Key Producers:

Algae account for half of a photosynthetic production on Earth.  They are the base of aquatic food webs.  All have chlorophyll a and three or four accessory pigments.

The Fact Sheets:

Euglenophyta:

No. of species:	800
Color/Pigmentation:	green comprised of chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids, xanthophylls
Food Storage:	paramylon (beta1-3 glucose polymer; note:  "beta1-3" refers to the glycosidic linkage
Flagella # and position:	1 to 3, apical
Cell wall components:	none
Habitats:	mostly fresh water
Other facts:	-

Dinoflagellates:

No. of species:	1,100
Color/Pigmentation:	brown comprised of chlorophyll a, c, carotenoids, and xanthophylls
Food Storage:	starch (alpha1-4 glycosidic linkage)
Flagella # and position:	2, 1 lateral and 1 posterior
Cell wall components:	internal cellulose plates
Habitats:	fresh and salt water
Other facts:	are the cause of Red Tide poisoning, microtubules pass through the nucleus, chromosomes attach to the nuclear envelope, are more like protozoa than algae.

Bacillariophyta (diatoms):

No. of species:	10,000
Color/Pigmentation:	olive or brown comprised of chlorophyl a, c, carotenoids, xanthophylls
Food Storage:	Leucosin (beta1-3 glucose polymer)
Flagella # and position:	1 (in sperm only)
Cell wall components:	hydrated silica and organic material
Habitats:	fresh and salt water
Other facts:	have top and bottom glass shells, gliding capabilities; some form cysts; sexual stages are uncommon despite the presence of gametic forms

Chrysophyta (golden algae):

No. of species:	850
Color/Pigmentation:	golden olive comprised of chlorophyll a, c, carotenoids, xanthophylls
Food Storage:	Laminarin (beta1-3 glucose polymer)
Flagella # and position:	1 or 2, apical
Cell wall components:	pectin
Habitats:	most often, colonial freshwater
Other facts:	-

Phaeophyta (brown algae):

No. of species:	1,500
Color/Pigmentation:	olive brown comprised of chlorophyll a, c, carotenoids, xanthophylls
Food Storage:	Laminarin
Flagella # and position:	2, lateral (in sperm only)
Cell wall components:	a cellulose matrix with various other polysaccharides
Habitats:	cold marine environments
Other facts:	are the largest and most complex algae; make up seaweed as we know it; the parts to seaweed are the following: thallus (the body without true roots, stems, or leaves) holdfast (slimy, root-like protection against agitation) stipe (stemlike support of blades) kelp (a giant seaweed); some (Sargassum) have air bladders to keep the photosynthetic blades floating near the ocean surface

Rhodophyta (red algae):

No. of species:	4,000
Color/Pigmentation:	red-black comprised of chlorophyll a, d, carotenoids, phycobillins
Food Storage:	Floridean starch (alpha1-4 branched glucose - like glycogen)
Flagella # and position:	none
Cell wall components:	a cellulose matrix with various other polysaccharides
Habitats:	most marine, some freshwater, most in tropical regions
Other facts:	-

Chlorophyta (green algae):

No. of species:	7,000
Color/Pigmentation:	green comprised of chlorophyl a, b, carotenoids
Food Storage:	plant starch
Flagella # and position:	2 or more, apical or subapical
Cell wall components:	cellulose
Habitats:	most fresh water, some are marine
Other facts:	chlorophytes + fungi = lichens

Next:  "Alternation of Generations."