BISC 1112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Red Algae, Charophyta, Gametangium
Document Summary
Land plants- evolved from a line of filamentous green algae that invaded land about 500 million years ago during the paleozoic era (first algae about 1. 5 billion years ago) Algae- informal term for aquatic photosynthetic organisms (not monophyletic) Red algae: contains chlorophyll, however, it isn"t seen because of the red pigment phycoerythrin- this pigment reflects red light and absorbs blue light. Absorbs blue light because blue light penetrates water to a greater depth than other wavelengths. This allows rad algae to photosynthesize and live in greater depths. Green algae- free floating or attached in marine and freshwater or in soils and ice (over. 7000 species: variation in green algae body form. Some are unicellular and from increasingly complex colonies (looks like circles within circles) Charophytes- water plants that grow completely submerged in the water of wetlands. Presence of charophytes indicated high water quality: charophytes and land plants share: Reproductive cells in gametangia- the protective layer of cells.
