1. Phycology: The Study of Algae

2. Some restricted to marine environment (reds and browns), some to freshwater
Characterized by morphology, biochemistry, pigments, reproductive methods, food reserves

3. Photosynthetic Pigments
Chlorophylls
Chlorophyll -found in all algae and macrophytes; the primary pigment
Absorbance spectrum nm and 430 nm
Chlorophyll -only in chlorophyta, euglenophyta and charophyta;
Absorbs about 435 nm and 645 nm
Chlorophyll c- accessory pigment
Absorbs , , and nm.

5. Accessory Pigments Carotenes- and  are most common
Xanthophylls-derivatives of carotenes
E.g., lutein, diatoxanthin, myxoxanthin, peridinin
Biliproteins-almost exclusively in cyanophyta
E.g., phycocyanin, phycoerethryin

6. Cyanophyta (Blue-green algae)
are prokaryotic bacteria; date to 3.5 BYA
~55% are blue-green
~15% are never blue-green; others may be green, olive, red, purple, black, or colorless
Store food as glycogen (iodine negative)
Never flagellate, but some can move (oscillate or glide)
Reproduction
Sexual-not known
Vegetative-binary fission; fragmentation
Asexual
Akinete-germinates directly
Heterocyst-may divide either directly to a trichome or to endospores which ‘germinate’ to a trichome
Presence of pseudovacuoles; gas-filled; affect buoyancy; may shade other species

7. Cyanophytes (continued)
Nutrition:
Mostly autotrophic, some saprophytic
40 different kinds are N-fixers; all of these have heterocysts; do well in N-poor environments
Aphanizomenon Anabaena Nostoc

8. Coloration of flamingoes and shrimp
Distribution-highly successful; terrestrial, aquatic, marine, epiphytic, on walls, soils, parasitic, planktonic; some can live at 80oC.
Economic importance
Rice paddy nitrogen fixation
Nostoc balls
Odors and flavors-musty, moldy
Allergies
Coloration of flamingoes and shrimp

9. Merismopedia
Nostoc balls
Oscillatoria
Spirulina

11. Microcystis
Rivularia
Lyngbia
Scytonema false branching

13. Diatoms

15. Centrales: centric diatoms
Radial symmetry
Striae composed of linear punctae
May be single-celled like Cyclotella (above) or colonial: in filaments or like Tabellaria (above)

16. Pennales: pennate diatoms

17. Pennales Bilateral symmetry
Many groups possess a raphe-these are motile; some have a pseudoraphe
Generalization: pennate diatoms are more common in eutrophic waters, centrics in oligotrophic waters;

18. Green Algae: Chlorophytes

21. Rhodophyta: Red Algae Eukaryotic
Pigments: chlorophyll a & b, phycoerythrin
Food storage: iodine negative starch
Cellulose cell walls
No flagellated cells
Many marine species often used as thickeners due to their highly mucilaginous nature: agar, carageenans

22. Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus)

23. Porphyra (Nori)

24. Dulse (Palmaria palmata)

25. Predominantly marine group
Few FW representatives, especially locally
Not necessarily ‘red’ in appearance
Complex life cycles

26. Batrachospermum

27. Characteristic of cool, clear streams
Bangia atropurpurea
Characteristic of cool, clear streams

28. Dinoflagellates

29. Dinoflagellates Photosynthetic, unicellular with flagella
Live in aquatic environments
Some are luminescent
Do not appear to be directly related to any other phylum
“Red tide” are “blooms” – fish, birds, and marine mammals may die from toxins
DNA not complexed with histones

30. General Structure

31. General Characteristics
Most are solitary
Most have two flagella of unequal length
Cellulose cell wall of plates; or naked
Ceratium-blooms color water brown, have fish/septic odor

32. Ceratium

33. Red Tide

34. Red Tide
In marine ecosystems, can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP)
Gonyaulax tamarensis

35. Noctiluca, sea sparkle
Pfisteria

36. Brown algae Not plants Conspicuous seaweeds of northern regions
Life cycle involves alternation of generations
Sporophyte – multicellular and diploid
Gametophyte – multicellular and haploid
Not plants

38. Chlorophyta: Green Algae

39. Cladophora
Branching filaments; often forms mats

40. Chloroplasts often distinctive to the genus
Spirogyra-spirals
Mougeotia-plates; can orient
Ulothrix-’apple core’
Zygnema-stellate

41. Flagellated forms
Chlamydomonas
Eudorina
Pandorina
Volvox

42. Euglena

44. Chrysophyta: Golden Browns
Eukaryotic
Pigments: chlorophyll a & b, carotenoids, fucoxanthin
Food storage: chrysolaminarin, oils
Cell wall: cellulose
One or two flagella may be present

45. Cluster of biflagellate cells
Golden brown (not green like similar looking green algae)
No division of labor between cells

46. Vaucheria

47. Dinobryon Constructs a cellulose lorica
Diploid zygote can act as resting stage that can last for years
Locally common

48. Factors affecting algal growth
Remember: they are plants!
Amount of sunlight received: turbidity & water clarity
require nutrients (fertilizers) P and N
water temperature; some are seasonal; heat and chemistry
sinking or flushing
grazing
competition from other plants for limited materials

49. Problems from Algae Aesthetics: who wants a scum-covered pond?
Reduces water clarity
Taste and odor: from fish to pigsty
Mats clog propellers and cost you lures!
Swimming: aesthetics and safety
Can form rotting masses:
odor and oxygen problems

50. Monitoring Algae Note water color: Brown: diatoms
Bluish green: blue-greens e.g., Microcystis or Oscillatoria
Bright green: Euglena-types, Volvox

51. Monitoring Algae (cont.)
Note water clarity:
Microscopic ‘cut grass’ --->Aphanizomenon

52. Remember . . . some algae is desirable!
Types:
Single-celled/phytoplankton
diatoms, greens, blue-greens
Colonial/phytoplankton
Euglena, Volvox
Filamentous
Spirogyra, Oscillatoria