Knowra Green algae Green algae Green algae are photosynthetic eukaryotes containing chlorophylls a and b, including chlorophytes and charophytes. They are the closest algal relatives of land plants.
Chlorophyta : A major lineage of green algae that includes diverse unicellular, colonial, and multicellular forms. This lineage accounts for much of green algae’s diversity, especially in aquatic habitats.
Photosynthesis : The process by which organisms convert light energy into chemical energy, often releasing oxygen. Green algae use this process to power growth and fix carbon.
Archaeplastida : A major eukaryotic group that includes red algae, green plants, and glaucophytes, all with primary plastids. Green algae belong to this broader radiation of primary-plastid-bearing eukaryotes.
Chlorella : A genus of small, nonmotile green algae studied for food, feed, and biotechnology. Chlorella species exemplify green algae cultivated for protein-rich biomass.
Red algae : A lineage of mostly photosynthetic eukaryotes with red-associated pigments and plastids derived from primary endosymbiosis. Red algae share ancient plastid ancestry with green algae but differ in pigments and other traits.
Streptophyta : A lineage comprising charophyte algae and land plants, united by shared ancestry and molecular evidence. Its algal members are the green algae most closely related to land plants.
Carbon fixation : The incorporation of inorganic carbon dioxide into organic molecules by living organisms. Green algae turn dissolved or atmospheric carbon into the biomass that supports aquatic food webs.
Charophyte : A member of the diverse green algal lineages most closely related to land plants. Charophytes include the algal lineages that frame the origin of land plants.
Dunaliella salina : A salt-tolerant green microalga known for accumulating beta-carotene under stressful conditions. Its pigment production illustrates commercial uses of green algal metabolism.
Brown algae : A group of multicellular stramenopile algae, including kelps, with plastids acquired through secondary endosymbiosis. Brown algae look plantlike but belong to a distant eukaryotic lineage.
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