Question

Write about the salient features of algae and fungi with two examples (scientific names) of each.

Accepted Answer

Salient features of Algae:

Algae are chlorophyll containing autophytic members of non flowering lower groups of plants included under the division Thallophyta.

Majority of the algae are aquatic either fresh water or marine. They can live in floating condition in flowing water or can remain attached to a substratum under water.

Algal cell is generally eukaryotic in nature, but may be prokaryotic, e.g. blue green algae like Nostoc, Anabaena, etc.

Algal cell is surrounded by a definite cell wall. Cell wall mainly composed of cellulose, pectin and mucilage like substance. The cell wall may be surrounded by a gelatinous envelope or protein coat.

Examples: Chlamydomones intermedia, Volvox globator, Chlorella vulgaris, etc.

Salient features of Fungi :

Chlorophyll less thallophytic plants are fungi. Simple thallus like plant body without differentiation into root, stem and leaves.

Fungi can live either in presence or absence of light in aquatic and terrestrial conditions.

They cannot manufacture their own food, as they are achlorophyllous. Therefore, the fungi live either as parasites or as saprophytes. Sometimes they live symbiotically. Saprophytic fungi derives their food matters by diffusion from dead decaying organic matters. Parasitic fungi derives their necessary food matters from living host plant by means of sucking roots called haustoria.

The fungi may be unicellular or multicellular. In multicellular forms, the plant body is made up of a large number of branched thread like structures. Each of these structure is called the hypha (Gr. Hyphae, wave) and a collection of hyphae is the mycelium. Hence, the multicellular much branched thread like fungus body is called mycelium.

Examples:Mucor mucedo. Penicillium notatum, etc.

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