green algae e Diadinoxanthin oils
Heteroxanthin
Chrysophycophyta a, c Beta carotene Chrysolaminarin,
Golden algae fucoxanthin oils

Phaeophycophyta a,c Beta carotene laminarin, oils,

Brown algae Alpha carotene carbohydrate
fucoxanthin
Bacillariophycophyta a, c Beta carotene Chrysolaminarin,
Diatoms Alpha carotene oils
fucoxanthin

Euglenophycophyta a, b Beta carotene Paramylon, oils

Euglenoid Alpha carotene
Diadinoxanthin
group chlorophyll carotenoid biloprotein Storage
products

chlorophycophyta a, b Beta Starch, oil

Green algae carotene
Alpha
carotene
lycopene
Cryptophycophyta a,c Beta Phycoerythrin Starch, oil
Cryptomonad carotene phycocyanin
Alpha
carotene
alloxanthin

Pyrrophycophyta a,c Beta Starch, oil

dinoflagellate carotene
Alpha
carotene
Peridenin