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Algae
Nancy Savage
Different Kinds of Algae
 Algae is grouped into six phyla
 Three of the phyla are unicellular species:
 Euglenoids
 Diatoms
 Dinoflagellates
 The other three phyla are multicellular species:
 Green algae
 Red algae
 Brown algae
 Most algae are multicellular
Euglenoid
Euglenoids
 Euglenoids are aquatic protists that have both plant-like and
animal-like characteristics
 Plant-like: Euglenoids have chlorophyll and they perform
photosynthesis.
 Animal-like: When sunlight is unavailable euglenoids can also
produce energy by phagocytosis and diffusion.
 Euglenoids are usually found in freshwater that is rich in minerals
with a few marine members.
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Diatom
Diatoms
 Diatoms are photosynthetic organisms and their shells are made
of silica.
 Diatoms contain chlorophyll and carotenoids, which give them a
golden-yellow color.
 Fish that eat diatoms often have an oily taste because the food
diatoms store are oils, not starches.
 Diatoms reproduce asexually, each generation’s offspring smaller
than the next.
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Dinoflagellate
Dinoflagellates
 Dinoflagellata contain chlorophyll, carotenoids, and red
pigments.
 Few dinoflagellates live in freshwater, but most are marine.
 Some dinoflagellates produce toxins, that have even caused fish
kills.
 One toxic species, Gonyaulax catanella, has such a strong toxin that
makes the ocean a reddish color, called the red tide. This red tide
can make people ill, and certain fish products are banned during the
season of the red tide.
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Green Algae
Green
 Green Algae is the most diverse algae, having over 7000
species.
 The major pigment in green algae is chlorophyll, but some
have yellow pigments that give them a yellow-green color.
 Most green algae live in freshwater, but some live in oceans,
moist soil, on tree trunks, snow, even in the fur of sloths.
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Red Algae
Red
 Red algae mostly grows in oceans: tropical waters, or along
rocky coasts in cold water.
 Red algae lacks roots, stems, and leaves, so it uses holdfasts to
attach to rocks.
 Along with chlorophyll, red algae contains photosynthetic
pigments call phycobilins.
 The phycobilins absorb green, violet, and blue light, which is the
only light in water depths of 100 m. Therefore, red algae can live in
deep waters where other algae cannot.
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Brown Algae
Brown
 Almost all brown algae species live in salt water along rocky
coasts in cool areas of the world.
 Brown algae contains chlorphyll, but what gives it the brown
color is a yellow-brown carotenoid called fucoxanthin.
 The largest and most complex species of brown algae is kelp.
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