Algae

Structure

• Lack tissue differentiation

• Algae form gametes in single-celled gamete chambers called gametangia
• Have chlorophyll A
• pyrenoids: structures associated with algal chloroplasts that synthesize and store starch

1. Unicellular Algae
o Consist of single cell
o Most free-living aquatic organisms; together known as phytoplankton
o Phytoplankton form the base of nearly all marine & fresh water food chains
2. Colonial Algae
o Consist of groups of individual cells acting in a coordinated manner
o Some cells can become specialized  division of labour
3. Filamentous Algae
o Multicellular, slender, rod-shaped, composed of cells joined end to end
o some have structures that anchor it to the ocean bottom
4. Multicellular Algae
o Usually large & complex and often appear plant-like; known as seaweeds/kelp
o Stem-like portion of a seaweed called a thallus

Classification

Phylum Chlorophyta – Green Algae

• Single cells and colonies
• Filamentous and multicellular forms
• Characteristics shared with plants:
o Chlorophyll A & B
o Carotenoids: accessory pigments that capture light energy and transfer it to
chlorophyll A
o Store food as starch
o Cell walls made up of cellulose
• Most species aquatic
• Some symbiotic partners with invertebrates such as corals

Phylum Phaeophyta – Brown Algae

• Contain chlorophyll A & C
• Contain flucoxanthin: accessory pigment that gives brown colour
• Store food as laminarin:
• laminarin carbohydrate whose glucose units are linked differently than those of starch
• mostly marine
Phylum Rhodophyta – Red Algae
• Contain chlorophyll A & C
• Contain accessory pigments called phycabilias
• Phycabilias allow red algae to live at depths uninhabitable by other algae
• Sometimes cell wall has carrageenan: sticky protein used for gelatine capsules & cheese

Phylum Chrysophyta – Golden-Brown Algae

• Live in fresh water; some in marine habitats
• Form cysts in winter
• 2 flagella
• Have carotenoids
• Have chlorophyll A & C
• Store energy as oil & aid in formation of petroleum deposits

Phylum Bacillariophyta – Diatoms

• Made of silicon dioxide (glass-like shell)
• Consists of 2 half shells called valves
• 2 main shapes
o Centric Diatoms: circular or triangular; marine
o Pennate Diatoms: rectangular; fresh water
• Major producers of oxygen
• Shells do not decompose upon death but become diatomaceous earth

Phylum Dinoflagellates (Prophyta – Fire Algae)

• Unicellular
• 2 flagella aligned perpendicular to each other
• Cell walls made of cellulose plates
• Most photosynthetic; some heterotrophic
• Contain carotenoids
• Chlorophyll A & C
• Genus Noctiluca is bioluminescent
• Red tide: forms toxins which reside in shell fish; consumes oxygen in water & kills
marine life; blocks sunlight from marine photosynthetic organisms

Phylum Euglenophyta – True Eye Algae

• Unicellular
• Lack cell walls
• Highly motile
• Fresh water and soil
• Contain carotenoids
• Elastic pellicle
• Eyespot
• Has contractile vacuoles
• Euglena raised in the dark end up becoming heterotrophic
Reproduction

1. Chlamydomonas (Phylum Chlorophyta)

o Asexual
 Haploid cell divides through mitosis several times to produce 2-8
daughter zoospores; they develop inside the parent and hatch when
mature
o Sexual
 Haploid cells undergo mitosis to form + or – gametes
 + or – gametes show physically similar but biochemically different
 Gametes fuse together and form a diploid zygote that has a zygospore
(protective cell wall) which protects against harsh conditions & come out
when ready; zygospore divides by meiosis to form haploid cells
2. Diatoms
o Asexual
 Diatoms have 2 half shells
 Shells will split in half and each will grow the missing half
o Sexual
 Undergo meiosis to form + and – gametes
 Gametes fuse to form 2n zygote
3. Spyrogyra (Phylum Chlorophyta)
o Conjugation tube forms between filaments
o + gamete moves across to fuse with – gamete
o Forms a zygote with thick walls
o Zygote falls off the filament called a resting spore which grows into new filament
4. Oedogonium
o Filamentous
o Male gametangia: antheridium; female gametangia: oogonium
o Flagellated sperm swims in the water & enters a small hole in the oogonium
o Fuses to form a zygote which has a thick wall – called resting spore
o Resting spore undergoes meiosis to form 4 new haploid zoospores that are
released and land to become new filaments
5. Ulva (Phylum Chlorophyta)
o multicellular
o Gametophyte: haploid gametes
o Sporophyte: diploid gametes
o 2 cycles of multicellular divisions
1. Stage 1
 Sporophyte produce reproductive cells called sporangia
 Sporangia go through meiosis to form haploid zoospores
  Zoospores undergo mitosis to form motile spores
 Spores land to grow into gametophytes
2. Stage 2
 Gametophyte produces + and – gametes
 Gametes will fuse to produce a haploid zygote
 Zygote lands to form a sporophyte