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Article: Algae
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Algae
Algae are a diverse group of all photosynthetic organisms that are not plants. Algae are important in marine, freshwater, and some terrestrial
ecosystems
. Seaweeds are large marine algae. The study of algae is called phycology.
Algae may be unicellular, colonial, or multicellular. Some algae, like the diatoms, are microscopically small. Other algae, like kelp, are as big as trees. Some algae, the
phytoplankton
, drift in the water. Other algae, the epiphitic or benthic algae, grow attached to rocks, docks, plants, and other solid objects.
Classification
The major groups of eukaryotic algae are the green algae, diatoms, red algae, brown algae, and dinoflagellates. They are ...