BSC-1005 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Red Algae, Protist, Fern Ally

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The algae and evolution of land plants. The first organisms capable of photosynthesis were bacteria. The kingdom protista contains simple unicellular and multicellular organisms, most of which are aquatic and many of which are photosynthetic. Plankton are tiny organisms that live suspended in the water, and phytoplankton are plankton that can photosynthesize. Two main groups of phytoplankton: diatoms and dinoflagellates. These organisms are the base of the food chain in the open ocean. They phytoplankton are eaten by tiny planktonic organisms, which are eaten by shrimp, and then small fish, and so on. Photosynthesis by the diatoms and dinoflagellates is estimated to produce 30% of the oxygen in the earth"s atmosphere. Diatoms have a unique cell wall that contains large amounts of silica. Dinoflagellates are also abundant in the oceans and sometimes experience massive population booms called red tides. these organisms produce deadly neurotoxins, and red tides can result in massive fish kills, and also toxic to people.

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