Chlorophyta

Chlorophyta
"Siphoneae" from Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur, 1904
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukarya
(unranked): Archaeplastida
Kingdom: Viridiplantae
Division: Chlorophyta
Reichenbach, 1834; Pascher[1][2]
Classes[3]
  • Bryopsidophyceae
  • Chlorophyceae
  • Pedinophyceae
  • Pleurastrophyceae
  • Prasinophyceae
  • Trebouxiophyceae
  • Ulvophyceae
Green algae on coastal rocks at Shihtiping in Taiwan

Chlorophyta, a division of green algae,[3] includes about 7,000 species[4][5] of mostly aquatic photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. Like the land plants (bryophytes and tracheophytes), green algae contain chlorophylls a and b, and store food as starch[4] in their plastids. They are related to the Charophyta and Embryophyta (land plants), together making up the Viridiplantae.

The division contains both unicellular and multicellular species. While most species live in freshwater habitats and a large number in marine habitats, other species are adapted to a wide range of environments. Watermelon snow, or Chlamydomonas nivalis, of the class Chlorophyceae, lives on summer alpine snowfields. Others live attached to rocks or woody parts of trees. Some lichens are symbiotic relationships between fungi and green algae.

Members of the Chlorophyta also form symbiotic relationships with protozoa, sponges and cnidarians. All are flagellated[6] and these have an advantage of motility. Some conduct sexual reproduction, which is oogamous or isogamous.

Classes

Class Prasinophyceae T. A. Chr. ex Ø. Moestrup & J. Throndsen

Classification according to Hoek, Mann and Jahns 1234.[4]

Classification according to Bold and Wynne (Introduction to the Algae, Second Edition, Prentice Hall NJ)

References

  1. ↑ Pascher A (1914). "Über Flagellaten und Algen". Berichte der deutsche botanischen Gesellschaft 32: 136–160. 
  2. ↑ Adl SM, Simpson AGB, Farmer MA, Andersen RA, Anderson OR, Barta JR, Bowser SS, Brugerolle G, Fensome RA, Fredericq S, James TY, Karpov S, Kugrens P, Krug J, Lane CE, Lewis LA, Lodge J, Lynn DH, Mann DG, McCourt RM, Mendoza L, Moestrup Ø, Mozley-Standridge SE, Nerad TA, Shearer CA, Smirnov AV, Speigel FW, Taylor MFJR (2005). "The new higher level classification of eukaryotes with emphasis on the taxonomy of protists". Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 52: 399–451. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.2005.00053.x. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. (2007). "Phylum: Chlorophyta taxonomy browser". AlgaeBase version 4.2 World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org/browse/taxonomy/?id=4307. Retrieved 2007-09-23. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hoek, C. van den, Mann, D.G. and Jahns, H.M. 1995. Algae An Introduction to Phycology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. ISBN 0 521 30419 9
  5. ↑ "Major Algae Phyla - Table - MSN Encarta". Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. http://www.webcitation.org/5kwQwljiE. 
  6. ↑ Kapraun DF (April 2007). "Nuclear DNA content estimates in green algal lineages: chlorophyta and streptophyta". Ann. Bot. 99 (4): 677–701. doi:10.1093/aob/mcl294. PMID 17272304. http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=17272304. 

Further reading

Classification of Archaeplastida / Plantae sensu lato
Rhodophyta
Rhodophyceae · Bangiophyceae · Florideophyceae · Goniotrichales · Stylonematophyceae
Glaucocystophyceae
Glaucocystis · Cyanophora · Gloeochaete
Viridiplantae/
Plantae
sensu stricto
Chlorophyta/GA

Prasinophyceae

UTC clade: Ulvophyceae · Trebouxiophyceae · Chlorophyceae
Streptophyta
Charophyta/GA
Chlorokybophyceae
Chlorokybales
Klebsormidiophyceae
Klebsormidiales
Zygnematophyceae
Desmidiales · Zygnematales
Charophyceae
Charales
Coleochaetophyceae
Coleochaetales
Bryophytes
(non-vascular)
Isoetopsida (Isoetales, Selaginellales) · Lycopodiopsida (Lycopodiales)
Euphyllophyta
Moniliformopses (Equisetopsida, Filicopsida, Psilotopsida)
Spermatophyta: Gymnosperm (Pinophyta, Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, Gnetophyta) · Magnoliophyta
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