 contain
chlorophyll and carry out
photosynthesis
 commonly called algae
 four phyla: euglenophytes,
chrysophytes, diatoms,
dinoflagellates
 accessory pigments help absorb
light, give algae a variety of colors


Euglena
live in water
have 2 flagella for movement
use chlorplasts for photosynthesis, but can
turn into heterotrophs if they are kept in
the dark
has an eyespot used for sensing light and
dark
pellicle - like a cell wall, helps maintain
their shapes
Euglena algal bloom
 Cell
walls made of pectin, not
cellulose
 Food stored as oil, not starch
 Some are colonial
 Diatoms
produce thin cell walls of silicon,
main component of glass
 Their cell walls are made of
silicon; they are glasslike
 Used as abrasives
 Ex. ___________
 Dinoflagellates
Often have two flagella
luminescent
 ½ are photosynthetic
 Biolumenescent
 Cause red tides

Red Tide is caused by a "population
explosion" of toxic, naturally occurring
microscopic plankton (specifically, a
subgroup known as dinoflagellates). "Blooms"
of the poison-producing plankton are coastal
phenomena caused by environmental
conditions, which promote explosive growth.
Factors that are especially favorable include
warm surface temperatures, high nutrient
content, low salinity, and calm seas. Rain
followed by sunny weather in the summer
months is often associated with red tide
blooms.




Alexandrium fundyense, along the Atlantic
Northeast coast, ranging from the Canadian
Maritimes to Southern New England;
Alexandrium catenella, on the Pacific West
Coast from California to Alaska; and
Karonia brevis, in the Gulf of Mexico along
the West Florida coast.
Does it really color the water?
Yes, water in coastal areas can be colored
red by the algae, thus the term "red tide.”
Penn Cove, Washington

Red tide algae make potent natural toxins. It is
unknown why these toxins are created, but some
can be hazardous to larger organisms throught
the processes of biomagnification and
bioaccumulation. Grazers such as fish and krill
are unaffected by the toxins, so as they eat the
algae the toxins are concentrated and
accumulate to a level that is poisonous eat to
organisms that feed on them. Large fish kills and
several mammalian diseases and deaths have
been attributed to consumption of shellfish
during red tide algal blooms. Diseases that may
affect humans include:

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP )- PSP toxins
disrupt nerve function and cause paralysis.
Extreme cases may result in death by
asphyxiation by respiratory paralysis. It
usually comes from shellfisht.

Pigments- all contain chlorophyll a as
well as the following accessory
pigments.
◦ Red- phycobilins
◦ Brown- Fucoxanthin
◦ Green- Chlorophyll a and b
 Live
at great depths due to
pigments that need little light
 Most are multicellula
 Provide nutrients to coral reefs
 All
are multicellular
 Large and complex
 Mostly marine
The Sargasso Sea 1100 km x
750 km
Image from space
Ancestors of green plants
 No fossils
 Some are single-celled; some colonial;
some multicellular
 Many multicellular are filamentous,
such as spirogyra
 Reproduction is similar to mosses by
Alternation of Generations.

 Switching
back and forth between
haploid (n) gametophyte, which
makes gametes (sex cells) and
diploid (2n) sporophyte, which
makes spores.
 Unusual in that the gametophyte
is actually an organism that is
visible and can live on its own.
 Write
down 3 human uses
of algae and 1 non-human.
 Slime
molds-important
decomposers
◦ Phylum AcrasiomycotaCellular
slime molds-. They are
amoeboid and make fruiting
bodies.
 Phylum
Myxomcota- they also
start out amoeboid but then
aggregate to form plasmodia.
 They can grow to be several
meters long.
 Use
your book to research this.
 Decomposers
 Plant
diseases including some
major blights.
 P. infestans may be responsible
for many of you being in the U.S.
Explain this and then discuss it
with your neighbor.