Algal World: Diversity, Ecology & Impact

1. Phycology and Phycology LabCourse by Dr. Mohamed Jawad Al-HaidareyEcological Biogeochemistry / Phycology

2. Textbooks: Lectures, required reading: • Linda E Graham & Lee W Wilcox (2000) Algae , Prentice-Hall. • Marty Kelly & Richard Telford (2007) Common fresh water diatoms of Britain and Ireland. • Janet R stein (1975) Hand book of phcological methods, culture methods, and growth measurements. • السعدي، حسين علي و نضال ادريس سليمان (2007) علم الطحالب • مورس ، ايان (1979) مقدمة الطحالب • بغدادي ، وفاء (1985) الاشنات والطحالب البحرية

3. Attendance politics: Regular attendance of lectures and lab classes is expected. It is further expected that students show up in time. For both the lecture and the lab classes, the student who comes late most will have to bring doughnuts or some food for the next lecture  .

4. Phycology Syllabus · Cryptophytes · Prymensiophytes (Haptophytes) · Dinophytes (Dinoflagellates) · Introduction to the Ochrophytes · Diatoms · Raphidophytes and Chrysophyceans · Synurophyceans, silicoflagellates, pedinelids, tribophyceans · Phaeophytes (Brown algae) · Rhodophytes (Red algae) · Introduction to the Green algae · Prasinophyceans · Ulvophyceans · Trebouxiophyceans · Chlorophyceans · Charophyceans · Ecology of macroalgae and periphyton · Introduction to phycology · Basics of algal biology · Reproduction in algae · The role of algae in biogeochemistry · Algae in biological associations · The role of algae in aquatic food webs · Taxonomy and Systematics of Algae · Phytoplankton size in ecology · The physical environment: temperature, light, turbulence · Growth of phytoplankton · Losses of phytoplankton · Swimming and bouyancy · Cyanobacteria · The origin of eukaryotic algae · Euglenophytes

5. INTRODUCTION TO ALGAL CHARACTERISTICS AND DIVERSITY PHYCOLOGY=STUDY OF ALGAE Phycology is the science (gr. logos) of algae (gr. phycos). This discipline deals with the morphology, taxonomy, phylogeny, biology, and ecology of algae in all ecosystems

6. FOSSIL HISTORY OF ALGAE • 3.5 billion yrs ago • Cyanobacteria—first algae • Prokaryotes—lack membrane bound organelles • Later eukaryotes evolved—mitochondria, chloroplasts, and chromosomes containing DNA.

7. Where are algae abound? • Kelp  forest up to 50 m height are the marine equivalent to terrestrial forest; mainly built by brown algae. • Some algae encrust with carbonate, building reef-like structures; Cyanobacteria can from rock-like structures in warm tidal areas: stromatolites.

8. Where are algae abound? • Algae grow or are attached to animals and serve as camouflage for the animal • Algae live as symbionts in animals such as Hydra, corals, or the protozoan ciliate Paramecium; in corals they are referred to as zooxanthellae

9. Where are algae abound? • Small algae live on top of larger algae: epiphyton • Algae in free water: phytoplankton • Terrestrial algae • Algae have adapted to life on land and occur as cryptobiotic  crusts in desert and grassland soils or endocryptolithis algae in rocks 

10. Where are algae abound? • Algae live on the snow cover of glaciers and in the brine channels of sea ice. • A symbiosis of algae and fungi produced the lichens, which are pioneer plants, help convert rock into soil by excreting acids, stabilize desert soil, are sensitive to air pollution

11. Where are algae abound? • Algae can cover trees or buildings green or live in the hollow hairs of ice bears

12. Algal Blooms • Algae can be so dominant that they discolor the water  • Higher amounts of nutrients are usually the cause • Algal blooms can have harmful effects on life and ecosystem: • Reduced water clarity causes benthic communities to die off • Fish kills are common effects • 50% of algal blooms produce toxins harmful to other organisms, including humans • Algal blooms produce a shift in food web structure and species composition • Algal blooms can mostly be linked to sewage input or agricultural activities, leading to nutrient pollution: Eutrophication

14. Summery of the lecture one • We can find Algae in different Size (from some microns to more than 60 meters) • We can find Algae in different region (soil, water, animal , plants … etc) • Some of algae are prokaryotes and others are eukaryotes.

15. Summery of the lecture one • In the aquatic ecosystems we can find algae as : • Attachment: • Epipelic / on the clay • Epipzamic / on the sand • Epilithic / on the rocks. • Epiphytic / on the plants • Epizoic / on the animals • Endozoic / in the animals body • Endophytic / in the plants body • As Plankton: • Euphytoplankton / all the life cycle is plankton • Tychophytoplankton / some of the life cycle is plankton

16. Summery of the lecture one • According to environments we can subdivided Algae in to : • Halophyts: in region with high salinity. • Thermophyts: in region with high temperature. • Cryptophyts: in the region with low temperature. • In the trrastrial environments we can classified Algae in to : • Lithophyts • Epidaphics • Endodaphics • Casmolithics

17. Quiz: • Please, in short, Clarified: what is Phycology means? And where are algae abound? Don’t be Cheat If you did you are cheater

18. Lecture two:

19. ALGAE • How are algae similar to higher plants? • How are algae different from higher plants?

20. Similarities • Presence of cell wall—mostly cellulosic. • Autotrophs/Primary producers—carry out photosynthesis • Presence of chlorophyll a

21. Differences • Algae lack the roots, stems, leaves, and other structures typical of true plants. • Algae do not have vascular tissues—non vascular plants • Algae do not form embryos within protective coverings—all cells are fertile. • Variations in pigments. • Variations in cell structure—unicellular, colonial and multicellular forms.

22. PROKARYOTIC VS EUKARYOTIC ALGAE Prokaryotes ---No nuclear region and complex organelles—chloroplasts, mitochondria, golgi bodies, and endoplasmic reticula. -- Cyanobacteria. Chlorophylls are on internal membranes of flattened vesicles called thylakoids-contain photosynthetic pigments. Phycobiliproteins occur in granular structures called phycobilisomes. • Prokaryote algal cell Source: http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/webb/BOT311/Cyanobacteria/Cyanobacteria.htm

23. Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Algae • Eukaryotes ---Distinct chlorplast, nuclear region and complex organelles. --- Thylakoids are grouped into grana pyrenoids are centers of carbon dioxide fixation within the chloroplasts of algae and hornworts. Pyrenoids are not membrane-bound organelles, but specialized areas of the plastid that contain high levels of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase granum with a Stack of thylakoids pyrenoid

24. Forms of Algae • BODY OF AN ALGA=THALLUS • DIVERSITY IN MORPHOLOGY ----MICROSCOPIC Unicellular, Colonial and Filamentous forms. Source: http://images.google.com/images

25. Forms of Algae MACROALGAE

26. Forms of Algae MICRO ALGAE

27. Forms of Algae • Unicells: single cells, motile with flagellate (like Chlamydomonas and Euglena) or nonmotile (like Diatoms)

28. 2. Multicellular form: the vegetation forms are in six forms: • Colonies: • Assemblage of individual cells with variable or constant number of cells that remain constant throughout the colony life in mucilaginous matrix (containing an extracellular matrix made of a gelatinous glycoprotein), these colonies may be motile (like Volvox and Pandorina) or nonmotile (like Scendesmus and Pediastrum).

29. Coenobium: Colony with constant number of cells, which cannot survive alone; specific „tasks“ among groups of cells is common (is a colony containing a fixed number of cells, with little or no specialization)

30. b. Aggregations: is aggregation of cells that have ability to simple division (so, its colony but unconstant in form and size), the aggregations are in several types: • Palmelloid form: non-motile cells embedded in mucilage (like Tetraspora).

31. Dendroid form: resembling a tree in form or in pattern of growth (Dinobryon).

32. Amoeboid or Rhizopodial form such as Chlorarachnion.

33. c. Filaments: daughter cells remain attached after cell division and form a cell chain; adjacent cells share cell wall (distinguish them from linear colonies!); maybe unbranched (uniseriate such as Zygnema and Ulthrix) or branched (regular mutiseriate such as Cladophora or unregulermutiseriate such as Pithophora). Cladophora Pithophora

34. d. Coenocytic or siphonaceaousforms: one large, multinucleate cell without cross walls such as Vaucheria

35. e. Parenchymatous (such as Ulva ) and algae: mostly macro-scopic algae with tissue of undifferentiated cells and growth originating from a meristem with cell division in three dimensions

36. ; pseudoparenchymatous (such as Batrachospermum) pseudoparenchymatous superficially resemble parenchyma but are composed of apprised filaments

37. f. Erect thallus forms: Thallus, from LatinizedGreek (thallos), meaning a green shoot or twig, is an undifferentiated vegetative tissue (leaves, roots, and stems) of some non-mobile organisms such as Chara and Nitella. Chara

38. CELLULAR ORGANIZATION • Flagella=organs of locomotion. • Chloroplast=site of photosynthesis. Thylakoids are present in the chloroplast. The pigments are present in the thylakoids. • Pyrenoid-structure associated with chloroplast. Contains ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase, proteins and carbohydrates. • Eye-spot=part of chloroplast. Directs the cell towards light. Source: A Biology of the Algae By Philip Sze, third edition, WCB MCGraw-Hill

39. Variations in the pigment constitution • Chlorophylls (green) • Carotenoids (brown, yellow or red) • Phycobilins (red pigment-phycoerythrin blue pigment –phycocyanin)

40. Summery of lecture two: Forms of algae Multicellular Unicellular • Colonies • 2. Aggregations • Palmelloid (Tetraspora) • Dendroid (Dinobryon) • Amoeboid (Chlororachnion) • 3.Filaments • 4. Coenocytic / Vaucheria • 5.Parenkematus/ Ulva • 6. Psedoparenkematus/ Batrachospermum • 7. Erect thallus / Chara Non motile(Chlorella) Motile (Euglena)

41. Quiz of lecture two Don’t be Cheat If you did you are cheater What is Pyrinoid ?

42. Lecture Three

43. Growth in algae • Diffuse or generalized growth: (Ulva). • Localized growth: • Apical growth: (Chara, Cladophora). • Basal growth: (Bulbochaete). • Intercalary growth: (Laminaria, Oedogonium). • Trichothallic growth: (Ectocarpus)

44. Growth in algae Apical and intercalary Tricothallic

45. Reproduction in algae The reproduction of algae can be discussed under two types, namely, asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction. The former type refers to reproduction in which a new organism is generated from a single parent. In case of sexual type, two haploid sex cells are fused to form a diploid zygote that develops into an organism. Let's discuss in brief about the asexual and sexual reproduction in algae along with examples.

46. First: Asexual Reproduction includes: • 1. Vegetation reproduction: • In unicellular algae: simple cell division some time called binary fission (such as Gleocapsa). • In multicellular (colonies, filamentous, thallus, etc) by: • Fragmentation such as Microsystis. • Hormogonia: A small, motile filament, formed by some Cyanobacteria, that detaches and grows by cell division into a new filament such as Oscillatoria. • Propagules: a structure capable of producing a new individual such as Sphacelaria.

47. Vegetative reproduction Cell Division A cell could not keep growing bigger forever. Food molecules could not reach the inside of a large cell fast enough to keep it alive. So when a cell reached a certain size it had to divide into two smaller cells called daughters. The daughters grew and, when they reached that certain size, they too divided, this processes called binary fission. But this caused a problem, Why?.

48. Vegetative reproduction Hormogonia in Oscillatoria

49. Vegetative reproduction Propagules

50. 2. Another method of asexual reproduction in algae is by formation of spores; the algal species Ulothrix, Chlamydomonas and Chlorella reproduce by this method. Depending upon the algal species, the spores can be produced in normal vegetative cells or specialized cells called sporangia. They are either motile called zoo spores or non motile called akinete spores.