Algae General Characters

1. General Characters and
Classifications of Algae
B.Sc. (Botany)
First Year
First Sem
By
Dr.Thirunahari Ugandhar
Asst Prof of Botany
Govt Degree College
Mahabubabad

2. • The term algae (Latin — seaweeds) was first
introduced by Linnaeus in 1753, meaning the
Hepaticeae.
• The algae comprise of a large heterogeneous
assemblage of plants which are diverse in habitat,
size, organisation, physiology, biochemistry, and
reproduction.
• It is an important group of Thallophyta (Gr. Thallos
— a sprout; phyton — a plant), the primitive and
simplest division of the plant kingdom.
• The orderly systematic study of algae is called
Phycology (Gr.phycos — seaweeds; logos — study or
discourse).

3. The algae are chlorophyll-containing primitive
plants, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic, with wide
range of thaifi starting from unicellular to
multicellular organisations.
Autophytic (which can manufacture their own food)
and thalloid plant bodies are also found in Bryophytes.
ఆల్గే క్లో రోఫిల్ కలిగిన ప్రా చీన మొకకల్ు, ప్రా క్రరోోటిక్ మరియు
యూక్రరియోటిక్ రెండూ, విస్తృత శ్రేణి థైఫీల్ు ఏకకణాల్ న ెండి
బహుళ సెల్ుోల్ార్ స్ెంస్థల్ వరకు ప్రా రెంభమవుతాయి.
 ఆటోఫిటిక్ (ఇది వరరి స్వెంత ఆహారరన్ని తయారు చేయగల్ద )
మరియు థాల్ాయిడ్ మొకకల్ శరీరరల్ు కూడా బాయోఫెైట్స్‌ల్ో
కన్నపిస్రత యి.

4. Definitions of Algae:
The definitions of algae as given by some phycologists are:
1. Fritsch, F. (1935) defined algae as the holophytic organisms
(as well as their numerous colourless derivatives) that fail to
reach the higher level of differentiation characteristic of the
archegoniate plants.
2. Smith, G. M. (1955) defined algae as simple plants with an
autotrophic mode of nutrition.
ఆల్గే యొకక న్నరవచనాల్ు: క్ ెంతమెంది ఫెైక్రల్జిస్ు ల్ు ఇచ్చిన ఆల్గే
యొకక న్నరవచనాల్ు:
1. ఫిాట్్, ఎఫ్. (1935) ఆల్గే న హో ల్ోఫెైటిక్ జీవుల్ు (అల్ాగే వరటి
రెంగుల్గన్న ఉతపనాిల్ు) గర న్నరవచ్చెంచారు,
ఇవి ఆరికగోన్నయిేట్ మొకకల్ యొకక అధిక స్రథ యి భేదాతమక ల్క్షణాన్ని
చేరుక్లవడెంల్ో విఫల్మవుతాయి. 2. సిమత్, జి. ఎెం. (1955) ఆల్గే న
ఆటోటోా ఫిక్ మోడ్ ఆఫ్ నూోటిాషన్ ఉని స్రధారణ మొకకల్ుగర న్నరవచ్చెంచారు

5. DISTINGUISHING FEATURES:
 They are photoautotrophs
 They primarily inhabit aquatic habitats
 The vegetative body does not show any
differentiation into various tissue systems
 They show progressive complexity in
reproduction
 They do not develop embryo after fusion of
gamates during sexual reproduction
 Range in size from microscopic to single celled
organisms to large seaweed
 Many species occur as single cells others as
multicellular

6.  Algal cells are eucaryotic
 Study of algae is called phycology
 Cellwall is thin and rigid
 Motile algae such as euglena have flexible cell
membrane called periplasts
 Cell walls of many algae are surrounded by a flexible
gelatinous outer matrix
 A discrete nucleus is present
 Inclusions like starch granules, oil droplets and
vacuoles are present
 Chlorophyll and other pigments are present
 Chloroplasts may occur one,two or many per cell they
may be ribbon like ,bar like ,net like,or as discrete
discs

7. Characteristics of Algae:
1. Algae are chlorophyll-bearing autotrophic thalloid plant
body.
2. Almost all the algae are aquatic.
3. The plant body may be unicellular to large robust
multicellular structure.
4. The multicellular complex thalli lack vascular tissue and also
show little differentiation of tissues.
5. The sex organs are generally unicellular but, when
multicellular, all cells are fertile and in most cases the entire
structure does not have any protection jacket.
ఆల్గే క్లో రోఫిల్-బేరింగ్ ఆటోటోో ఫిక్ థాల్ాయిడ్ ప్ో ింట్ బాడీ. 2. దాదాపు అన్ని ఆల్గే ల్ు
జల్చరరల్ు. 3. మొకకల్ శరీరెం పెదద బల్మైన బహుళ సెల్ుోల్ార్ న్నరరమణాన్నక్ి ఏకకణెంగర
ఉెండవచ ి. 4. బహుళ సెల్ుోల్ార్ క్రెంపెోక్స థాలిక్ి వరస్ కల్ర్ కణజాల్ెం ల్గద మరియు
కణజాల్ాల్ యొకక చ్చని భేదాన్ని కూడా చూపిస్త ెంది. 5. ల్ింగక అవయవ్ల్ు స్ధారణింగ్
ఏకకణింగ్ ఉింటాయి, అయితే, బహుళ సెల్ుుల్ార్ అయినప్పుడు, అన్ని కణాల్ు
స్రవింతమైనవి మరయు చాల్ా సిందర్ాల్ల్ో మొతతిం న్నర్ాణాన్నక్ి రక్షణ జాక్ెట్ ఉిండదు.

8. 6.The zygote undergoes further development either by
mitosis or meiosis, but not through embryo formation.
7. Plants having distinct alternation of generations.
Both gametophyte and sporophyte generations — when
present in the life cycle are independent.
Occurrence of Algae:
The algae are ubiquitous (present everywhere) in
distribution, i.e., they are found in fresh water as well
as marine water, on soil, on rock, as epiphytes or
parasites on plants and animals,
in hot springs, in desert, on permanent snow-fields
etc. But they mainly dwell in aquatic environments.

9. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Thallus organisation
Cell structure
Algal flagella
Algal pigments
Algal nutrition
Food reserves
Reproduction

10. 1) THALLUS ORGANISATION:
a)Unicellular algae:
 single cells, motile with flagellate
(like Chlamydomonas and
Euglena) or nonmotile (like
Diatoms).
 Occor in all groups except
carophycae of phylum chlorophyta
and pheophyta.
 Rhizopodial
 Flagellate
 Spiral fillamentous
 Nonmotile

11. b)Colonial algae:
Motile or non motile algae may form a colony by
aggregation of the products of cell division with in a
mucillagenous mass.

12.  Coenobial :
The colony is formed with a definite shape, size
and arrangement of cells.
Ex: volvox
 Palmelloid :
Irregular arrangement of cells varying in number
,shape and size.
Ex: Chlamydomonas , Tetraspora
 Dendroid:
Looks like microscopic tree due to union of
mucilagenous threads present at base of each cell.
Ex: Chrysodendron
 Rhizopodial colony:
Cells are united through rhizopodia
Ex: Chrysidiastrum

14. c)Filaments algae:
 Daughter cells remain attached
after cell division and form a cell
chain
 Adjacent cells share cell wall
(distinguish them from linear
colonies!)
 May be unbranched (uniseriate
such as Zygnema and Ulthrix) or
branched (regular mutiseriate such
as Cladophora or unreguler
mutiseriate such as Pithophora).
10
Pithophora
Cladophora

15. d) Coenocytic or siphonaceaous:
one large, multinucleate cell
without cross walls such as
Vaucheria
e) Parenchymatous:
mostly macro-scopic algae
with tissue of undifferentiated cells
and growth originating from a
meristem with cell division in three
dimensions such as Ulva

16. 2)CELL STRUCTURE
 Eukaryotic characterised by presence of well organised
nucleus and membrane bound organelles like plastids
,mitochondria and Golgi bodies
 An intermediate form called mesokaryotic occurs in
Dianophyceae which shows both eukaryotic (nucleus with
nuclear membrane & chromosomes) and prokaryotic
characters( basic proteins are absent)
 Some do not has true cell wall Ex: euglena, gymnodinium &
possess a membrane called pellicle around cytoplasm
 Motile flagella possess a pigmented spot known as eye-spot or
stigma(swimming)
 Cell wall is with mixed carbohydrates and substances like
alginic acid , fucoidin , fucin & hemicelluloses present
 Mitochondria, Golgi complex , Endoplasmic reticulum
present.

17. 3)ALGAL FLAGELLA
 Found in all algae except Rhotophyceae
 The main function is motility
 They are of 2 types
 Whiplash or acronematic-possess smooth surface
 Tinsel or pleuronematic-covered by fine filamentous
appendages called as mastigonemes or flimmers
 Tinsel is divided into 3 types
 Pantonematic-mastigonemes arranged in two
opposite rows or radially
 Pantocronematic-Pantonematic flagellum with a
terminal fibril
 Stichonematic-mastigonemes develop only on one
side of the flagellum

18. 4)ALGAL PIGMENTS
-Distinct chlorplast, nuclear region
and complex organelles.
- Thylakoids are grouped into grana
pyrenoids are centers of carbon
dioxide fixation withinthe
chloroplasts of algae. Pyrenoids
are not membrane-bound
organelles, but specialized areas
of the
levels
plastid that contain high
of ribulose-1,5-
bisphosphate carboxylase /
oxygenase
granum with
a
Stack of
thylakoids
pyrenoid

19.  The pigments are within membrane bound organelles
called plastids
May be leucoplasts (colourless plastids) or chromoplasts
(coloured plastids)
 Chromoplasts- contain chlorophyll a and b
 Chromatophores -contain only chlorophyll a
 Types - Chlorophylls(5), xanthophylls(20), carotenes(5)
and phycobillins (7)
 Chlorophyll a present in all
 Xanthophylls(yellow/brown) present in chlorophyceae and
pheophyceae
 B carotene present in most algae
 Phycobillins are water soluble red(phycoerythrin) and
blue(phycocyanin) confined to rhodophyceae

20. 5)ALGAL NUTRITION:
 Photo autotrophic and synthesis their own food
from carbondioxide and water
 Aquatic forms obtain carbon dioxide and water by
diffusion and osmosis
 Aerials obtain water from damp substratum and
carbon dioxide from air
 They also synthesis oil and protiens from
carbohydrates

21. 6)FOOD RESERVES
 Food materials accumulated as polysaccharides
 True starch-seen in two algal divisions chlorophyta
and charophyta
 Floridean starch- found in rhodophyta
 Laminarin- found in brown algae
 Paramylon- found in euglenoids
 Leucosin-peculiar to xanthophyta ,
bacillariophyta & chrysophyta
 Fats occur as reserved food in appreciable
amounts in the cells of xanthophyta ,
bacillariophyta & chrysophyta

22. 7)REPRODUCTION IN ALGAE
MOST REPRODUCE BOTH SEXUALLYAND
ASEXUALLY
 Most sexual reproduction is triggered by environmental
stress
 Asexual Reproduction
 Mitosis
 Sexual Reproduction
 Meiosis
 Zoospores
 Plus and minus gametes
 Zygospore

23. REPRODUCTION IN ALGAE
Vegetative
Cell
divisions/Fragmentation
=part of the filament
breaks off from the rest
and forms a new one.
Asexual Reproduction
.
Sexual-
Gametes

24.  ISOGAMY-Both gametes have flagella and similar in size and morphology.
 ANISOGAMY-Gametes have flagella but are dissimilar in shape and size. One
gamete is distinctly smaller than the other one.
 OOGAMY-gamete with flagella (sperm) fuses with a larger, non flagellated
gamete (egg).

25. •Monecious: both gametes produced by the same
individual
•Diecious: male and female gametes are produced by
different individuals
•Homothallic: gametes from one individual can fuse
(self-fertile)
•Heterothallic gametes from one individual cannot fuse
(self-sterile)
•Conjugation: a special type of reproduction. The entire
cell serve as a gametes and the cell content are
transported passively between two cells taking part in
sexual reproduction

26. REPRODUCTION IN MULTICELLULAR
ALGAE
 Oedogonium reproduction
 Antheridium -release flagellated
sperm that swim to the oogonium
 Oogonium - houses the zygote
which is a diploid spore
▪ The spore undergoes meiosis
and produces 4 haploid
zoospores. One of the four
cells becomes a root like
holdfast the others divide and
become a new filament.
oogonium

27. holdfast

28. CLASSIFICATION OF ALGAE
BASED ON SEVEN MAJOR DIVISIONS
1) Nature and properties of pigments
2) Chemistry of reserve food products
3) Morphology of flagella
4) Morphology of cells and thalli
5) Life history reproductive structures and methods
of reproduction
6) Food-storage substance
7) Cell wall composition

29. A famous botanist F.E. Fritsch (1935) classified algae into following
11 classes, based on pigmentation, reserve food material, flagellation
and reproduction.
 Class 1. Chlorophyceae (= Isokontae): Important genera are:
Chlamydomonas, Volvox, Chlorella, Ulothrix, and Spirogyra.
Class 2. Xanthophyceae (= Heterokontae): Important genera are:
Microspora, Vaucheria, Protosiphon.
Class 3. Chrysophyceae: Example:Chrysosphaera.
Class 4. Bacillariophyceae (= diatoms):Examples: Pinularia, Navicula,
Fragilaria.
Class 5. Cryptophyceae:Example:Cryptomonas.
Class 6. Dinophyceae:Example:Peridinium.
Class 7. Chloromonadineae:Example:Vacuolaria.
Class 8. Eugleninae:Example:Euglena.
Class 9. Phaeophyceae:Examples:Fucus, Sargassum.
Class 10. Rhodophyceae:Examples: Polysiphonia and
Batrachospermum.Class
11. Myxophyceae (= Cyanophyceae):
Examples: Nostoc, Oscillatoria, Anahaena, Lyngbya, Plectonema.

30. PHYLUM RHODOPHYCOPHYTA
 4000 species of REDAlgae
 Most are marine
 Smaller than brown algae and are often
found at a depth of 200 meters.
 Contain chlorophyll a and rarely d as well
as phycobilins which are important in
absorbing light that can penetrate deep
into the water
 Have cells coated in carageenan which is
used in cosmetics, gelatin capsules and
some cheeses
 Red algae GELIDIUM from which AGAR is
made

31. RED ALGAE
Porphyra - nori use to
wrap uncooked fish &
other food items
Smithora naiadum - a
epiphyte on eel and surf
grass
Pikea robusta
Red Algae

32. PHYLUM XANTHOPHYCOPHYTA
 Yellow Green Algae
 Xanthophytes walls with cellulose and pectin
 Chlorophyll a,c and rarely e are present
 Cellular storage product is chrysolaminarin
 Flagella unequal in length
 Asexual reproduction by cell division and
fragmentation
 Vaucheria is a well known member of this division

33. VAUCHERIA

34. PHYLUM CHRYSOPHYCOPHYTA
 Golden Algae
 predominately flagellates some are
amoeboid
 Chlorophyll a and c present
 Reserve food as chrysolaminarin and their
frequent incorporation of silica
 Characteristic color due to masking of their
chlorophyl by brown pigments
 Reproduction is commonly asexual but at
times isogamous

35. GOLDEN ALGAE

36. PHYLUM PHAEOPHYCOPHYTA
 1500 species of Brown algae
 Mostly marine and include seaweed
 All are multicellular and large (often reaching
lengths of 147 feet)
 Individual alga may grow to a length of 100m with a
holdfast, stipe and blade
 Chlorophyll a and c present
 Used in cosmetics and most ice creams
 Many of them have holdfasts and air bladders
which give them buoyancy

37. Fucus sp. Nereocystis luekeana

39. PHYLUM BACILLARIOPHYCOPHYTA
 The Diatoms
 Diatoms provide abundant food supply for aquatic
animals
 Chlorophyll a and c present
 Shells of diatoms are called frustules
 Deposits of these shells from centuries of growth are
called diatomite or diatomaceous earth

40. DIATOMS

41. PHYLUM EUGLENOPHYCOPHYTA
 Unicellular and motile by means of flagella
 Chl a & b present
 1000 species of Euglenoids
 Have both plantlike and animal-like
characteristics
 Euglena cell with contractile vacoules and fibrils
 Carry out photosynthesis in chloroplast and is facultatively
autotrophic
 Reproduction by longitudinal binary fission
 Dormant cysts are formed

42. EUGLENA

43. PHYLUM CHLOROPHYCOPHYTA
 Green algae
 7000 diverse species
 green algae contain one chloroplast per cell which contain
pyrenoids
 Both green algae and land plants have chlorophyll a and b as
well as carotenoids and store food as starch
 Both have walls made of cellulose
 Reproduction by asexual methods or
isogamous and heterogamous sexual means

45. PHYLUM CRYPTOPHYCOPHYTA
 Cryptomonads are biflagellate organisms
 Cells are slipper shaped and flattened occur
singly
 Some with cellulose wall others naked
 There are 1 or 2 plastids with or without
pyrenoids
 Reproduction by longitudinal cell division or by
zoospores or cysts

46. CRYPTOMONAS

47. DIANO FLAGELLATES

48.  Food for humans
 Food for invertebrates and fishes in mariculture
 Animal feed
 Soil fertilizers and conditioners in agriculture
 Treatment of waste water
 Diatomaceous earth (= diatoms)
 Chalk deposits
 Phycocolloids (agar, carrageenan from red algae;
alginates from brown algae)
 Drugs
 Model system for research
 Phycobiliproteins for fluorescence microscopy
Beneficial Aspects of Algae

49. ROLE OF ALGAE TO DETECT
ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION
 Indicator of pollution - algae blooms can occur
when too much nitrogen and phosphorus enter a
waterway.
 Algae are ideally suited for water quality
assessment because they have rapid
reproduction rates and very short life cycles,
making them valuable indicators of short-term
impacts.

50.  Algae can be used to treat both municipal and
industrial wastewater.
 Algae play a major role in aerobic treatment of
waste in the secondary treatment process.
 Algae - based municipal wastewater treatment
systems are mainly used for nutrient removal
(removal of nitrogen and phosphorous).
 Algae have the ability to accumulate the heavy
metals and thereby remove toxic compounds from
the wastewater. In some cases, algae also play a
role in the removal of pathogens in the tertiary
treatment stage.
ALGAE USAGE IN SEWAGE
TREATING PLANTS

51. ALGAE IN FILTER PLANTS
 An algae scrubber filters water by moving water
rapidly over a rough, highly illuminated surface,
which causes algae to start growing in large
amounts.
 As the algae grow, they consume nutrients such as
inorganic nitrate,
inorganic phosphate, nitrite, ammonia,
and ammonium from the water.

52. ALGAEROLEIN TREATING HEALTH PROBLEMS
 Ulva Can be used to treat goiter; reduce fever,
ease pain, induce urination
 Codium Can be used to treat urinary diseases,
treat edema,
 SargassumCan be used to treat cervical
lymphadenitis, edema;
 Porphyra Can be used to treat goiter, bronchitis,
tonsillitis and cough
 Gelidium Laxative; can be used to treat tracheitis,
gastric diseases and hemorrhoids; can be used to
extract agarinishes inflammation; reduces fever;

53. HARMFUL EFFECTS OF ALGAE
 Several species are parasitic on higher plants
 Green algae cephaleuros attacks leaves of
tea,coffee,pepper causing considerable damage
 Some algae live in the roots and fleshy parts of higher
plants but not harmed
 Acrylicacid is produced by a unicellular algae in plankton
act as extracellular inhibitors its shown by chemical
analysis
 Some planktonic algae produce toxins which are lethal
to fish and other animals these toxins are extracellular
liberated from algae by bacterial decomposition of algal
blooms