General Characters,: Range of Thallus Organization Economic Importance
General Characters,: Range of Thallus Organization Economic Importance
General Characters,: Range of Thallus Organization Economic Importance
ALGAE: AN INTRODUCTION
General Characters, Range of Thallus
Organization, Reproduction, Classification,
Morphology and Life Cycle of some Genera &
Economic Importance
INTRODUCTION (father of algology :F.E. Fritsch)
The general term "algae" includes prokaryotic organisms — cyanobacteria, also
known as blue-green algae — as well as eukaryotic organisms (all other algal
species).
Algae are diverse group of relatively simple, chlorophyll containing, photo-
autotrophic and oxygen evolving aquatic thalloid (without differentiation into
true roots, stems, leaves or leaf like organs) organisms.
The word algae has its origin from Latin, where alga means seaweed.
The term algae was first used by Carolous Linnaeus in 1753.
Most of them are photo-autotrophic but few are mixotrophic and myzotrophic
( sucking through special feeding structure)
Study of algae is known as phycology (GK. Phykos- seaweed; logos= discourse
or study) or algology.
Professor M.O.P. Iyenger, (Mandayam Osuri Parthasarthy Iyengar) is regarded
as the father of Indian Algology of Phycology.
He discovered the terrestrial alga Fritschiella tuberosa.
ECOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION
Algae are mostly aquatic but they are present almost every available ecological
habitat on this earth.
They are thus ubiquitous in their distribution.
On the basis of their habitat they are:
1. Aquatic Algae
2. Terrestrial Algae
3. Parasitic algae
4. Symbiotic Algae
5. Algae with some special habitats
AQUATIC ALGAE: most of algae are aquatic found in fresh water ( lakes, ponds,
rivers, ditches, tanks, streams, etc.) or sea (marine environment).
Bottom dwelling organism are called benthophytes (benthic algae or benthos) or
may be present on the surface of water bodies are called Phytoplanktons.
Phytoplanktonic algae are called euplankton ( Chlamydomonas,
Cosmarium, Scenedesmus) if they are free floating from the beginning or
as tychoplankton (Cladophora, Oedogonium, Zygnema) if attached in the
beginning but later got detached and became free floating.
Sometimes planktonic algae show extensive growth in the water bodies
and impart greenish colour to water. This is known as water bloom or
algal bloom e.g. Chlamydomonas, Chlorella, Scenedesmus, Microcystis etc.
Fresh water forms such as Volvox, Hydrodictyon, Chlamydomonas etc
grow in stagnant water while Cladophora, Oedogonium, Ulothrix etc.
prefer to grow in slow running water. Algae grow in running water is called
lotic algae while in stagnant water is known as lentic alage.
Some of marine algae are known as Kelps, may reach up to more than
70m (Macrocystis pyrifera) in length.
FRESH WATER PLANKTONIC ALGAE: Chlorella, Chlamydomonas, Scenedemus, Volvox,
Eudorina, Microcystis, Oscillatoria.
FRESH WATER BENTHIC ALGAE: Chara, Cladophora ( Chlorophyceae) Bodanella,
Pleurocladia (Phaeophyceae) Batrachspermum (Rhodophyceae).
MARINE PLANKTONIC: Chlamydomonas, Cyclotella, Trichodesmium,
MARINE BENTHIC ALGAE :Acetabularia, Caulerpa, Ulva (Chlorophyceae) Ectocarpus,
Fucus, Laminaria, Sargassum (Phaeophyceae) Chondrus, Gelidium , Polysiphonia
Porphyra ( Rhodophyceae).
TERRESTRIAL ALGAE OR EDAPHOPHYTES
Algae which grow on or inside the moist soik are known as terrestrial algae, e.g.
Vaucheria, Botrydium, Oedogonium, Fritschiella etc. grows on the soil surface are
known as saphophytes
A few spp. Anabaena and Nostoc (BGA) grow inside the soil surface and are known as
cryptophytes.
PARASITIC ALGAE: Algae which grow on some plants and cause plant diseases. E.g.
Cephaleuros virescence parasite on tea leaves and causes red rust disease in them.
Harveyella mirabilis are obligate parasite and lack pigmentation.
Rhodochytrium, Phyllosiphon, etc are other examples of parasitic algae.
Polysiophonia lanosa is a semi parasite on brown alga Ascophyllum.
SYMBIOTIC ALGAE
Show association with different groups
ALGAE: Rhizosolenia forms association with green algae Calothrix sp.
FUNGI: Many green algae and BGA live in symbiotic with fungi and form new group lichens.
Green algae Trebouxia is the most common photobiont ( previously known as phycobiont) in
lichen. Other green algae are Cocomyxa, Trentipohlia etc.
BGA are Nostoc, Scytonema, Stigonema, Gloecapsa etc.
BRYOPHYTES: Nostoc lives in the mucilage filled chambers of Anthoceros and Notothyllus
(Hornworts) thalli.
PTERIDOPHYTES: Anabaena inhabits leaves of water fern Azolla. The latter is used as a bio
fertilizer in paddy fields
GYMNOSPERMS: Nostoc and Anabaena live in symbiotic association in the coralloid roots of
Cycas.
ANGIOSPERMS: Nostoc inhabits papillose outgrowth of Gunnera near the base of their leaves.
SPECIAL HABITATS
1)THERMAL ALGAE (THERMOPHYTES): They grow in hot water springs at a temperature range of 65-850C,
where ordinary plant life is not possible. Only BGA like Mastigocladus ,Phormidium and Oscillatoria brevis etc.
2)CRYOPHYTES : such algae grow in polar regions on ice and snow. E.g. Chalamydomonas sp. and Scottiella sp.
among green algae and Nostoc among BGA algae. Haematococcus nivalis causes red snow ball in alpine region.
Anclyclonema nordenskioldii impart brown colour.
3)EPIPHYTES: Algae growing on the surface of other plant parts are called epiphytes e.g. species of
Oedogonium, Ulothrix etc., other examples are Coleochaete nitellarum grows on Nitella and Chara. Some algae
, such as Trentepohlia, Rhodochytrium, grows on the surface of angiosperms leaves, called epiphyllophytes.
Some algae such as Pleurococcus sp. grow on barks called epiphloeophytes.
4)ENDOPHYTIC ALGAE: Some algae grows within the tissue of other plants, e.g. Nostoc grows inside thalli of
Anthoceros.
5)EPIZOIC ALGAE OR EPIZOOPHYTES :which grown on the surface of other animals, e.g. Cladophora on snails,
Cyanoderma (red algae) and Trichophilus (Green algae) on the scales or outer hairs of Sloth.
6)ENDOZOIC ALAGE OR ENDOZOOPHYTE: Algae growing inside animals, e.g. Chlorella within the tissue of
Hydra and sponges
7)LITHOPHILIC ALGAE: Which grows on rocks e.g. Polysiphonia, Ectocarpus etc.
8) OTHER ALGAE some algae like Dunaliella, Chlamydomonas chrenbergii grows in water with high salt
concentration (Halophilic algae). Fritchiella grows on acidic soil while Oscillatoria sp , Nostoc etc. grow on
alkaline soil.
RANGE OF THALLUS ORGANIZATION
Algae exhibits variety in their thallus organization and can be divided into the following broad
categories
1. Unicelllular Thallus
2. Colonial thallus
3. Siphonaceous thallus
4. Filamentous thallus
5. Parenchymatous thallus
UNICELLULAR FORMS
The plant body is made up of single cell. Which may be motile or non motile.
Unicellular form are absent in Charophyta and Phaeophyta)
i)MOTILE FORMS : show presence of flagella or due to presence of periplastic
nature.
a) FLAGELLATED MOTILE FORMS:
e.g. Chlamydomonas, Phacotus, Chlorochromonas.
b) PERIPLASTIC FORMS: etc.
They have soft cell wall and possesses fine
protoplasmic projections known as rhizopodia, which
helps in amoeboid movement e.g. Rhizochloris,
Chrysamoeba
1. VEGETATIVE REPRODUCTION
2. ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
3. SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
1. VEGETATIVE REPRODUCTION
It comprises the sequence of events from zygote of one generation to the
zygote of next generation.