ALGAE- HABITATS AND DISTRIBUTION

The term algae was first introduced by Linnaeus in 1753.
A. L. de Jussieu ( 1789) classified the plants and delimited the algae from rest of the plant world to its present status.
They are autotrophic, mostly aquatic and a few are terrestrial.
The plant body ranges from unicellular to multicellular structures with no vasculature.
Plant body is referred to as thallophytes because lacking true roots, stem and leaves.
There can be a single cell as small as 1μ to large seaweeds which can grow up to more than 60 m.
They occur in great abundance in oceans, seas, ponds, fresh water, steams and Salt Lake.
Many are found in soil of dam, rocks, stones, and bark of tree and on other animals and plants surface.
Small aquatic forms make a large of the free floating microscopic life in water, called plankton.
Some Species of algae grow on the snow and ice of polar region and mountain peaks.
Some, algae grow in hot springes at temperature has high as 55°C.
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