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Lecture 2 the Algae 2025

Algae are simple, photosynthetic organisms that play a crucial role in plant evolution and can be found in various aquatic environments. They reproduce both sexually and asexually, with diverse forms including unicells, filamentous, and colonial structures. Algae are significant primary producers, contribute to nitrogen fixation, and have various applications in food, fertilizers, and other industries.

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27 views29 pages

Lecture 2 the Algae 2025

Algae are simple, photosynthetic organisms that play a crucial role in plant evolution and can be found in various aquatic environments. They reproduce both sexually and asexually, with diverse forms including unicells, filamentous, and colonial structures. Algae are significant primary producers, contribute to nitrogen fixation, and have various applications in food, fertilizers, and other industries.

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laonepatiencetebele
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lecture 2

Algae refer to:


 a wide range of simple oxygen-
producing photosynthetic organisms

 some prokaryotic and eukaryotic


forms
 They are important in plant evolution
 Body is not specialized into root, stem & leaves
◦ Photosynthesis occurs in the body called thallus
◦ Attachment by rhizoids (root-like structures)
 Do not form embryos
◦ Gametes fuse in open waters
◦ Zygote develops into new plant without embryo
stage
 Reproductive structures not protected
◦ Gametes produced within a single cell,
◦ not protected by sterile envelope/cover as in
plants
 Mostly aquatic (watery) environments
◦ marine- salt water
◦ freshwater
◦ floating- planktonic (have floating
structures) or
◦ attached to objects- benthic

 Some are terrestrial (wet soils)


 Have mechanisms to survive drying
 e.g. the microscopic Oscillatoria sp.
Oscillatoria sp.
 Algae occur in different forms:
 Some unicells- single cells with/ without
flagella
 Some filamentous- cells forming chains
 Some colonial- several cells attached together
Coenobium- fixed number of cells in a colony
 Siphonaceous- (coenocytic)
tubular structures, with many nuclei
not divided into cells
 Parenchymatous- body made up of cells like
higher plants; large (macro) algae
The Coenobium Volvox aurens

500 to 20,000
individual cells.
 Both sexual and asexual reproduction
 Asexual:
 Fragmentation- breaking away from parent plant
 Formation of spores- dispersal structure

 Sexual- fusion of gametes


 a)Isogamy- fusion of equal size, motile
gametes
 b)Anisogamy- gametes unequal, small
male & large female, both motile
 c)Oogamy- small, motile male gamete fuse
with large, stationary female gamete
 1) Blue-green algae (Cyanophyta
or Cyanobacteria)
 2) Green algae- Chlorophyta
 3) Diatoms
 4) Euglenoids
 5)Brown algae
 6)Red algae
 Classified according to the dominant pigment they have
 1) Blue-green algae (Cyanophyta or
Cyanobacteria)
 Oldest group
 Earliest oxygen -producing, photosynthetic organisms
 Prokaryotic as in bacteria- no organelles
 No chloroplasts
 Chlorophyll ‘a’ and blue pigments called phycocyanin
hence the name blue-green algae
 Cell wall similar to bacteria- murein wall
 Asexual reproduction by mitosis or fragmentation
 No sexual reproduction known
 Body form:
 Unicells or colonies
 Filamentous- cells in filaments surrounded
by a gelatinous sheath
◦ Cells in filament may be differentiated into
◦ vegetative cells- photosynthetic
◦ akinetes (spore)- reproduction
◦ heterocysts - nitrogen fixing
◦ eg Anabaena, Nostoc
◦ Many are important in nitrogen fixation
like some bacteria
heterocytes

akinetes
 They are important in the evolution of
living organisms-first to produce
Oxygen; make atmosphere aerobic
 Also in endosymbiosis theory
 Origin of chloroplasts and eukaryotic
cell
 Many blue greens that are harmful
form blooms in water
 May kill livestock, fish and humans
 Largest, most common and diverse group
especially in freshwaters
 Found everywhere in Botswana
 Unicells, filamentous, colonial & parenchymatous
 Chlorophyll a & b and carotenoids (accessory
pigments)
 Cell wall mainly cellulose
 Store starch as their food product
 Note: Chlorophylls, cellulose and starch also found
in plants
 Show both asexual and sexual reproduction
 Life cycles show alternation of generations (like
plants)
 a)Diatoms
◦ Silica cell wall (sand cell wall)
◦ Form a glasshouse shell/cover
◦ Most beautiful algae

 b)Euglenoids
◦ Unicelluar with flagella
◦ Soft cell covering, euglenoid
movement
 c)Brownalgae- have chl. a & c and
brown pigments

 d)Red
algae- chl. a and d and red
pigments

 Brownand red algae mostly


marine known as macroalgae or
‘seaweeds’ , produce very useful
cpds
 1.Primary producers**- contribute 50-60% of
primary production on earth especially in
aquatic environments (feed fish etc)
 2.Some are nitrogen fixers (blue-greens)
 3.Some are toxic
◦ Form algal blooms or water blooms or ‘red tides’
in nutrient –rich waters
◦ Some of these are poisonous to humans,
livestock and aquatic organisms

 4.Some used as food or fertilizers- (green,


red/brown)
 5.Useful cpds are extracted from brown and
red algae e.g. auxins, gibberelins, vitamins,
proteins, fibre
 6.Agar & carageenans
◦ used as thickening agents
◦ in foods, cosmetics,
◦ ice creams, lotions, creams, microbiological media
 7.Diatomaceous earth- remains of dead
diatoms
 have many uses:
◦ water filters,
◦ beer filtration,
◦ reflective road signs,
◦ abrasives in tooth pastes,
◦ cleaning and polishing materials.
 Where did land plants come from?
 The Green Algae (Charales) are thought to be
ancestors of land plants
 Plants evolved from members of the green algae
 Green algae and land plants are closely related!
 Share some features
 How are they closely related? What evidence is
there?
 1) Biochemical evidence:
 Food reserves- starch similar to plants
 Cell wall composition- cellulose similar to plants
 Photosynthetic pigments- chlorophyll a & b similar
to plants
 Production of oxygen during photosynthesis
 2) Molecular evidence:
 rRNA & DNA sequence in some green algal groups similar to
plants
 Peroxisome contents- break down toxic substances
 Similar mechanisms of mitosis and cytokinesis
 3) Structural evidence:
 Presence of plasmodesmata in cells
 Retention of eggs and protection of young sporophytes
 Chloroplast structure- grana

 Branch and grow from the tip- (like plants)

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