Classification of Algae

Characters Chlorophyceae Phaeophyceae Rhodophyceae Habitat Aquatic, fresh Water, marine, moist terrestrial Marine but few fresh water Marine, but few fresh water Pigment Chlorophyll-a, Chlorophyll- b, beta carotene, xanthopyll Chlorophyll-a, Chlorophyll- c, carotenoids. Fucoxanthin r-phycoerythrin, phycocyanin Reserve food Starch Mannitol, Lipid and laminarin Floridean starch and fluoridoside Structure Unicellular, colonial, filamentous Multi-cellular Unicellular to multi-cellular filamentous Flagella Equal flagella Unequal flagella Absent Reproduction Asexual, vegetative by spores Sexual reproduction - isogatmy, anisogamy, oogamy Asexual reproduction by motile and non motile spores; Sexual reproduction isogamy, anisogamy. Oogamy Asexual reproduction by spores, sexual reproduction by specialized sex organs Examples Spirogyra, Chalmydomonas, Hydrodictyon Sargassum Batrachospermum Characters Bacillariophyceae Cyanophyceae Habitat Aquatic and moist terrestrial Freshwater Pigment Chlorophyll-a, Chlorophyll- c, carotenoids. fucoxanthin r-phycoerythrin,     c-phycocyanin Reserve food Oils and leucosin Cyanophycean starch Structure Unicellular Unicellular, colonial, filamentous Flagella Absent Absent Reproduction Asexual reproduction by binary fission Asexual by binary fission, fragmentation Examples Cyclotella Nostoc, Anabaena