Comparison of various classes of algae

March 11, 2018

Chlorophyceae	Phaeophyceae	Rhodophyceae
Commonly known as green algae.	Commonly known as brown algae.	Commonly known as red algae.
Mostly found in aquatic habitats.	Mostly marine.	Mostly found in warm marine water.
A few are terrestrial or marine.	Only a few are found in fresh water.	A few are found in fresh water.
Chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, carotenes and xanthophyll are photosynthetic pigments.	Brown coloured pigments like carotenoids, fucoxanthins, chlorophyll-a and chlorophyll-c are present.	Phycoerythrin, phycocyanin, chlorophyll-a,d, carotene and xanthophyll are pigments.
Reproduce by vegetative, asexual and sexual methods.	Reproduce by vegetative, asexual and sexual methods.	Reproduce by vegetative, asexual and sexual methods.
Unicellular and multicellular.	Unicellular forms are absent.	Mostly multicellular.
Starch is the form of stored food.	Laminarian starch and manitol are stored food forms.	Floridean starch is the stored food form.
Inner layer of cell wall is made of cellulose and the outer layer is made of pectose.	Outer alginic layer and inner cellulosic.	Outer layer is pectic and inner layer is cellulosic.
Asexual reproduction by aplanospore or zoospore formation.	Asexual reproduction by zoospore formation.	Asexual reproduction by several types of non motiles spore formation.
Sexual reproduction by isogamous, anisogamous and oogamous type.	Isogamous, anisogamous and oogamous type.	Oogamous type of sexual reproduction.
Example: Chlamydomonas, Spirogyra, Ulva, etc.	Example: Fucus, Laminaria, Sargassum, etc.	Example: Batracospermum, Polysiphonia, etc.

Image source: javatpoint

References:

i) https://www.thoughtco.com/types-of-marine-algae-2291975

ii) https://www.vedantu.com/question-answer/algae-are-divided-into-three-main-classes-what-class-11-biology-cbse-5fb22971b8881b0c5195905b

Comparision of various classes of algae

About The Author

Shailesh Koirala

I am Shailesh Koirala