Knowra Stramenopile Stramenopile A member of a diverse eukaryotic lineage that includes brown algae, diatoms, golden algae, and oomycetes. Many stramenopiles have a flagellum bearing rows of fine hairs.
Eukaryote : An organism whose cells have a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. Stramenopiles are eukaryotes, despite spanning microscopic plankton, seaweeds, and pathogens.
Diatom : A unicellular photosynthetic alga whose cell wall is made largely of silica. Diatoms are abundant stramenopile producers and major contributors to aquatic primary production.
SAR supergroup : A major eukaryotic grouping comprising stramenopiles, alveolates, and rhizarians. Stramenopiles form one of the three branches named in this broad eukaryotic grouping.
Fungus : A eukaryote in the kingdom Fungi that obtains nutrients by absorption and commonly grows as filaments. Oomycetes resemble fungi in growth and nutrition but belong to a separate stramenopile lineage.
Heterokont flagellum : A flagellum bearing rows of fine tubular hairs, often paired with a smoother flagellum. This distinctive hairy flagellum gives the stramenopile lineage its name.
Brown alga : A photosynthetic alga, usually multicellular, that includes kelps and many marine seaweeds. Brown algae are large, conspicuous stramenopiles that create underwater habitats.
Chromalveolata : A historical eukaryotic grouping that combined stramenopiles and alveolates with several other lineages. This superseded classification proposed a shared plastid history that later evidence complicated.
Green alga : A photosynthetic eukaryote in the green plant lineage, including chlorophytes and charophytes. Green algae are a separate photosynthetic lineage, unlike brown algae and diatoms.
Plastid : A membrane-bound organelle in eukaryotic cells, including chloroplasts that perform photosynthesis. Photosynthetic stramenopiles contain plastids, while related groups such as oomycetes do not.
Oomycete : A fungus-like eukaryote that absorbs nutrients and often grows as branching filaments. Oomycetes show that stramenopiles include nonphotosynthetic organisms with major ecological effects.
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