Zooxanthellae ( /ˌzoʊ.əzænˈθɛliː/) are flagellate protozoa from the genus Symbiodinium that are golden-brown intracellular endosymbionts of various marine animals andprotozoa, especially anthozoans such as the scleractinian corals and the tropical sea anemone, Aiptasia. Zooxanthellae live in other protozoa (foraminiferans and radiolarians) and in some invertebrates. Most are autotrophs and provide the host with energy in the form of translocated reduced carbon compounds, such as glucose, glycerol, […] read more

Chaetoceros is probably the largest genus of marine planktonic diatoms with approximately 400 species described. Although a large number of these descriptions are no longer valid. It is often very difficult to distinguish between different Chaetocerosspecies.[1] Several attempts have been made to restructure this large genus into subgenera and this work is still in progress[2][3]However, most of […] read more

Cyanobacteria /saɪˌænoʊbækˈtɪəriə/, also known as Cyanophyta, is a phylum of bacteria that obtain their energy through photosynthesis.[3] The name “cyanobacteria” comes from the color of the bacteria (Greek: κυανός (kyanós) = blue). They are often called blue-green algae, but some consider that name a misnomer as cyanobacteria are prokaryotic and algae should be eukaryotic,[4] although other definitions of algae encompass prokaryotic organisms.[5] By producing oxygen as a gas as a by-product of photosynthesis, cyanobacteria are thought […] read more

Coralline algae are red algae in the order Corallinales. They are characterized by a thallus that is hard because of calcareousdeposits contained within the cell walls. The colors of these algae are most typically pink, or some other shade of red, but other species can be purple, yellow, blue, white or gray-green. Coralline algae play an important role in the ecology […] read more

In taxonomy, Chlorodesmis is a genus of algae, specifically of the Udoteaceae.[1] Algae in this genus produce the toxic diterpene chlorodesmin to defend themselves against generalist herbivores[2] (From Wikipedia, May 31st, 2012) read more

Sargassum is a genus of brown (class Phaeophyceae) macroaldga (seaweed) in the order Fucales. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world, where they generally inhabit shallow water and coral reefs. However, the genus may be best known for its planktonic (free-floating) species. While most species within the class Phaeophyceae are predominantly cold […] read more