GENERAL

CHARACTERISTICS
OF
ALGAE
Objectives:
• Define the term algae
• State the general characteristics of algae
• Describe the general structure of algae with a
typical example
 What are
ALGAE?
-Algae (singular, alga) are unicellular
microorganisms that have chlorophyll
and are photosynthetic.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF ALGAE
• Algae are eukaryotic microorganisms.
• They are photosynthetic microorganisms.
• Chlorophyll and other pigments are found in
membrane bound organelles known as
chloroplasts.
• They have a wide range of sizes and shapes.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF ALGAE
• In most species the cell wall is thin and rigid cell walls of
diatoms are impregnated with silica making them thick
and very rigid.
• The motile algae such as euglena have flexible cell
membrane called periplasts.
• They have also able to produce oxygen from water.
Occurrence and Distribution
• Algae are found in many places on earth. They occur
in great abundance in the ocean, seas, salt lakes,
fresh water lakes pounds and streams.
 MORPHOLOGY
• Algae have a wide range of sizes and shapes.
Many are unicellular and may be spherical, rod
shaped, club shaped or spindle shape.
 MOTILITY
• The motile algae also called the swimming algae have
flagella occurring singly or in clusters at the anterior
or posterior ends of the cells.
 REPRODUCTION
• Algae may reproduce either asexually or sexually.
Some species are limited to one of these processes.
 ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
• Purely vegetative binary fission.
• Production of unicellular spores, many of which,
especially in the aquatic forms have flagella and
motile, these are called zoospores.
 SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
• Fusion (conjugation) of sex cells called gametes.
• The female egg cell (ovum) is large and non motile,
while the male gametes is small and are actively
motile.
BIOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF
ALGAE
1. Algae as Primary Producers.
- algae form the base or beginning of most
aquatic food chains because their photosynthetic
activities.
2. Commercial Product from Algae
- Many product of economic value are derived
from algal cell walls.
BIOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF
ALGAE
3. Algae as Food
- many species of algae are used as food in the
far east, of the algae are of the most important in
porphyria.
 Conclusion
Algae are of great and general interest to all
biologists because single algal cells are complete
organisms capable of photosynthesis and the
synthesis of a multitude of other compounds.
 Summary
• The algae are photosynthetic eukaryotic
microorganisms.
• Algae are found in many places on earth.
• Algae may be unicellular or multicellular.