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Red Algae

With around 6,000 species, red algae display a mix of simple unicellular and complex multicellular forms. Their bodies are composed of interwoven filaments or flattened sheets of cells, attaching to rocks using basal holdfasts. These organisms lack flagella and reproduce through alternating sexual and asexual stages. Their pigmentation, chloroplasts containing Phycoerythrin, aids in absorbing blue light and reflecting red, allowing them to thrive in deeper ocean regions. Red algae have various uses, from producing agar and food thickeners to stabilizing chocolate milk and treating herpes simplex virus. They are commonly found in warm tropical ocean waters, tide pools, coral reefs, and occasionally in fresh water and soil.

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Red Algae

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  1. Red Algae By: Carly Muller and Jess Lin

  2. Description • Around 6,000 species • Few simple, unicellular • Majority complex, multicellular, and plant-like • Body composed of interwoven filaments (feathery) • Some have flattened sheets of cells • Phylum: Phodophyta • Attach to rocks by basal holdfast • No flagella • Reproduce in alternation of sexual and asexual stages

  3. Pigmentation • Chloroplasts contain Phycoerythrin • Provides red color by absorbing blue light and reflecting red • Allow to live deeper in ocean • Same pigment composition as cyanobacteria

  4. Uses • Sticky polysaccharides in cell wall • Used to produce agar and as a food thickener • Carrageenan: food additive to stabilize chocolate milk and for creamy texture in ice cream • Eaten by fish, crustaceans, worms • Help treat herpes simplex virus

  5. Habitat • Primarily warm tropical ocean waters • Some fresh water and soil • Most commonly in tide pools and coral reefs

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