Marine Phyla Pages -- Coastal Carolina University 

CHLOROPHYTA

Macroalgae

   Chlorophyta

   Phaeophyta

   Rhodophyta

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Main

CHLOROPHYTA- GREEN ALGAE

http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/BOT201/Algae/Bot 201 Chlorophytes page.gif

 Physiological Characteristics¹

Green color from Chlorophyll a and b in the same proportions as the 'higher' plants; beta-carotene; various xanthophylls. Food reserves starch, some fats or oils like higher plants.

http://seaweed.ucg.ie/defaultthursday.html

Morphology¹

May be unicellular, multicellular, colonial or coenocytic (composed of one large cell without cross-walls that may be uninucleate or multinucleate). Have membrane-bound chloroplasts and nuclei. Most species are aquatic and are found in both freshwater or marine habitats; some are terrestrial, growing on soil, trees, or rocks. Some are symbiotic with fungi giving lichens. Some are symbiotic with animals, e.g. Hydra has a symbiotic species of Chlorella.

http://seaweed.ucg.ie/defaultthursday.html

Reproduction¹

Asexual reproduction may be by fission (splitting), fragmentation or by zoospores (motile spores). Sexual reproduction is very common and may be isogamous (gametes both motile and same size); anisogamous (both motile and different sizes - female bigger) or oogamous (female non-motile and egg-like; male motile). May have an alternation of haploid and diploid phases. The haploid phases form gametangia (sexual reproductive organs) and the diploid phases form zoospores by reduction division (meiosis). Some do not have an alternation of generations, meiosis occurring in the zygote. There are about 7,000 species of green algae, about 800 of which are marine.

Links

1. http://seaweed.ucg.ie/defaultthursday.html

2. http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/BOT201/Algae/Bot 201 Chlorophytes page.gif