Government Engineering

College - BHUJ
 BHADJA SAHIL – 160150113002
 BHATT AKBARHUSSIN – 160150113003
 CHAUHAN PRATIK – 160150113005
 CHAVDA RAVI – 160150113006
 CHHAYA NISHANT – 160150113007

GUIED BY:- HARDIK T. BHATIYA

Algae
*Occurrence of Algae
*The Biological and Economic Importance of Algae
*Characteristics of Algae
*Classification of Algae
*Lichens
INTRODUCTION

~This chapter introduction the algae, many of which are unicellular

microorganisms.

~Algae contain chlorophyll and are photosynthetic.

~they differ from other green plants in having simple reproductive

structures for sexual reproduction.
CONTI…

~In size, habitat and reproductive processes algae are a heterogeneous

group.

~They study of this unique group of organisms is called phycology

OCCURRENCE OF ALGAE

 Many thousands of algal species occur in nature .

 Phytoplankton is made-up of plants Zooplankton is composed of

animal organisms

 Some algae grow in hot springs at temperatures as high as 55°C.

CONTI…

 Marine algae are not normally found in northern waters of the ocean at
depths greater than 150 to 180 ft.

 Where the sunlight is more direct and has a longer daily period , they
may be found at depths as great as 600ft.

 Algae are often a problem in water supplies because they produce

undesirable tastes and odours.
CONTI…

 Algae may even increase the corrosive quality of water and cause
the disintegration of concrete.

 When dispersed in natural waters algae increase the oxygen

concentration through photosynthesis.

 Heavy growth of some algae reduces hardness of water and

removes salts which are the cause of Brackishness.
CONTI…

 An installation using this principle on a large-scale experimental

basis has been built In South Dakota in an area where the natural
water contains a high concentration of organic salts.

 They are used as fertilizer.

 Three of these agar agonic acid, and carrageenan are extracted from
the walls of algae
CONTI…

 Agar and carrageenan are group of galactose. Agar and carrageenan are both called
sulphated galactans.

 Carrageenan has been used as a stabilizer or emulsifier in foods such as a icecreme

and other milk products.

 Agar is well known as a solidifying agent in the preparation of microbiological

media.
CONTI…

 Alginic acid and its salts are obtained from the walls of brown
algae . Where they may represent as much as 25 percent of the dry
*Algae as foods

 The nutritive value of the microscopic algae has been demonstrated in tests
with rats and chicks.

 After algae have been grown on waste products the residues can be disposed
of in steams and lakes without causing pollution that would destroy aquatic
animals.

 Although much can be said in favour of using algae in place of higher plants
for human food.
CONTI…

 General acceptance of their use in this country is not to be expected until food
from other sources is in short supply.

 In the meantime algae will doubtless find wide application as animal feeds or
feed supplements.
*Algae and Diseases

 Although few algae are pathogenic, one prototheca has been found
to be a probable pathogen of humans.

 It has been found in systemic and subcutaneous infections, as well

as in bursitis.

 Prototheca is a colourless Chlorella-like organism which

superficially resembles yeasts.
CONTI…

 Some of the extracellular inhibitors produced by algae have been

shown by chemical analysis to be simple chemical substance.

 It is quite possible that as we learn more about algae and their

extracellular secretions, their usefulness will become more
apparent.
*Characteristics Of Algae

 Algae have a wide range of size and shapes. Many species occur as single cells
that may be spherical, rod shaped, club-shaped, or spindle-shaped.

 Others are multicellular and appear in every conceivable form, shape and degree
of complexity, including membranous colonies, filaments grouped singly or in
clusters with individual strands that may be branched or unbranched, and tubes.
CONTI…

 Some colonies are simply aggregations of single, “identical” cells

that cling together after division; others are composed of different
kinds of cells specializing in particular function.

 These colonies becomes quite complex and superficially resemble

higher plants in structure.

 Algal cells are eukaryotic. In most species the cell wall is thin and
rigid. Cell wall of diatoms are impregnated with silica.
 CONTI…

 Making them thick and very rigid; they are often delicately sculptured with
intricate designs characteristic of the species or variety.

 The motile algae such as euglena have flexible cell membranes called
periplasms. The cell wall of many algae are surrounded by a flexible, gelatinous
outer matrix secreted through the cell wall, reminiscent of bacteria capsules.
CONTI…

 As the cells age, the outer matrix often becomes pigmented and
stratified.

 Algae contain a discrete nucleus. Other inclusions are starch grains,

oil droplets, and vacuoles. Chlorophyll and other pigments are
found in membranebound organelles known as chloroplasts.

 These chloroplasts may be massive structures situated near the wall

or embedded in the midst of the cytoplasm.
CONTI…

 They may occur as one, two, or many per cell; they may be
ribbonlike, barnlike, netlike, or in the form of discrete disks, as in
green plants.

 Within the plastid matrix or stroma are found flattened

membranous vesicles called thylakoids.
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